And Judas Iscariot | Page 3

I shall kiss, that same is he:
hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master;
and kissed him." And then finally comes his dreadful end, the account
of his remorse in Matthew, the twenty-seventh chapter, the third and
the fourth verses. "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw
that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty
pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in
that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to
us? see thou to that." And the statement of his suicide in Matthew, the
twenty-seventh chapter, the fifth verse, "And he cast down the pieces of
silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."
I
The natural question that comes to every student of the life of Judas
must be, "Why was he chosen?" but as Joseph Parker has said, "We
may well ask why were we chosen ourselves, knowing our hearts as we
do and appreciating our weakness as we must." It has been said that if
we study the Apostles we will find them representatives of all kinds of
human nature, which would go to show that if we but yield ourselves to

God, whatever we may be naturally, he can use us for his glory. It was
here that Judas failed. I have heard it said that Jesus did not know
Judas' real character and that he was surprised when Judas turned out to
be the disciple that he was; but let us have none of this spirit in the
consideration of Jesus Christ. Let no man in these days limit Jesus'
knowledge, for he is omniscient and knoweth all things. Let us not
forget what he said himself concerning Judas in John the thirteenth
chapter and the eighteenth verse, "I speak not of you all; I know whom
I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth
bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." Again, in the sixth
chapter and the seventieth verse, "Jesus answered them. Have not I
chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" and finally, in the sixth
chapter and the sixty-fourth verse, "But there are some of you that
believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him."
There were others who might have been chosen in his stead. The
Apostles found two when in their haste they determined to fill the
vacancy made by his betrayal. Acts 1:23-26, "And they appointed two,
Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And
they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men,
shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of
this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell,
that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and
the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven
apostles."
It seems to me that there can be no reason for his having been called of
Christ except that he was to serve as a great warning to those of us who
have lived since his day. There are many such warnings in the
Scriptures.
Jonah was one. God said to him, "Go to Nineveh," and yet, with the
spirit of rebellion, he attempted to sail to Tarshish and we know his
miserable failure. Let it never be forgotten that if Nineveh is God's
choice for you, you can make no other port in safety. The sea will be
against you, the wind against you. It is hard indeed to struggle against

God.
Jacob was a warning. Deceiving his own father, his sons in turn
deceived him. May we never forget the Scripture which declares,
"Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap."
Esau was a warning. Coming in from the hunt one day, weary with his
exertions, he detects the savory smell of the mess of pottage, and his
crafty brother says, "I will give you this for your birthright," which was
his right to be a priest in his household; a moment more and the
birthright is gone; and in the New Testament we are told he sought it
with tears and could find no place of repentance. But many a man has
sold his right to be the priest of his household for less than a mess of
pottage, and in a real sense it is true that things done cannot be undone.
Saul was a warning. He was commanded to put to death Agag and the
flock, and he kept the best of all the flock and then lied to God's
messenger when he