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Bro. Otis Fisher
Alright, open your Bibles to Luke 22, verse 46, 47. Jesus has just undergone an awful, horrendous ordeal. He is through the garden, and it was in the garden that he had such a battle with Satan. So much that we heard him say, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.
And through all of this, he was doing the work of God. 47 says, and while he yet spake, 46 says, and he said unto them, why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. What temptation would they enter into, David?
We have to remember that the Jews, including the apostles, were looking for an earthly kingdom. They really believed that he was going to establish his rule and his order. And the thing that was driving them to this was the fact of the Roman government.
They were so burdened down with the Roman government, they thought, and wanted to get rid of the Roman government. If Jesus would just set up his kingdom, we know that he can do it. But that was not his aim, that was not his problem, that was not his job.
47, and while he yet spake, behold, a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. Now, the kiss was normally known as what, Russell?
A greeting. This traitor, Judas. All of the evangelists are very careful to describe it as Judas Iscariot, not the other Judas, the brother of James, one of the twelve. The Lord now ought the greatest professors to look well to themselves.
We see here a lesson, and to the grounds and principles of their profession, for a profession begun in hypocrisy will certainly end in apostasy. The occasion of the treason, covetous, or the inordinate love of worldly wealth.
Can't you just see Judas as he went to these people, the priests, and he offered, of his own volition, to point out the man Jesus. Now, that seems a little odd to us. First, that it was one of his own.
Second, that they would have to point him out. But they didn't want to make a mistake. Remember, Judas came to them. Now, the devil will lay a temptation before us exactly suited to our temperament. Think about it.
He won't tempt me with going to Iraq, but he will tempt me to eat that extra piece of cake. In inclination and instantly, he overcame Judas. You see, before in the word where it says he left the table, and Jesus told him to do that that he was going to do, do it quickly.
Well, he had to to keep on schedule. He didn't know that. But persons are never in such imminent danger of falling into sin as when they meet with temptations. Did you ever commit a sin and you wasn't tempted to?
Well, these temptations exactly suited to our master lust. Pray we that God would keep us from temptations suited to our lust and corruption. The reason that Judas led an armed multitude to the place where Jesus Christ was gave them a signal to discover him and bid them to lay hands upon him and hold him fast, which treason of Judas was attended with these black and hellish aggravations.
He had been a witness of our Savior's miracles. I believe that Judas had no idea, Russell, that it was going to be this serious. Of course, he had no way of knowing the seriousness of it. He knew it was wrong.
But in his mind, he was still a child of Satan. I really think that he had seen this man, Jesus, perform miracles, and he expected him to escape this one. And if he escaped, why, Judas would make 30 pieces of silver as profit.
It was profit that drove him to it. Money. Well, he had seen Jesus and heard him. He had heard the Lord's doctrine. What he did was not by solicitation, remember. He went to the priest himself. How dangerous it is to allow ourselves in any secret sin.
None can say how far one sin may in time lead us. Russell, we just do not know what lies ahead. I sin for the moment because it will get me this, not knowing that it's going to create lots of other things.
Should anyone have told Jesus that his covetousness would at last make him deny his Lord, sell his Savior, he would have said with Hazel, Is thy servant a dog, that I should do this thing? The endeavor made by his disciples for their Master's rescue.
One of them, Matthew says it was Peter, and I can just see Peter, drew his sword, cut off the ear of Malchus. But why not the ear of Judas? Why didn't he go after Judas instead of Malchus? Russell, why didn't he?
Well, that could be. Judas, I can just see Judas melting back into the crowd. As soon as he had pointed out Jesus, he got out of the front of his horde. By the way, there were about 300 soldiers armed coming to arrest one man.
It wasn't just half a dozen. Well, Peter cut off the ear because though Judas was most faulty, yet Malchus might be most forward in the arrest and carry off the Savior. How does a pious breast boil with indignation at the sight of an open affront to its Savior?
Yet, though Peter's heart was sincere, his hand was too rash, too quick. Good intentions are no warrant for irregular actions. And accordingly, Christ, who accepted the affection, reproved the action to resist authority, even in Christ's own defense, is a rash zeal and shamed by the gospel.
Peter did well to ask his master if he should smite with the sword. Remember, he asked first. But without waiting for an answer, he should have stayed his hand, and he didn't. Peter's sin occasioned a miracle from our Savior.
Christ heals that ear miraculously, which Peter cut off unwarrantedly. Yet the sight of this miracle converted no one. There was a multitude of soldiers. One of the twelve, Judas, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss him.
What I think that is the most audacious, outstanding, hypocritical act that he could do. Now, maybe it wasn't at that time in life, but it is today to me. 48. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
Customarily, this was a sign of affection, but now used by Judas to point out to the soldiers which one was Jesus. Maybe the soldiers didn't know. Persons who knowingly, for their own selfish ends, express toward Jesus Christ that which they do not feel, imitate Judas the traitor, and unless they repent and are forgiven, it will be true of them as it was of him that it would have been better for them if they had not been born.
I want to stop right there. Better for them to not have been born. Alright, is there anything that anybody would like to discuss? Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? Did all of this surprise Jesus?
How could he be so calm, so matter-of-fact, just working his way through the plan of God without being excited, without trying to run and hide, without getting an army of his own? How could he undergo such a thing, David?
When you're walking across a bridge, it spans the deep gully, and you really don't want to go across. What is it that you do in order to cross? Where do you look that you keep your eye on the other side?
I remember in plowing a furrow, if I kept my eye on the end and not right before me, it would go straight. If I would look at the other end and not down, I would be alright. So, don't look down at death.
Keep your eye on the other side. That's going to be the joyful time. Russell, dismiss us, please.