In today’s post, we will pause to look at John 12:4-6 a little longer.
Just who was Judas and why did Christ choose him as a disciple? It is interesting that John gives more time to Judas than the other three gospels. John also gives details that none of the other gospels provide. William Barclay had an interesting comment on Judas when he wrote, “[T]he fact remains that often the best way to reclaim someone who is on the wrong path is to treat him not with suspicion but with trust; not as if we expected the worst, but as if we expected the best.”
It is remarkable that Christ gave Judas an opportunity to be righteous, even though God the Father knew the outcome. In some Reformed traditions, the doctrine is held that God elected certain people because He saw that they would be righteous, therefore, they will be saved. The account of Judas casts shade on this doctrine. Judas was given the same opportunity as Peter, and there is no question that Judas was elected. If we argue that Christ elected Judas to engage in sin, then we attribute sin and evil to Christ, which is untenable. When we attempt to define election, we must be consistent, and there is no question that Judas was elected by Christ.
In comparison, Peter was not exactly a righteous saint. He was rash, brash, and when he fell, he fell big. However, he had an earnest heart to be aligned with Christ. Peter’s motive was righteous, and the Holy Spirit was at work in Peter’s heart. Peter also allowed the Holy Spirit to work in his heart. It is clear that Judas may have started out well enough but did not conduct himself in the same manner. Judas did not have a pure motive.
John points out that Christ made Judas treasurer over the apostolic funds. It is likely that Judas was good with money, and Christ appears to have given Judas a job to do and an opportunity at righteousness through his natural gifts. This is important for us because Christ expects righteousness through our natural gifts and abilities. If there is anywhere that righteousness is demanded, it is in our work, natural abilities, and gifts. See, for example, Christ’s parable of the talents. Judas represents universal opportunity, in that God does not pass over people just because their end will be the bitterness of sin. There is foreknowledge, but to say that foreknowledge translates into the will of God is to mishandle the plain reading of Scripture. Certainly, God had the foreknowledge of Judas actions. Christ was not caught off guard by Judas’ betrayal. There is even reference that Christ knew what Judas would eventually do. Was God the sole actor behind Judas, or was Judas allowing evil to overshadow the opportunity Christ gave him? One eliminates personal responsibility, and the other attributes personal responsibility to Judas.
Christ elected Judas, and the election appears very much to be based on Judas’ ultimate actions, which was not Judas’ righteousness. However, Christ taught Judas just as much as He did the other disciples, and Judas had every opportunity to be righteous.
This is how we can understand that election does not save or damn us. Election is not salvation, righteousness, or justification by faith. Our own actions condemn us, and we see this in the gospel of John again and again. Let’s be very clear on this point. Election does not carry with it a guarantee of salvation. A consistent doctrine on election must admit that Judas was just as elected as the other eleven disciples. Judas was not elected to damnation, for then God would have been the only sinner. Judas was elected to serve a purpose, and he was condemned by his own actions. Judas was specifically elected because he would ultimately be evil, but he was given the same opportunity at righteousness as the other disciples.
Judas was ultimately judged by his own actions and by squandering the opportunity given to him. That Judas felt the full weight of his error and shame for his actions is evidenced by his end. He attempted to make restitution, but at that point, it was too late.
It is notable that Judas’ life is marked by covetousness. Christ warned against coveting in Luke 12:15, “Then He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’” In John 6, Christ rebuked the multitude for seeking after the benefits of Christ and not earnestly seeking after righteousness. In Matthew 6:33, Christ exhorts us to seek Him first and trust that our needs will be met. The admonition against coveting is one of the Ten Commandments. The command to love our neighbors as ourselves carries with it an expectation to not covet. See also Mark 7:20-23.
Despite the warnings and teachings from Christ on the subjects of money, greed, coveting, ignoring the needs of the poor, and worry, Judas increases in sin.
Prophecy of Judas’ actions can be found in Psalm 41:9, Psalm 109:1-20 (verse 8), and Zechariah 11:12-13. The Zechariah prophecy is quite unsettling to read. On the one hand, God is breaking off His covenant with the people, and on the other hand, the people are quite acceptable with being let go. Matthew Poole, in his commentary on Zechariah 11:10, writes that the purpose of God’s covenant with us is “to bring us to God in duty and holy walking, and to reconcile God to us in mercy and grace, which is the most beautiful and sweetest object we can see.”
The purpose of election, then, is first obedience to God and second conferring a duty and obligation on those elected. When God’s favor is broken off from us, we are cast into the hands of unruly shepherds and marked for judgment. This is a most troubling end for humankind, however, Zechariah 11 illustrates that it was the deliberate choice by those who were cut off. This warning was given to the Old Testament people of Israel who were certainly an elect people, and the warning was repeated throughout the prophets. This warning was given in Malachi, and then came the 400 silent years. The warning is given by John the Baptist, and ultimately, the people who were elected by God were cut off for their willful unrighteousness. Judas, then, appears to represent election but choosing unrighteousness and ultimately being cut off.
Judas, having been elected by Christ unto righteousness, made very intentional decisions, beginning with not allowing the Holy Spirit to have His full work in Judas’ heart. At the end, Christ turned him over to the powers of darkness. Woe to those who, having received the gospel and believed on Christ, ultimately betray Christ. Woe to those who choose against Christ. They are marked for judgment, and their actions judge themselves.
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