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How Judas Lost His Soul
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it were not for his ability as a manager. In his own estimation he was
an honor to the cause, and this is how he always presented himself.
Christ placed him where he would have opportunity to see and
correct his weakness of character, but Judas indulged his desire
for money. The small amounts that came into his hands were a
continual temptation. When he did some small service for Christ,
he paid himself out of this meager fund. In his own eyes these false
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reasons excused his action, but in God’s sight he was a thief.
Judas had marked out a course of action that he expected Christ
to follow. He had planned that Jesus would deliver John the Baptist
from prison. But John remained there and was beheaded. And Jesus,
instead of avenging John’s death, went away into a country location.
Judas wanted more aggressive warfare. He thought that if only Jesus
would not prevent the disciples from carrying out their schemes,
the work would be more successful. He saw Jesus leave the Jewish
leaders’ challenge unanswered when they demanded that He show
them a sign from heaven. Judas’s heart was open to disbelief, and
the enemy provided thoughts of rebellion. Why did Jesus predict
trial and persecution for Himself and His disciples? Were Judas’s
hopes for a high place in the kingdom to be disappointed?
Working Against Christ
Judas was always advancing the idea that Christ would reign as
king in Jerusalem. At the miracle of the loaves, it was Judas who
started up the project to take Christ by force and make Him king.
His hopes were high, his disappointment bitter.
Christ’s message concerning the Bread of Life was the turning
point. Judas saw Christ offering spiritual rather than worldly good.
He thought he could see that Jesus would have no honor and could
grant no high position to His followers. He determined not to unite
himself so closely to Christ that he could not draw away. He would
watch. And he did watch.
From that time he expressed doubts that confused the disciples.
He introduced controversies and texts of Scripture that had no con-
nection with the truths Christ was presenting. These texts, separated
from their context, perplexed the disciples and increased the dis-
couragement pressing in on them. Yet Judas appeared honorable