Why Did God Choose Judas?

Introduction

John 6:63–71

“He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.”

Now, let's turn to the Word of God. Would you open your Bibles to John chapter 6, and in a moment we're going to begin reading in verse 71. And, as you're turning to that, let me ask you a question. Don't lift your hand, but just answer in your heart: how many of you know a man or a boy named John? Well, how many of you know a man named James? Or a boy named Matthew? Or one perhaps named Philip. Or maybe someone named Andrew. Or maybe someone named Paul. I think most of us would say, yes, I know somebody with all of those names. I want to ask you another question: how many of you know a man or a boy named Judas? Probably not a one. You might know a goat named Judas, maybe a dog named Judas, but you don't know a boy or man named Judas. And, if you do, it would be a very rare name. But once there was a mother who held a little baby boy in her arms, and kissed that baby face, and called her little baby Judas. And she loved him with all of her heart. But now the name Judas is a name of infamy. It's a name of disgrace. It's the name of treachery. And yet, Jesus chose Judas. Look with me now in verse 63: "Jesus said it is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life, but here are some of you that believe not." Now, that's a key, underscore that: "But there are some of you," - He's talking to His disciples - "there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father. And from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon answered him and said, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil?" Literally the word is a demon. "He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve." He was one of the twelve disciples! Jesus chose him.

Now, the scene is the garden of Gethsemane. The night is dark. Jesus is praying till the sweat is on that blessed brow like drops of blood. He is in anguish, His disciples are asleep, they could not watch and pray with Him. And suddenly there's a sound, muffled voices, clanking armor, shuffling footsteps, lighted torches. That secret prayer place now is just filled with people. The priests are there. Their eyes are burning with hatred and anger. And from that crowd there steps a man - his name is Judas. He has a sickening grin on his face, but he cannot hide the treachery in his eyes. He steps forward, and he plants a kiss on the altogether lovely and pure cheek of Jesus, and he hisses out in hypocrisy, Greetings, Master. As the King James says, Hail, Master. And that kiss must've burned like a coal from hell. It was the kiss of betrayal. It was the kiss of death.

Now, how did all of this happen? Did all of this take Jesus by surprise? I mean, after all, Jesus chose this man. Was Jesus a bad judge of character? Did Jesus make a mistake? Friend, He never made one mistake. The Bible says He doeth all things well. He knew exactly, precisely, what He was doing when He chose Judas. Question: well then, why did He choose him? Why would He put a crook in the ministry? Why would He want a dirty double - crosser to represent Him? Who would want a man like this on his team, with eyes wide open, knowing that He would be betrayed? Well, that's a good question. I think it's got a good answer, and I think that you're going to find today like all of the Scripture, that you're going to find in the answer a word of warning, you're going to find in the answer a word of assurance, and you're going to find a word of comfort. As we look in this passage, and we ask ourselves, and we look at related passages, and we ask ourselves, why did Jesus choose Judas?

I. Religious Hypocrisy and the Need of Salvation

Here's the first thing. There are four thoughts today. The very first thing I want you to see is a lesson concerning religious hypocrisy - religious hypocrisy - and the need of true salvation. Now, look, if you will, in verse 64: "Jesus said, But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him." By the way, as He looks at this congregation today, He knows who the true believers are. He knows the difference. There are some of you sitting here today, you're going through the motions - you look just like everybody else. But there's a line that divides people today - those who believe and those who believe not. Now, He's not talking about intellectual belief. The word belief her means heart trust. Jesus knew who trusted Him and Jesus knew who did not trust Him. Well, if you don't trust Him, you're not saved, for the Bible says, in Acts chapter 16 and verse 31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

Now, listen very carefully, because this is the word of warning. Because there are many today who are in exactly the same crowd that Judas was in. You see, Judas had the right stuff. I mean, Judas had the right stuff. If you looked at Judas, you would've said, What a great guy this man Judas is.

For example, he had the right associations. Didn't he rub shoulders with the other eleven? That's pretty good company, isn't it? He was intimate with Jesus. Jesus called him friend. He spent three and a half years in the best seminary in the world, studying with the Lord Jesus Christ, learning facts, hearing Jesus Christ talk. What association this man had. And I'll tell you, not only did he have the right associations; he had the right reputation. Now, when Jesus was at the last supper, and He said one of you is going to betray me, the people didn't say, Oh, I know who it is - it must be Judas. The truth of the matter is, if they thought it was anybody, they probably thought it was Peter. Jesus said, One of you is going to betray me. They said, is it I? Am I the one that's going to do that, Lord? Let me tell you how much they trusted Judas. Do you know what job Judas had? Judas was the treasurer. Judas was the treasurer of that little group. The Bible said he held the bag; he was the man that had the money bag. Now, who do you make treasurer? The person who has the most integrity outward, the person that you respect the most. I'm saying that he had the right association, he had the right reputation; and, I'll tell you something else: he had the right participation. He was a worker. He went out with the others when they went out to teach and to preach and to do good. He was right in the group.

Got a lot of folks like that in church this morning. You're in a Bible - believing church; you've got good association. You've got good reputation; everybody thinks you're a wonderful person, and you may be outwardly. You were doing a lot of good things. You may be singing in the choir this morning, you may be taking the offering this morning, you may be teaching a Sunday school class this morning, you may be doing something wonderful, but Jesus said, "Many will say unto me" - this is in Matthew chapter 7, verse 22 - "Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, Depart from me, ye that work iniquity; I never knew you." That ought to be a warning. I want you to listen very carefully. The devil had rather send you to hell from the pew than he had from the gutter. Many people trudge to church on Sundays who have never been born again. Nobody suspected Judas. Judas, are you saved? I'm a church member. I didn't ask you that, Judas - are you saved? I am a member of the best church, the one Jesus founded. I didn't ask you that, Judas - are you saved? I'm a charter member! Didn't ask you that, Judas - are you saved? I'm the treasurer! You can go to hell surrounded by receipts for church offerings, baptismal certificates, and Sunday School pins, my friend.

Listen to me - what a warning this is. So many people have a form of godliness, but they denied the power thereof, and that's the reason the Bible says, in 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be of the faith." Don't think that because you're religious that you're going to heaven. It was a religious crowd that crucified Jesus! What a warning that ought to be to all of us!

But I'll tell you something else. Not only is it a warning; it is an encouragement. Now, how could that be an encouragement? I'll tell you how that's an encouragement:

because the other eleven did not quit serving the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't you let some Judas send you to hell. Don't you let some hypocrite keep you from loving and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Every so often, somebody will say, Did you know that there are hypocrites in the church? I say, Do tell. I'm so glad you told me. I would never have known that, after forty - five years in the ministry, that there are hypocrites in the church. There have been, there will be - the Bible clearly prophesies it. The enemy sows the tares among the wheat. We bought some eggs a while back, and one of them was a hypocrite. The other eleven were all right. You are going to find, dear friend, that hypocrites come and go, and like leaches, they cling to the hull of the good ship Zion, and onward she plows. And don't you let some hypocrite keep you out of heaven.

And you know when hypocrisy really hurts is when it's in the ministry, doesn't it? That's when it really hurts. No telling how many people are going to go to hell because of the scandals with some television preachers. A while back, you remember all of that? I don't need to uncover all that and go into all of that. But, let me just think with you for a moment. Have you ever been out at nighttime with a beautiful sky up there, and then you see something blaze across the sky. Everybody says, Look! A falling star! And it hits the atmosphere. What it is, is really not a star at all; it's a chunk of rock; and it hits the atmosphere, and it glows, and it blazes, and it burns up, and burns out. It's a chunk of rock. Do you know why it's significant? Do you know why people say, Look, look? I'll tell you why they say that: it's because stars don't normally fall. Now, listen very carefully. Every time somebody points out some scoundrel in the ministry, and every time somebody says, Look, it's only a testimony to the fact that God's preachers around the world are standing true for the Lord Jesus Christ like the stars of heaven.

Somebody was telling me the other day, Oh, all of the scandal in the ministry - and one is too many. But I said to a friend, I said, Name twenty. He couldn't name five. Name twenty. Friend, there are hundreds of thousands of men preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of them in little back road country churches, underpaid, overworked and unappreciated, who love Jesus with all of their heart. You stay up late some night and watch Elmer Gantry, or some movie like that, on television, and you say, Oh, yeah, whole bunch of hypocrites. Well, I want to tell you, Judas was a hypocrite, but Peter wasn't, and Andrew wasn't; James wasn't, and John wasn't. He's not, and they're not, and I'm going to tell you, be bold enough to tell you, I'm not. I love Jesus with all of my heart, and don't you let some Judas keep you from serving and loving the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'll tell you something else. We're still on the subject of salvation. What a warning this ought to be as to the ineptitude and the weakness of the social gospel. Did you know when this episode just took place, in John chapter 6? Jesus had just fed five thousand people. He fed the five thousand, and the crowds were clamoring after Him, and the Lord Jesus now begins to talk to him. He says, get it in focus. Look, if you will, in verse 47 of this same chapter - look at it. He says here, "Verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread that cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven." Folks, every time you begin to preach the gospel, build a building to preach the gospel in, somebody says, Oh, why don't you give that money to feed the poor? I am feeding the poor. The bread of life! They need Jesus! If you were to buy everybody on earth a hamburger, it would cost you 12 to 18 billion dollars. In a few hours they'd be hungry again. I'm not against feeding the poor - Jesus did it, and we ought to do it - but oh, how the devil has taken a gospel which is called a social gospel which is not a gospel at all, and failed to preach that men need more than soup and soap; they need salvation. They need the Lord Jesus Christ; they need to be born again; they need Jesus, the bread of life. So many churches today have become glorified country clubs, and they have their social programs, but they're not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and all they're doing is making the world a better place to go to hell from.

Friend, we have to live somewhere - in heaven or hell - forever. And Jesus here chose this man, Judas, I think, to help us understand, to help us understand religious hypocrisy, and the need of true salvation. Jesus knew who they were that believed not. I mean, think about it, folks: the social gospel. What difference does it make if a man's educated in a progressive school? What difference does it make if he wears soft clothes? What difference does it make if he eats vitamin - enriched food? What difference does it make if he sleeps on a soft mattress? What difference does it make if he dies without pain without the high - powered drugs? What difference does it make if he's buried in a memorial cemetery as beautiful as any park? What difference will it make if he must rise in the judgment and face a God he does not know? I'm not opposed to these other things; we ought to do everything we can do to help alleviate human hurt; but God forbid if we should ever fail to preach the glorious gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Environment is not enough. Jesus gave Judas a wonderful environment. Man got in trouble in the Garden of Eden.

II. Divine Sovereignty and the Reliability of Scripture

Now, here's the second thing I want you to learn: not only a lesson concerning religious hypocrisy and the need of salvation, but there's a lesson concerning divine sovereignty and the reliability of Scripture - divine sovereignty. Now, look, if you will, in verse 64. You're in John chapter 6 and verse 64: "There are some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him." Now, go over to John chapter 13 - just turn a few pages there, and look with me in verse 18. Jesus now is speaking of one who needed to be saved, and He said, "I speak not of you all. I know whom I've chosen," now watch this, "but that the scripture may be fulfilled" - don't miss that - "that the scripture may be fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." Jesus there is quoting Psalm 41, verse 9: "He that hath eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." Now, watch this: "Now, I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass ye may believe that I am he." Who? The Messiah. Jesus said, Look, I've chosen you. I know whom I've chosen. I know there's one who doesn't believe. He's a demon, but He said long ago in the Scripture, the Scripture said that this would happen. This is not an accident; this is not as though something has gone wrong. Divine sovereignty has seen through the ages this would take place. And He says this is being done that the Bible, the Scripture, will be fulfilled. And He said, when you see it, then you can know that I am the Messiah. Did you know that Judas preached a wonderful message that Jesus is the Messiah, for this ungodly rascal? But that, you see, when man rules, God overrules. Did Judas have a choice? Of course he did! Was Judas forced to betray Jesus? Of course not! God gave him a choice. He wanted him saved. Jesus loved him. Jesus would have forgiven him. Jesus would have saved him. Then, you say, if that is true, then, how was it prophesied what he would do? That means he didn't have a chance. Oh yes, he had a chance; of course he did. Do you think God would've crippled him, and then blamed him for limping? No!

Here's the thing, dear friend: when man rules, God overrules. What we see one point at a time, God sees all at one time. Did you know there's one thing God can't do, and that's learn anything? Think about it. God can't learn anything. How could God learn anything? He knows everything. How can you be omniscient and learn anything? God knew exactly precisely what Judas would do before Judas did it. Did Judas have a choice? Absolutely! Did God know it? Yes! Did God know it before time? Yes! Did God overrule it? Yes! Is God still in charge? Yes! It's amazing thing. Human responsibility and divine sovereignty. You and I dwell in time. God dwells in eternity; the past, the present and the future are all alike to Him.

Now, there's a word of warning. Watch religious hypocrisy. There is a word of assurance. Nothing is out of control. Nothing. Nothing. God knows exactly precisely everything that will happen, and I'm going to tell you, friend, we're on the winning side. Jesus shall reign, where the sun doth his successive journeys run, His kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moon shall wax and wane no more.

III. Personal Responsibility and the Tragedy of Sin

Third lesson I want us to learn: not only the lesson of divine sovereignty and the reliability of Scripture, but personal responsibility and the tragedy of sin. We've already said Judas was responsible for what he did. He was not a machine. He was not forced to do this. The Bible tells us clearly that Judas was a thief. Go back to John chapter 6, and look, if you will, in verse 64 again - John chapter 6 and verse 64: "But there be some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not." And then, look, if you will again, in 70 and 71: "Jesus answered, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a demon, a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve." Now, Judas was a thief; he betrayed the Lord Jesus, he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Sin had deceived Judas; after he realized what he had done, after he realized how deceived he had been by sin, the Bible says that he went to the Chief Priests and the elders and gave them his thirty pieces of silver back, and he said, I have betrayed innocent blood. The deed that he'd done hangs over his mind like a veil of death. It gnaws away at his conscience; it brings him to despair. Sin deceived him. Sin promised much; it paid little. The former pastor of this church, Dr. R. G. Lee, used to say, You can eat the devil's corn if you want to, but he'll choke you on the cob. That's what happened to Judas. The bread of deceit is sweet, but afterward, a man's mouth shall be filled with gravel. His sin deceived him, and sin will deceive you, friend.

Not only did his sin deceive him; his sin destroyed him. He took that thirty pieces of silver back to the court, and said to those priests, Take it back, threw it on the ground and it rolled across the courtyard. They picked it up after he was gone to buy a field to bury paupers with. Judas slinked away into the night. We don't know exactly how it happened, but we can piece some things together. He has remorse of soul, anguished of mind - he's fearful; and, you see, the devil who had enticed him is now the devil who's condemning him, and the devil who's accusing him. Judas is not under Holy Spirit conviction now; he's under remorse - and there's a difference. And he goes out there, and, somewhere hanging over some cliff, he finds a scraggly limb, and with trembling fingers, he forms a hangman's noose. He puts that noose around his neck, and then he steps over that cliff. Trying to escape the hell within him, he steps into the hell before him. The rope tightens, he hangs there, the breath is gone, the heart stops, but his soul is still in existence. He hangs there one day, two days, three, four - who knows how many? - dangling at the end of that rope. His body begins to bloat, gases build up, the birds have picked the eyes from their sockets, his tongue is swollen and covered with flies, the stench is terrible; it's a ghastly sight. There, dangling from the end of that rope, finally, somebody comes and sees him, and takes a sword, and just backs up, and cuts him down, and the body falls to the ground below, hits on the rocks, and it bursts like an overripe melon, and the entrails fall out on the ground. You say, good night, pastor - who wants to hear that on Sunday morning? That's not pretty. I didn't mean for it to be pretty. Sin is not pretty. His sin deceived him; his sin destroyed him. And the devil is guilty of false advertising. Judas, where are your friends now? Judas, where's your silver now? Judas, where's your power now? The Bible says, in Acts chapter 1, verse 18, "Now, this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." I wasn't making that up - write it down - Acts 1, verse 18: And he did hang himself. Matthew 27, verse 5: "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."

And not only did his sin deceive him, and his sin destroyed him; his sin damned him. Judas did not end his life when he hung himself. People say, Well, I'm going to commit suicide and end it all. You can't end it all - you can't end it all. The Bible says, in Acts chapter 1, verse 25, that Judas, by transgression, fell, that he might go to his own place - that he might go to his own place. He didn't end it all; he went to his own place.

There's a place in hell.

Now, what have we talked about? We have talked about hypocrisy and the need of salvation; we have talked about sovereignty and that God is in control; and now, we talk about tragedy and human responsibility, that Judas chose, and he chose wrong.

C. S. Lewis is one of the finest thinkers of our generation. He's in heaven now. But C. S. Lewis said, basically, there are two types of people on Planet Earth. There are those like Jesus who say to God the Father, Not my will, but thine be done; those follow the Lamb, they love Him, they're saved, they're born again. And then, there's another category of persons; these are like Satan - not like Jesus, but like Satan - who say to God the Father, Not thy will, but mine be done. There may be some like that in this building today. There may be some who are watching by television like that. You say, Hey, don't put that stuff on me. I'm going to live; it's my life; not thy will, mine be done. Two categories of persons: those who are like Jesus, and say, Not my will, but thine, be done; those who are like Satan, who say, Not thy will, but mine, be done. Now, Lewis said, when those who say to God, Not thy will, but mine, be done, when they drop into hell, a brokenhearted God will say, Not my will, but thine, be done - not my will. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But God gave you a choice - God gave you a choice. God gave me a choice. God gave you a choice. God gave Judas a choice. God knew what choice he would make, but nonetheless he had a choice, and he blew it! And he died and went to hell; he went to his own place. Sin deceived him; sin destroyed him; sin damned him.

IV. The New Birth and the Security of the Believer

And one last thing I want us to see in the few minutes we have: I want us to see not only the tragedy of sin, but I want us to see the security of the believer. You know, every now and then, somebody will say, You know, Pastor Rogers, one of the reasons I can't believe in eternal security is because of Judas: Judas lost his salvation. Have you been listening, folks? Judas never had any salvation. Judas never was saved. The Bible says, in verse 64, "Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not." Now, there's a great difference that day between Judas and Simon Peter. Look down in verse 67: "And Jesus said unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life," now watch this, "and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Two categories there that day: Judas, outwardly religious but had never had a new birth, had never been born again; and Simon Peter, rough, stumbling, but he was there, and God kept him. Look, if you will; go back; and look in verse 37 - chapter 6, verse 37 - watch this: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me" - now, watch this - "and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." Isn't that great? That was a good place for an amen. All right now, look in verse 47, if you will: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me" - now, remember, Judas didn't believe - "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers who did eat manna in the wilderness are dead. This is the bread that cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die."

Why do I believe in eternal security? Because again, in John chapter 10, just a few verses later, Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." What was the difference between Judas and Peter? If you read when you get home Luke chapter 22, you're going to find out in that chapter that Jesus said one's going to betray me, and one's going to deny me. Judas betrayed Jesus, and went to hell. Peter denied Jesus, and he's in heaven. What was the difference? Jesus said of Judas, it had been good for that man he'd never been born. Now, listen. If you don't get born twice, you're going to rue the day you were ever born at all. "Been good for that man he'd never been born." The Bible says he died, and went to his own place. But, what about Peter? Jesus said, Peter, Satan has desired you that he may sift you as wheat, but I've prayed for you that your faith fail not. Isn't that great? Did Jesus ever pray a prayer that wasn't answered? Of course not! He said, Father, I thank you, you always hear me. You see, the soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will never, no never, desert to expose. That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake. You and I, had we been there, we'd have said, Oh, Peter, he's lost. But, you know, Peter loved Jesus. Weak, stumbling, but he said, we believe, and are sure that you're the Christ. Do you believe that?

Conclusion

Let me tell you something, folks. You need to put your faith where God has put your sins: right on Jesus - right on Jesus. Clearly, plainly, wonderfully, simply, gloriously, the Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." One last word, and we're going to sing an invitation. You say, Well, Pastor Rogers, I am not a Judas. I'm glad you're not. I'm going to tell you this: if you don't get saved, you're in the same category as Judas. There are only two categories of people in the world: the saved and the lost. That's all. Matthew chapter 12, verse 30 - Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad." You can't be on the fence. You're in the Simon Peter crowd, or you're in the Judas crowd, and the difference is faith. Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not. Simon Peter said, we believe and are sure that you are the Son of God. And Jesus said, when a man believes on me, I will in no wise cast him out. Now, that doesn't mean that God won't chastise you. It doesn't mean He won't carry you to the woodshed. But it does mean, dear friend, that if you give your heart to Jesus, He will save you, and He will keep you safe. If you truly trust Him - I'm not talking about just being religious like Judas; I'm talking about truly trusting Him.

So, there's a message concerning hypocrisy; there's a message concerning sovereignty; there's a message concerning responsibility; there's a message concerning security. Maybe that's why Jesus chose Judas.

Let's bow our heads in prayer. Father God, O God, we humble ourselves today. Lord, I pray that many in this building will say an everlasting yes to Jesus. Lord, many who are stumbling and weak like old Simon Peter, Lord, that they just might come, and say yes to Jesus, and trust Him, and be saved. O God, open hearts. Lord, they cannot come apart from the work of your dear Holy Spirit; so, draw them, Lord, to you. Open hearts; save souls, I pray. This is your work, Lord. Amen.