This is part of a series of meditations on what Scripture teaches about each day of Holy Week, which goes from Palm Sunday until Easter, in which Christians everywhere mark the culmination of Jesus Christ’s ministry, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead.

Previous posts:

• Prelude
• Palm Sunday
• Holy Monday
• Holy Tuesday Part 1
• Holy Tuesday Part 2

“Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.  But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!”

-Psalms 41:9-10, ESV

“Then I said to them, ‘If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.’ And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.  Then the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter”

-Zechariah 11:12-13, ESV

After being unable to sway the crowd against Jesus by challenging Him publicly, the Jews conspired to arrest and try Him secretly.  But for this, they needed to know exactly where and when He would be away from the crowd, which would require collaboration with a close friend whom Jesus trusted {Psalm 41:9).  Satan was glad to oblige, inciting Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3).  Judas was one of the Twelve disciples, who all enjoyed close proximity and friendship with Jesus and therefore the trust of Jesus that the crowds did not (John 2:24).  Judas even has a special level of trust from Jesus as the group’s treasurer, yet he was secretly not a follower of Jesus but in fact an embezzler (John 12:6).  When Jesus rebuked Judas for scolding Mary the sister of Lazarus for anointing Jesus with perfume, he made up his mind to betray Jesus.  He conspired with the Jewish leaders against Jesus for a measly thirty coins in the most infamous betrayal in history, making both his name and the price synonymous with betrayal.  The closer the friend, the more painful the betrayal, so this was yet another way in which Jesus experienced the effects of the Fall.  David reflects on just such a betrayal: “For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it…But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.  We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng” (Psalm 55:12-14).  Jesus could have just as easily said those words to Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

All Part of God’s Plan

But like all wicked deeds, this betrayal neither escaped God’s gaze nor thwarted His plan.  It was prophesied a thousand years prior by David in Psalm 41:9 and later by the prophet Zechariah.  God told Zechariah to shepherd a doomed flock that was unwilling to submit to his leadership just as Judah was unwilling to submit to God.  In the process, Zechariah predicts the price of betrayal and sarcastically points out how small it is.  Ultimately, Judas would regret his treachery and attempt to return the money by throwing it into the Temple before committing suicide.  This is reminiscent of the judgment of Psalm 55:15 on such traitors: “Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart”.  The Jewish leaders then showed extraordinary indifference by remaining apathetic even after acknowledging it was blood money—that they had paid—and therefore refusing to put it into the Temple treasury.  Instead, they ended up using it to buy the potter’s field, thus fulfilling more of Zechariah’s prophecy (Matthew 27:3-10).  While Satan did influence Judas and his betrayal was a crucial component of God’s redemptive plan, Judas was still ultimately responsible for his sin.  Jesus even said that it would be better for Judas if he had never existed than to sin and incur the just judgment of God for his sin (Matthew 26:14, Mark 14:21).  This should cause us to soberly consider the despicable nature of sin that brings about the severity of God’s judgment.

What is Your Price?

And lest we are too critical of Judas, we must remember that but for the grace of God we too would betray Jesus—and in lesser ways sometimes do.  This brings up a sobering question for all of us: what is our price to betray Jesus?  We would love to say like Peter that we are ready to go to prison and even die for Jesus (Luke 22:33), but may “Christians” in America are quick to sell Jesus out merely to avoid being “cancelled”, forgetting that Jesus promised He would deny in heaven those who denied Him on earth (Matthew 10:33).  Will we deny Jesus to escape ridicule for not going celebrating and actively supporting society’s warped understanding of sexuality, as I discussed here?  Will we deny Jesus under threat of losing our jobs for not using pronouns clearly inconsistent with biology, as I discussed here?  Will we deny Jesus to preserve our relationships with family and friends (which Jesus said was tantamount to not loving Him)?  Will we shy away from preaching the Gospel because of what others may think?  Will we dilute the Gospel that sees all people as valuable creatures made in the image of God, no matter how much others may call us hateful and bigoted for challenging their “reproductive rights”?  And in case you will accuse me of only picking on the Left, will we adulterate the Gospel by mixing it with Americanism that causes us to trust in a particular political party and nation that will one day pass away instead of the God who is sovereign over all?  In the same vein, will we deny the power of our King of Kings by compromising Kingdom priorities to support politicians whose character is contrary to the Kingdom and agendas that are antithetical to it?  While Zechariah pointed out how small a price it took for Judas to betray Jesus, I think if we are honest we have to admit that our price would likely be even less. 

Ultimately, Judas betrayed Jesus because following Jesus threatened the lordship of self in his life.  He valued himself and being on what he perceived to be “the right side of history” more than Jesus.  He was likely motivated by fear, which often motivates our own betrayals.  The ultimate question we must ask is whether we will trust God to sustain us or give in to fear.  At the end of the day, the “right side of history” is the side of Jesus Christ.  Everyone else, whether left wing or right wing, is on the wrong side of history, no matter how right they may appear at the time.  This means that if they will not repent and trust in Christ, they will be the goats condemned to hell.  The woke mob will one day pass away along with every other political party and agenda, but Jesus reigns forever and is the righteous Judge.  Psalm 41 continues: “But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!” (Psalm 41:10).  Jesus Christ will judge all who have betrayed Him—a judgement which we all deserve!  Therefore, all of the myriad of ways we could deny Christ should remind us that we are ever dependent on His grace.  It is only by the atonement of His blood that we escape His judgment for our treachery against Him.  So let us not shrink away ashamed of the Gospel but remember it is the very power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).