It's the Thursday night before the first Good Friday. Jesus and his disciples are in the Upper Room in Jerusalem for the Passover Meal. As Jesus washed his disciples' feet, after their walk along the dusty road from Bethany, he said that they were clean from their sin with just one exception (v10–11). One of them would betray him. Jesus tells them that this was prophesied in the Old Testament (v18, Psalm 41:9), and he warns them of it so that their faith in him would not be shaken (v19) when it happened, and that they would continue to believe that they had been sent by him and his Father to be ambassadors (v20).

His disciples stared at one another in astonishment (v22). Peter asked John to ask Jesus which one of them he was referring to (v23–24). Jesus replied, "It's the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." When Judas took the bread, the devil entered into him and filled him with this loathsome desire to betray Jesus. When Jesus told him "What you are going to do, do quickly", the other disciples didn't know what he meant. But Jesus obviously knew that Judas had already agreed to betray him (see Matthew 26:14–16, Mark 14:10–11, Luke 22:1–6) and was saying in effect, "Judas you've made up your mind to betray me: you know it's wrong: I've tried to warn you and make you think, but you are determined to do it: so go on and do it quickly". And Judas left the Upper Room to do the terrible deed.

This is the tragic story of a man who professed to be a disciple of Christ, but who turned against the Lord and joined forces with his enemies. Sadly, it still happens and it grieves the Lord as much today as it did then (v21).

A. The facts about this man who betrayed Jesus.
We may think "I could never do what Judas did!"

1. He was one of our Lord's twelve close disciples (v18). In fact, he had a responsible position as treasurer (v29).
2. He had been a preacher of the gospel. (Luke 9:2, Acts 1:17)
3. He had known remarkable experiences (Luke 9:1). Healing diseases, casting out demons.

We need be on our guard. "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12)

B. The manner in which he betrayed Jesus.
Verse 30 says he took the bread and went out into the night to meet up with the temple soldiers. John takes up the story of Judas again in chapter 18:2 and describes how he led this detachment of soldiers and temple officials to Jesus and betrayed him. How did he betray him? Luke tells us (Luke 22:47). Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas, with his gang, suddenly appeared and went up to Jesus to kiss him eastern style. Jesus said to him "Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" He didn't do it blatantly and openly, but tried to hide it with a show of affection and give the impression that he was still the Lord's friend.

C. Why did Judas turn against Christ and join forces with His enemies?
There are those who try to excuse Judas by saying that he betrayed Jesus just to force his hand: to get him to assert His power. There is no evidence for that.

1. The devil was behind it (v27). Judas had so played around with evil that the devil came in and took possession.
2. Judas thought more of money and material possessions than he did of Christ (Matthew 26:14, John 12:6). What madness! To spurn the Saviour who alone could save him from hell, for the sake of a little money. Thirty pieces of silver.
3. He refused to listen to the Lord's clear warnings (v10, v18, v27).
4. He not only ignored the Lord's teaching, he got increasingly angry with it. He was a hypocrite and as Jesus preached about sin and hypocrisy, it convicted him, but instead of yielding to the convicting voice of the Lord, he got more and more angry and at last he took umbrage and walked out on the Lord (v30) and went out into the night.
5. The main reason why he turned against the Lord was that he had no idea of the true value of Christ. He sold him for thirty pieces of Silver (Matthew 26:15). That's what they paid in the OT to compensate a man if his slave was killed by an ox.

D. What happened to Judas?
He turned against the Lord for the sake of money but he found nothing but black despair and emptiness (Matthew 27:3–10). So great was his despair that he went out and hanged himself. Piecing together Matthew 27:5 and Acts 1:18, what happened was probably something like this. Judas took a rope and went to a high cliff or rock face. He tied one end of the rope about his neck and the other end to a tree and threw himself off the cliff edge and the force of the fall not only broke his neck but broke the rope too, and he fell headlong to the ground (possibly into the field just purchased) and his body ruptured. It's a solemn story!

But even worse, Judas went to hell. Acts 1:25 tells us he went where he belonged. Jesus called him "one doomed to destruction" literally "The Son of Perdition" (John 17:12).

A true believer can never drift away and go to hell. They may backslide for a long while but they cannot fall away and be lost. But Judas had never been truly born again and cleansed (v11).

E. Words of hope and help

1. Perhaps the devil has been luring you to betray him and throw in your lot with his enemies. Don't do what Judas did and rush headlong in your rejection of Christ. Turn back to him and ask him to forgive you.
2. This is a frightening passage. Judas, one of the twelve, a church officer, a preacher turning away from the Lord and going out into the night. Perhaps you fear that could happen to you. It's infinitely better to be fearful and careful than conceited and proud. If you have seen yourself as a poor, lost, guilty sinner and have seen that Christ is your only hope: if you have seen your own weakness and frailty and are trusting in him he will keep you safe. You see his concern for his genuine disciples in verse 19.