Articles
Woe To Judas - Mark 14
Woe to Judas Mark 14
"For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born" Mark 14:21 (ESV).
Judas was chosen to be part of the apostles. He walked with Jesus, listened to Jesus, was commissioned and sent out on the limited commission by Jesus, he partook of the powers that Jesus gave to the apostles. As Peter put it: “he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). Yet with all these great privileges he also betrayed Jesus.
God had fore planned that the Messiah would be betrayed by a friend and foretold it in the prophets (cp. Acts 1:16-20). Yet Judas was held responsible for his actions. Perhaps he was chosen because of his weaknesses as others, like Paul, were chosen for their strengths. Even so, he, like all men, was faced with options and made choices. He chose to betray Jesus. He chose to steal from the common purse (John 12:6). He chose to return the betrayal money. He chose to kill himself. For such choices he will be held accountable.
The great privileges did not remove the matter of choice in his life, but they did increase the degree of guilt. The more that is given, the more that is required. This brought out the ‘Woe’ pronouncement from Jesus.
While many want to jump into the abyss of trying to figure out where the line of God’s sovereignty and Judas’ responsibility diverge, I prefer to realize that I too make choices and must answer for them. The magnitude of this situation is heightened by the realization that such choices lead to heaven or hell. Judas made bad choices and ‘went to his place’, a place Jesus characterized as ‘woe’. Where are my choices leading me? Where are your choices leading you? Hugh DeLong
