Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1914 — BROOKLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE

BIBLE-STIIDYSDN

AN UNFAITHFUL TREASURER'S FALL. Matthew 26:14-25, 47; 27:3-10—OeL 25. ■‘Woo unto that man by whom the Son of Mon is betrayed. Matthew M. 14. hailed from Sbtith<»Ht PalV eatine, while the other eleven I of Jeans’ disciples were Gailleans. It li inferred that Ih>canse of superior business qualities Judas was made treasurer of the Apostolic company. Friends of Jesus noted that He and His disciples needed to give their entire time to the heralding of the Kingdom. It is not strange, therefore, that we read that some voluntarily donated money for their support.—Luke 8:3. Such voluntary donations mad>> It proper that there should be a treasurer for the company, and that he should be of superior business acumen. We find no reason for believing that Judas was a bad man when selected by Jesu? to be an Apostle. We have every reason to believe that he developed a bad character even under the most favorable influences—in the continual comf»a n v-es .leSirs and the other A post lea, and with the Message of the Kingdom Continually in his ears. There was. however, a beginning of his deflection; and the Scriptures intimate that his temptation fame along the lines of avarice, selfishness, love of money. It is still true that “the love of money is a root of all evil.”

A Fulfilment of Prophecy. Afterward, apparently, the disciples learned that Judas was a thief (John 12:0) Doubtless even when appropriating moneys contributed to the support of the little company, Judas could have some plausible excuse; for sin is always deceptive. Brooding on the subject increased his desire for money, and led his active business mind to batch out the plot for the betrayal of Jesus. The record is that when Judas perceived that Jesus had been condemned, he took the money back to the chief nriests. wishing to undo* his deed. They laughed at him. declaring that it was no concern of theirs, but his own. if be had betrayed innocent blood. Because it was blood money they could not put it into the Temple Treasury again. Instead, they purchased there

with a piece of cheap land, a potter’ s field, as a burial place for strangers. Thus they fulfilled to the very letter a prophecy which they had probably forgotten. Matthew 27:0, 10. The account implies that Judas was surprised wbeu Jesus was

condemned. Apparently he surmised that Jesus, brought to the crucial test, would assert Himself as the Messiah and would triumph over His enemies. Judas thus probably thought that be would hasten the establishment of the Kingdom, in which he hoped to share. Thus lie would shine as a hero, as well as demonstrate his financial wisdom and his suitability for the post of Grand Treasurer of the Kingdom. In addition, apparently he was a little angry at Jesus because the Master had approved of Mary’s conduct in respect to the spikenard. It was under the impulse of that resentment that he first sought the priests and the scribes to negotiate for the betrayal.

No Hope of a Resurrection. We are uot suggesting excuses for Judas. No excuse can properly be offered for treachery to God and His Cause. We merely point out the fact that every transgressor must first con sent in his own mind to his wrong course: the mind, the conscience, must be perverted before each step of sin Heuce Jesus’ words are fully justified: “It had been good for that man had be not been born.” Such treachery, such willingness to hand over his Friend, his Teacher, the One whom he had accepted as the Son of God and through whom he had expected the Messianic Kingdom, was perfidy of the worst type. He had been constantly with the Savior, and hence knew of the purity of His life, knew of His loyalty to God. There fore these things constituted his responsibility and his guilt. The fact that he committed suicide implied a fulfilment of Jesus’ words—that Judas wished that he had not been born. Yet there is a hope for other

suicides, because of their Ignorance and because Christ died for all. But in the case of Judas all this Is dis counted by the fact that he had already enjoyed such privileges and had siuned against light and knowledge. The declaration that he

went to his own place, his appro priate place, does not signify that he or anybody else is to be tortured eternally as a punishment for sin Rather, his own place was hopeless oblivion, without prospect of a resur, rection. He died like a natural brute beast, nor could argument be shown why such a character should ever have any future opportunity. The fact that God had foreknown that one of the Twelve would betray Jesus, the fact that the purchase of the field with the blood-money had been prophesied, did not alter the responsibility of Judas for his own fall ft was not God’s foreknowledge that Injured him, but his own wrong course

Judas Iscariot.

The Betrayal of Jesus.