Why Did Jesus Choose Judas?
00:00:00.000 | There are few more perplexing questions of the Bible than this.
00:00:08.560 | If he knew that he would betray him in the end, why did Jesus choose Judas as a disciple
00:00:15.640 | to begin with?
00:00:16.880 | The perplexing question comes in specifically from a podcast listener named Austin.
00:00:20.800 | "Hello Pastor John, I've been studying through the book of John lately and I began
00:00:25.120 | to wonder why Jesus chose Judas to be one of his disciples in the first place and what
00:00:30.520 | does Jesus have to teach us by choosing someone to be his disciple knowing full well he would
00:00:35.480 | betray him?
00:00:36.560 | Are there any takeaways for us in this?"
00:00:40.880 | John 6.64 says, "Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe and who
00:00:51.740 | it was who would betray him."
00:00:55.440 | So Austin's question is biblically based and urgent.
00:01:00.940 | Jesus chose his own betrayer to be part of his apostles.
00:01:07.600 | Why?
00:01:08.600 | I'm going to give five answers that I see in the scriptures for why God ordained and
00:01:15.600 | Jesus chose Judas, the betrayer, to be part of his team.
00:01:21.160 | First, because the Old Testament scriptures prophesied that this would take place.
00:01:27.440 | So Jesus chose Judas to fulfill the scriptures.
00:01:32.320 | John 13.18, Jesus says to his apostles, "I am not speaking of all of you.
00:01:38.720 | I know whom I have chosen, but the scripture will be fulfilled."
00:01:46.240 | And then he quotes Psalm 41.9, "He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me."
00:01:57.160 | And Peter, on the day of Pentecost, Acts 1.16 says, "Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled
00:02:05.600 | concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus."
00:02:12.160 | Step by step, Jesus moved toward the cross, taking pains to fulfill every scripture concerning
00:02:21.080 | his death, right down to the details of how he would be handed over.
00:02:26.840 | The point was to show the scriptures cannot be broken and God is in control.
00:02:33.200 | Second, by choosing to be betrayed by a close friend and even by a kiss, Jesus shows us
00:02:43.800 | that the most despicable act in the history of the world, the betrayal and consequent
00:02:52.040 | murder of the Son of God, was part of God's saving plan.
00:02:58.000 | It's explicitly said in Acts 4.27 that by his hand and his predestination, these things
00:03:05.800 | took place.
00:03:07.160 | In other words, the lesson of Judas is that the most horrible sins in the world are used
00:03:14.800 | by God for his saving purposes.
00:03:18.800 | Just when people think they're getting the upper hand, they find that their hand is serving
00:03:24.920 | the very one they are opposing.
00:03:27.720 | It's a great lesson for us to learn.
00:03:31.080 | Third, by choosing from the beginning an apostle who was destined for apostasy and destruction,
00:03:40.720 | and by including him in his closest relations, and by giving him power over unclean spirits
00:03:47.960 | and over diseases, Jesus shows us that religious associations and religious practices and miracle
00:03:58.480 | working are no sure evidence of being born again.
00:04:04.800 | Matthew 10, verses 1 to 4, describe the choosing of the twelve.
00:04:09.640 | It names Judas and says, "Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast out
00:04:18.400 | and to heal every disease and every affliction."
00:04:23.040 | Judas walked with Jesus, ministered with Jesus for three years, and he worked those miracles.
00:04:34.420 | So Judas becomes a vivid illustration of the people in Matthew 7.22.
00:04:41.720 | On that day, many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and
00:04:48.340 | cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?"
00:04:52.920 | That's Judas and many, many other people in history.
00:04:58.180 | And then Jesus will declare to them, "I never knew you.
00:05:03.240 | Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
00:05:07.160 | What a vivid lesson to learn that right doctrine, "Lord, Lord"—we know who you are.
00:05:13.520 | We got our doctrine right—"Lord, Lord"—and religious activity and miracle working.
00:05:19.520 | We've cast out demons.
00:05:20.800 | We've healed people.
00:05:22.640 | Prove nothing about saving faith and being born again.
00:05:28.080 | That's the lesson of Judas.
00:05:30.800 | Fourth, Judas serves as an illustration that predestination and human responsibility go
00:05:37.680 | hand in hand.
00:05:39.840 | Judas' destiny was set before his betrayal.
00:05:44.480 | Jesus said that he kept all his disciples from apostasy except Judas, the son of destruction,
00:05:54.920 | John 17, 12.
00:05:58.480 | In John 6, 64, it says, "Jesus knew from the beginning who it was who would betray
00:06:06.080 | him."
00:06:07.440 | And then Jesus explains in the next verse, "This is why I told you that no one can come
00:06:14.920 | to me unless it is granted to him by the Father."
00:06:20.560 | In other words, Judas didn't repent because it was not granted to him by the Father.
00:06:30.180 | His destiny was sealed, and yet he was guilty—really guilty, really accountable, really blameworthy.
00:06:40.280 | He was really responsible for what he did.
00:06:42.800 | He himself said in Matthew 27, 4, "I have sinned.
00:06:49.200 | I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."
00:06:53.920 | So we learn from Judas not to stumble over the fact that a person may be destined for
00:07:00.600 | destruction and yet totally responsible for what he does.
00:07:07.120 | And finally, number five, Judas serves as a vivid example of the terrible, terrible
00:07:15.480 | power of the love of money and how it blinds us to what is true and beautiful and valuable
00:07:24.800 | in this world.
00:07:26.360 | In John 12, 4 to 6, when Mary anointed Jesus, Judas said, oozing with hypocrisy, "Why
00:07:39.480 | was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?"
00:07:45.400 | And John comments, "He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was
00:07:52.480 | a thief, and having the charge of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put
00:08:01.680 | in it."
00:08:03.280 | Under the nose of the very Son of God, who would give his life as a ransom for many,
00:08:11.240 | whose teachings he had heard for three years, in whose power he did miracles, Judas loved
00:08:19.640 | money more than he loved Jesus.
00:08:23.400 | That's horrific, unbelievable, unspeakably evil.
00:08:29.800 | It should make every one of us tremble at the thought of the power that money has in
00:08:37.360 | our lives to blind us to what is true and beautiful and precious.
00:08:43.360 | So when Judas got his chance, 30 pieces of silver is all it took to sell the very Son
00:08:51.680 | of God.
00:08:52.680 | I'm sure there are more answers to Austin's question, but these are at least five answers
00:09:00.760 | that I see in the Bible as to why God would ordain and Jesus would choose that a betrayer
00:09:07.600 | be included among the apostles from the beginning.
00:09:11.040 | One, to fulfill Scripture.
00:09:13.760 | Scriptures cannot be broken, and God is in control.
00:09:16.560 | Two, even horrific sins serve the saving purposes of God in his sovereign plan.
00:09:23.960 | Three, time with Jesus and miracle working are no proof of saving faith.
00:09:31.840 | Four, predestination and human accountability go hand in hand.
00:09:38.040 | And five, the love of money is behind the worst sin in the world.
00:09:44.800 | Amen.
00:09:45.800 | John 12 is an incredible text for a lot of reasons.
00:09:49.240 | Mary pouring out her wealth on the feet of Jesus reminds me of APJ 1499 titled, "What
00:09:55.760 | Does Freedom from the Love of Money Look Like?"
00:09:58.280 | Freedom from the love of money looks like Mary at the feet of Jesus.
00:10:02.000 | One of my all-time favorite APJ episodes.
00:10:04.000 | Check that out.
00:10:05.000 | APJ 1499 on what it looks like to be free from the love of money.
00:10:08.760 | You can find it at our online home at DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn.
00:10:14.840 | And there you can send us your own questions, search or browse all 1,600 of our past episodes,
00:10:19.520 | or subscribe to the podcast.
00:10:20.520 | Well, we're going to break for the weekend, but Lord willing, we plan to be back with
00:10:24.320 | you on Monday.
00:10:25.320 | I'm your host, Tony Ranke.
00:10:26.760 | Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast with longtime author and pastor, John
00:10:32.000 | Piper.
00:10:33.080 | Have a wonderful weekend.
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00:10:35.720 | John Piper's "What Does Freedom from the Love of Money Look Like?"
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00:10:37.720 | John Piper's "What Does Freedom from the Love of Money Look Like?"
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00:10:38.720 | John Piper's "What Does Freedom from the Love of Money Look Like?"
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