A WASTED OPPORTUNITY

Acts 1:15-20
Bob Bonner
December 27, 2009

Have you ever heard the expression, "Close, but no cigar?" Do you know where that saying originated? It's my understanding that this was an expression that came from the old carnival days. There were little booths to throw a dime on a plate and win a teddy bear, or to lob a ping pong ball into a tiny glass jar and win a gold fish. Even today there are booths that test your accuracy, like the balloon popping booth. If you pop five in a row, you win a stuffed animal. If you hit three or more you win a booby prize, like a cheap trinket or cigar. But if you don't even get three, then you don't earn anything, not a trinket or a cigar. You are close, but no cigar. You are a loser. You had the opportunity, but you blew it. You threw it away--pun intended! You wasted your opportunity.

There are a lot of Christians as well as non-Christians who are losers in the game of life. They come close to knowing God and to having an exciting relationship with Him, but they just miss it, not because God has made it difficult for them to get to know Him, but because they have made some unwise choices in life. 

Today, at this point in your life, you just might be one of those losers. As you sit here two days past Christmas, maybe you sense that life has lost its excitement and adventure. You are bored, lonely, and somewhat drifting. Maybe you asked Christ to come into your life awhile back, but nothing has happened lately for you in that relationship. God seems unreal or distant to you. At this point, you don't feel like you are winning. Something is missing.

Today, we are going to look at someone who turned out to be a loser in life because he wasted a precious opportunity that was placed before him. Hopefully, we won’t make the same mistake he did. If need be, we will take the necessary steps to turn our lifeless existence around and become winners. This individual was a lot like many of us here. At first when I tell you who it is, you won't believe it, but that's because he has been misrepresented and incorrectly characterized. This individual’s name is Judas Iscariot. That's right, the disciple who after three years of walking and living with Jesus, turned traitor on Him.

At this point, you might be asking yourself, “Wait a minute. I thought we were in a study of the book of Acts. How did we get here?” Well, we are at that point in Acts 1:15-20, shortly before Pentecost, when Peter encourages the selection of a twelfth disciple to replace Judas. I’m convinced that Peter’s move to fill the gap of the missing twelfth apostle is partially due to the impact that both Judas’ life and death had on the disciples. Only when we see Judas’ life through their eyes can we appreciate the challenge the rest of the disciples faced as they were to carry on Christ’s ministry. 

The outcome of Judas’ life uniquely marked the remaining eleven apostles in a way that caused them never to forget him. Judas’ life and death definitely affected how the other disciples invested the rest of their lives, and how they managed to admit to and live through their own ongoing mistakes and wrong choices as leaders of the early church.

This morning, we will begin by reading Acts 1:15-20, Peter’s remarks concerning the end of Judas’ life, and then go back to look more closely at Judas, the man whose name will go down in infamy as a traitor, and whose picture stands beside the word “traitor” in most people’s mental dictionary.

Dr. Luke records these words in Acts 1:15-20: 

¹⁵At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a

gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there

together), and said, ¹⁶“Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled,

which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning

Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷For he

was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.”

¹⁸(Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness,

and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his

intestines gushed out. ¹⁹And it became known to all who were living

in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called

Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰For it is written in the book

of Psalms, “Let his homestead be made desolate, and let no one

dwell in it;” and, “Let another man take his office.’”   

Whenever we hear about the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, Judas is always portrayed as the bad guy dressed in black, while in contrast Jesus is seen to be wearing the white hat. Judas is always lurking in the shadows, his face twisted in anger with menacing eyebrows and unruly hair, as though he had just stepped out of a police mug shot. Others view him as a dirty hood or gangster. In reality, however, you may brush shoulders with him in any crowd; you may be doing business with him daily. He may even be sitting right next to you in this church.

Having said that, I'm not going to whitewash Judas, as many have attempted to do. But rather I want to help you see a fairer, honest, unbiased picture of Judas, one that will help you see just how human and “normal” he was. In fact, we need to understand that Judas exemplifies much of what takes place in that “fleshly” part of all of us—that part of every believer and lost person alike that must be dealt with on a daily basis.

Let's look together at what scripture has to say about Judas and form our own opinions. In Luke 6:16, Judas Iscariot’s name appears last as one of the apostles that Jesus Christ called to follow after Him. His name appears last in every biblical list of apostles, except for the list in Acts 1, where it doesn’t appear at all. Every time Judas is mentioned in Scripture, we also find a notation about his character, that of being a “traitor” and not, as some might assume, a “devil.” In the end, Judas will forever be known as the one who betrayed the perfect, sinless, and holy Son of God for a handful of money.

His name, “Judas,” means “Jehovah leads.” This name probably tells us more about Judas’ parents than it does about Judas himself. It reveals that his parents must have been pious people who had great hopes for their son. Judas’ roots come from a godly home.

The second word that helps us to differentiate between the two of Jesus’ disciples with the name Judas is “Iscariot.”  This adjective tells us about where he grew up. Iscariot is the Greek name for the Hebrew town called Kerioth, which was in the south of Israel. It was in Judah.

If Judas were in fact from the south, it would mean that he was the only southerner among the other disciples. They were all from up north in Israel.  Although there is no indication from the text that the others looked down on Judas or excluded him in any way, it’s possible that Judas felt a little like an outsider, one out of place, or maybe like he didn't belong. Furthermore, having not been acquainted previously with the other disciples, his being from the south made it easier for him to disguise his true self.

When we look at the other eleven disciples, we are encouraged because they exemplify how common people with typical failings can be used by God in uncommon remarkable ways. So why then do we not recognize Judas with his failings in the same way? Are we common people to think that we are any less greedy, less capable of betraying or slandering others out of fear or desire for self promotion? I think not, for two reasons: First, according to Luke 6:12-16, there had to have been something decent about Judas for Jesus to choose him—perhaps his leadership ability or his intelligence. Judas himself showed an eagerness to follow Christ. He wasn't forced to be a disciple; he wanted to be one. And when Jesus said, "Follow me," Judas responded, "Gladly."

I find that one of the best and most accurate descriptions of Judas and his character was written by Dorothy Sayers, a most impactful Christian educator of the past century. The late Dr. Bill Bright, of Campus Crusade for Christ; Dawson Trotman, the founder of Navigators; and even Dr. Howard Hendricks have all been profoundly impacted by Miss Sayers. A biblical scholar in her own right, Miss Sayers wrote this about Judas: 

One thing is certain. He cannot have been the creeping, crawling,

patently worthless villain that some simple-minded people would like

to make out; that would be to cast too grave a slur upon the brains or

the character of Jesus. To choose an obvious crook as one's follower . .

. would be the act of a fool; and Jesus of Nazareth was no fool. 

If we look at Judas and somehow think that at the core we are better individuals than he, we are sadly mistaken.

Secondly, I suggest that Jesus chose Judas just as He did the others, to show us that even though we may be good-intentioned, good-willed, and talented, we too are all evil and carry with us the same potential for spiritual carelessness, hardness of heart, and the ability to squander unique opportunities afforded to us by God.

Please understand, when I say that Jesus “chose” Judas, I do not mean to use the term in the sense that Jesus predestined Judas for redemption. But rather, like Herod and Pharaoh, Judas was ordained before the foundation of the world to betray Jesus. He was not forced to betray Jesus. Judas was responsible for making his own decisions. Under the hand of a sovereign God who takes our foolish choices to complete His plans, so did God use Judas’ betrayal to fulfill His ultimate purposes. Elsewhere, Scripture even says that when Jesus chose Judas, He knew Judas would be the one to fulfill the prophecies of Christ’s betrayal. Jesus knowingly chose Judas. And yet, Judas was in no way coerced into doing what he did. 

How is it then that Judas could go from being a follower of Christ to being a betrayer of Him? The answer rests in the condition of Judas’ heart. Judas had committed his life to following Jesus, but he never gave Jesus his heart! As hard as it may be to understand, Judas was a man who drew as close to Jesus as is humanly possible. He enjoyed every privilege Christ afforded the other eleven disciples. He was intimately familiar with everything Jesus taught, every miracle He performed, and, along with the other twelve, had every opportunity to preach repentance when Jesus sent them out by twos to perform miracles and cast out demons. And yet, like many others who will follow in his footsteps, Judas did not commit his heart to the Lord. Judas is the example of those of whom Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:22-23. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

So, why did Judas follow after Jesus in the first place, only to betray him? Judas was probably a young zealous patriotic Jew who did not want the Romans to rule, and who hoped Christ would overthrow the foreign oppressors and restore the kingdom to Israel. He obviously could see that Jesus had powers like no other man. Furthermore, he figured that if he played his cards right, he could hold a politically powerful position in Christ’s new kingdom.  But as soon as he sensed that this was not going to happen, he decided to betray Jesus, cut his losses in the sense of the three wasted years of following after Christ, and see if he could not get something for his efforts by betraying Him. For Judas, following Jesus was not a matter of the heart, but of what was most beneficial to him.

We will come back to Judas’ betrayal in a moment, but let’s continue to understand the man himself. We are not told why or how, but according to John 13:29, the other eleven disciples and Jesus apparently so respected Judas’ abilities in the area of handling money, that they gave him the trusted responsibility of being their treasurer. The fact that Judas was from the south and unknown to the rest of the disciples made it easier for him to work his way into a place of trust and to hide his pilfering of the money and other deceptions of the heart. Of course, he could not hide it from Jesus, but the others had no clue.

Please turn to John 6:66. You are welcome to peruse the following verses as I speak of them. The scene takes place at the tail end of Jesus’ second year of ministry and records Jesus’ words to his disciples. The multitudes had been following Jesus, looking for free food and the entertainment of his amazing miracles. Yet at the same time, they also sensed that Jesus' teaching was becoming more difficult, demanding, and convicting. As a result, many were offended, and at the end of John 6, many of these followers dropped off and turned away from Him. It’s at this point that Jesus turns to the twelve and says, "Aren't you going to leave me too?" Peter responds, "Leave? How can we leave you? You're the one with all the answers to life. Why should we want to leave you? We trust you!" At this point Jesus responds to them, "Have I not chosen you, all twelve of you? Yet one of you is a devil."

In John 6:70, Jesus tells the twelve disciples that one of them is “a devil.” But according to verse 71, John tells us that at this point, Judas was not “a betrayer” but would “become one.” There is nothing in this passage or in the other gospel accounts from this time period that gives us any hints that Judas is acting suspiciously. However, watching some of the people quit following Jesus might have started him to think that maybe not all was well with the political world of Christ’s coming kingdom.

Furthermore, as Jesus is God, He can tell what is going on in a person’s heart even before the person does. Maybe, as some of these people were leaving, Jesus knew that certain traitorous thoughts were beginning to emerge in Judas’ mind. But if you were to have interviewed Judas at this point, I doubt he would have recognized any serious change of heart going on inside of him. He would have replied to the charge of being a traitor, “You’re crazy!” At the moment, everything was fine; he was happy serving the Lord. Did he yet have serious thoughts of selling out Christ? Not at this point. In support of this is Christ’s statement in Luke 6:16 that Judas did not start out to betray Jesus, but that he “became a traitor.” Becoming a traitor only took place much later in Judas’ following of Jesus Christ. At some major turning point in Christ’s ministry, Judas decided to betray Him. But not now.

Let me make one quick comment about Jesus’ statement that Judas was “a devil.” The word there is definitely the word for devil, but it is not a word that describes a demon possessed, co-conspirator of Satan. The word “devil” is actually the word “diabolos” which means "a slanderer." And that's all that verse meant to say about Judas. John did not intend at this point in the story to depict Judas as someone infected by the evil one, but to reveal Judas’ fleshly character. He was bent to slander others. He was one who would take potshots at others to improve his image or position before others. That’s what Jesus was saying about Judas. At heart, Judas was only following after Jesus if it would benefit his own agenda.  Eventually, he would lie and slander Christ's character for money.  In truth, perhaps like some in this room who blast other Christians with whom they disagree, Judas fell somewhere in between a black-coated villain and a white-washed hero. He was a human not far removed from any of us. 

The next time we see Judas, it is one year later, just before Palm Sunday. In John 12 we witness a scene that clearly shows there has been a definite change come over Judas. The scene is in Bethany, less than an hour’s walk from downtown Jerusalem, at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Judas had already determined to turn Jesus over to the authorities. He was simply waiting for the opportune time. 

After dinner at Mary’s home, she takes a costly box of perfume and wipes it all over Jesus' feet. Judas was upset that Mary had wasted such a valuable product to wash Jesus' feet.  That perfume was worth a year’s wages! This overt act of worship appeared to Judas as wastefulness. Perfume like this was used in small amounts over a long period of time. Once poured out, it could not be reused. To Judas, this was foolishness. Wasting a year’s wages that he could have skimmed the top off or embezzled for his own purposes really drove Judas nuts! 

The rest of the disciples agreed with Judas’ rebuke of Mary, saying that if she were going to do that with the perfume, she should have sold it and given the money to the poor.  Only years later, when John saw things more clearly, would he write in John 12:6 of Judas’ outburst that it was “not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.” But that was years later. At the time, Judas had camouflaged his true heart so that none of the other eleven men could see his true motives or activities. 

Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts tell us that right after this is when Judas went to the chief priests with the plan to turn Jesus over to them. But why then? What finally triggered Judas’ final step to becoming a betrayer?  Possibly, he was so materialistically minded that he couldn't handle seeing expensive goods wasted in such a foolish manner. In addition, he could probably see that by this time fewer and fewer people were following after Christ, for many reasons. One was fear of the powerful religious leaders of the day. Furthermore, it was no secret by this time that they wanted Jesus dead. It seems that this was the time to take what you had already stolen, get some extra cash for turning Jesus over to the authorities, and get on with life. Ditch this gig!

Notice something that is characteristic not only of Judas, but of all the losers in life. They have double motives. He verbally expresses concern and commitment for righteousness, but in his heart, his motive is completely different. His motive was selfish. It was covetousness. He was really religious on the outside, but on the inside, under the cloak of good works, he was greedy and out for number one. Judas was like so many others who know about God, come to church, and get involved in a Bible study, church program, or youth group. They say they want to follow Christ, but willfully take their sins along with them into those church activities with no desire whatsoever to change or turn away from what they know to be wrong. They become losers in life simply because they refuse to let Jesus have the right to be totally in charge of their lives.

By the time we come to John 13, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem has taken place. All of the disciples are gathered in the upper room. Judas has already arranged to betray Jesus to the authorities. All that is left is for him to tell them when and where. Judas slips back into the upper room, blends in with the group and pretends that nothing has happened. And then he proceeds to sit there as Jesus humbly washed his and the other disciples’ feet. He was so hard hearted. If you know the story, there is a stark contrast between his and Peter’s response to the feet washing.

Jesus is just about to institute the Last Supper, but He stops. He cannot go through with it, not with Judas there. Troubled in spirit, Jesus drops the bombshell in John 13:21. He says, "One of you shall betray me."

Once again, it is evident that the other disciples did not really know Judas, this man from the south. Not one pointed the finger of suspicion at him. No one said, "Hey! That's the guy. Get him!" Judas is above suspicion. As far as they are concerned, Judas is as high a caliber of disciple as they are. And that isn’t saying much, because they all had a pretty good idea of how fickle and sinful their own hearts were. Immediately, they all start to feel uneasy, because they each realize their own potential to betray Christ. Hence, the others begin asking, "Is it I, Lord?" with the hope that He will say, “No,” so that they can relax.

Finally, Peter leans over to John and tells him to ask Jesus who it is. Jesus tells John that it is the person to whom he is going to hand the next piece of bread after it is dipped. When John saw who it was, he was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe it. Verse 28 tells us that no one understood why Judas had left or where he was going. Not even John knew that at that moment he was actually leaving to betray Christ. For all they knew, he was going to take care of some financial matter. So out Judas goes, into the dark of the night, alone—forever alone.

You all know the rest of the story that leads to Judas’ death. After betraying Jesus in the garden, Judas apparently goes home. And the next morning remorse and guilt set in. He knows he has condemned an innocent man.  How could he do that?  How could he betray Jesus one day, and then feel guilt the next? The only answer has to be that Judas was not a hardened criminal. He was not a ruthless man. He was a sensitive man with a conscience, just like you.  He was a man who has been influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the promptings of the spirit. He was a person who sensed guilt when he did wrong. But mark this well, will you. Just because one feels guilt, it isn't enough to save them or to guarantee that they will be winners in life.

At this point, John MacArthur writes,

Driven by disappointment and greed, this most tragic of all men squandered

inestimable privilege, betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and

damned his soul to hell. . . . Feeling unbearable guilt and remorse, but not

genuine repentance for his betrayal of the innocent Lord, he returned the

money he had received to the Jewish authorities. Overwhelmed by his

accusing conscience, he committed suicide.

In Judas’ death we learn that remorse is not the same as repentance. He was sorry, not because he had sinned against Christ, but because his sin did not satisfy him the way he had hoped. Sadly, he never sought forgiveness. He did not cry out for mercy.

His refusal to seek repentance and his choice to kill himself instead hit the rest of the twelve disciples hard. This is why Luke includes the facts of Judas’ death in Acts 1:18-19. This was a tragedy that would remain in their memories for the rest of their lives. When you know God’s forgiveness and mercy and the joy and peace that comes with it, and see others you care about continue to stiff arm God to their graves, it weighs heavily on your heart.

Judas was never really drawn to the person of Christ. He saw Him only as a means to an end. This is that old common attitude of, “I’ll follow Jesus if he makes me money or gives me the happiness I think I deserve or helps me get to the top or enables my political dreams to come true.” Judas’ secret goal in following Christ was personal power and prosperity—gain for himself.

Judas had every opportunity to turn away from his sin, just like many today but even more so. He heard every lesson Jesus taught, even those which directly applied to him: the parable of the unjust steward, the message of the wedding garment, the preaching against the love of money, greed, and pride, and even Christ’s warning against the one who would betray him. Although he listened, Judas remained unmoved. He never applied the truths to his life. The life of Judas reminds us that it is possible to be near Christ and to associate with Him closely but at the same time be superficial and become hardened toward one’s own sin and need for a Savior.

There seems to be Judases in every age—people who seem to be true disciples and close followers of Christ but who reject Him or turn against Him for selfish reasons such as sex, money, position, or acceptance.  They can avoid responsibilities, vows, and difficulties by being just a tad dishonest, secretive, or deceptive. That grieves me! I have family members and close friends who know the truth and, like Judas, remain unmoved! Like Judas, one can be committed to following Jesus, but never give the heart and life to Jesus!  It is one thing to think of Jesus as a political Messiah who is going to save your country; it is quite another to trust Him as one’s own Savior and receive Him as one’s own Lord. Judas failed there. 

Let us be warned therefore. Let us make sure ours is not just an intellectual recognition that Jesus is God’s Son, the rightful King and Savior of sinners, but that He is our Savior and our Lord.

Judas was so close! He knew all the truth necessary to be a winner in life, but in rejecting Jesus as His Savior and Lord, he became a loser. “Close, but no cigar." What about you? What assurance do you have that Jesus has your heart? Is there enough evidence to convince others that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life?

It is not enough to take the name Christian, become a member of a Christian church, submit to baptism, take communion, or give of your money to further the affairs of Christ.  We need to be sure we have definitely opened our hearts to the Lord Jesus, that we have received Him as our own personal Savior and director of our lives. Judas failed here. I dearly hope none of us fail here as well.

Have you ever witnessed betrayal by a follower of Christ? What impact, if any, did their failure have upon you? How did you respond? What would be some outward signs that would lead you to believe that someone has truly given their heart to Christ instead of just being a mere follower?

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