Page 23 - THE CHURCH BEFORE THE MOCKING WORLD

CHAPTER SEVEN
The Great Betrayal
Betrayal is the literary, spiritual, and psychological turning point in the last days of the life and ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is so rich in its narrative, allegory, and symbolism that to focus on one point malpractices the whole and so we must create a sweep or an overview of this grotesque and yet vital element within the redemptive history of the cosmos.
There are six elements to the betrayal. They are also descriptors of the contemporary condition of certain aspects of institutional Christianity.
To the on-looking world, Judas was fully accepted as an Apostle. Material reward was central to his betrayal.
He was possessed by Satan himself to fulfil his deed.
His betrayal was masked by an outward sign of friendship.
His post-betrayal guilty conscience was more powerful than the power of Satan. The outcome of his betrayal was his own perdition.
For the on-looking world Judas represented Our Lord Jesus Christ. He was identified as being part of the community of disciples. His external works marked him as a follower of Jesus. He almost certainly exercised works of supernatural power like all the other Apostles.
The root of his betrayal was the desire for material gain and greed. His identity as a follower of Jesus masked by his desire for personal wealth and prosperity.
Greed for money is one of the most elemental spiritual conditions that leaves the human soul open to control by evil. In short, money will make people do what they would not normally do.
The depth of hypocrisy was so deep that he used the greeting kiss on the cheek as the sign of betrayal. The greed for selfish gain will stoop to deep levels of betrayal and wickedness inside the community of God?s people.
Despite being possessed by Satan, his free human will was so functional that his conscience caused him to try and retract his betrayal. It caused him to be unable to live with himself and thus he committed suicide. In short, Judas could not blame Satan for the deception and betrayal because it was his own free will was at work.
The warning to the Christian hypocrite is that some kind of perdition is always the ultimate outcome of living a double life.
Our Lord Jesus Christ gives a series of lifestyle choices to counter- balance the tendency towards the condition of betrayal.