The Judas ministry, By Ayo Akerele

If anyone asks, what stands your Christianity out from others? Tell them that your God was humiliated on the cross. To put it in the words of Bruce. L Shelley, “Christianity is the only major religion on earth to have as its central event the humiliation of its God.” The humiliation of Jesus on the cross stands in stark contrast to the pride and arrogance in the heart of the world’s greatest symbol of treachery and betrayer, Judas Iscariot.

Judas played a very prominent and covert role in the final arrest of Jesus. The story of Judas, according to Dr John Macarthur is, “The world’s greatest example of lost opportunity.”

Judas wined and dined with Jesus. Still, he ended in infamy. The events of the last supper brought to the fore the humility of Jesus, a major virtue of the Christian faith. This same humility was displayed on the cross when the Romans hung him between two hardened criminals. Josephus, famed Jewish historian who documented the account of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans wrote in many of his accounts that the Romans used crucifixion to not just murder people, but as tool of humiliation of enemies of states. Interestingly, Jesus’s death on the cross was God’s preferred choice of judging sin using the most humiliating method.

Further, Jesus displayed this same humility when He bent down to wash the disciples’ feet, including Judas’s. Jesus exemplified humility to Judas and the rest of His apostolic team. He fed them, taught them, helped them, and even dressed like them. Still, Judas blew up his chances at being modelled by the world’s greatest teacher of humility. I would not fail to constantly refer to the words of Dr Macarthur given the exceptional research he undertook in his book titled, “The murder of Jesus”.

He said and I quote, “One would have thought that the experience of having Jesus bend down to wash a man’s feet should have broken any man. Not Judas.” This is the true nature of traitors—men and women who would work closely with you, eat with you, serve with you and under you, and even make progress in life on account of your benevolence and kindness. Still, i just would not cost them anything to betray you. May God deliver you from the traps of Judas, betrayers. The world is filled with betrayers. Sadly, the church is filled with betrayers, men and women who used God to get to the top, but turned back to shame the master.

However, what makes the story of Judas, a type of Saul, Lot, and Gehazi, to be very instructive is this, “being close to Jesus does not immune a man from falling.” Also, starting well with Jesus doesn’t guarantee a glorious end. You have to constantly assess and appraise your motives, choices, decisions, and overall spiritual standing with God in an environment of accountability to the right people.

Stay away from over-confidence. The world is replete with the sad stories and narratives of countless individuals, some of whom used to be genuine children and servants of God, who have fallen from grace, back to the world. The Judas spirit thrives on “over confidence”, the, “I can never fall illusion.”

The Judas spirit also thrives on “greed”, the, “what is it spirit.”

It was only thirty pieces of silver that swayed the heart of the betrayer. Biblical evidence from Exodus 21:32 coupled with Jewish historical facts prove that the price of a slave was thirty pieces of silver at that time. Thirty pieces of silver convert to approximately less than $25 in today’s currency, meaning that Jesus was betrayed for $25 by Judas.

Strange, but sad to know that people with Judas’s spirit are willing to trade valuable relationships for peanuts. The poison of a friend is usually more lethal than the poison of an enemy. David, by the Holy Spirit prophesied Jesus’s experience in the hand of Judas very accurately,

“Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9). This was Judas in prophesy.

You could have helped Judases several times over, but the day you are unable to help will see them throw a dagger at you with reckless abandon. It is the spirit of Judas, with its uncles and aunties being, ingratitude, pride, over-confidence, and greed.

Truly, “the story of Judas is the world’s greatest example of lost opportunity!

The day Jesus fell into the hands of a fake friend, His journey to the cross was sealed and stamped by the powers that be, the wicked ​and corrupt Roman government. The collaboration of Judas, Caiaphas, Herod, the Jewish Sanhedrin, and the Roman government sealed the prophetic destiny of Jesus on the road to Golgotha.

These individuals according to Jewish history were personalities who were close normally never united, but who, because of a common enemy, became  pals by the kiss of the betrayer, Judas Iscariot.

Judas gave him a kiss in the garden, sending the sinless son of God to experience the world’s greatest travesty of justice, the crucifixion of an innocent man. May God expose every Judas in your life to you. May you never end like a Judas in Jesus precious name.

“The story of Judas is the world’s greatest example of lost opportunity.”

To be continued in part three as we dig into the actual historical events that played out in the final arraignment and crucifixion of Jesus before the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.