I have some tools in my basement, but they’re only useful if I choose the right tool for a particular task. Wrenches make poor hammers, saws make poor screwdrivers, and drills make poor pliers.
Have you ever wondered why God chose Judas Iscariot to be one of the twelve? There were all kinds of tools, so to speak, whom God could have chosen, but He chose Judas.
Consider what we know about this betrayer:
His hometown may have been Kerioth--Iscariot may literally mean “man of Kerioth."
He protested the vial of expensive ointment being used to anoint the feet of Jesus. As treasurer of the twelve, he would have had thievish access to the cash had the ointment been sold instead. (John 12:1-8)
When the Lord Jesus rebuked Judas for this protest, Judas began the scheme to betray Christ. (John 12 and 13) Greed and other sentiments may have motivated Judas, but one factor is key: John 13:2 reports that the devil put it “into the heart of Judas…to betray him”, and 13:27 bluntly says, “Satan entered into him.”
Judas infamously kissed the Lord in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22), a signal that identified Jesus to the Roman cohort, Jewish priests, and Pharisees. (John 18)
Apparently filled with remorse when Jesus was condemned to death, Judas tried to return the blood money but was refused. (Matthew 27:3,4) He threw down the money, went and hanged himself, and suffered a violent fall which ended his life. (Matt. 27:5; Acts 1:18,19)
Evil prompted evil. Ugliness compounded ugliness. Treachery multiplied treachery.
Why Judas? Surely there were other tools. He looked like other disciples and “had obtained part of this ministry” (Acts 1:17). That may be the point. The Father may have directed Jesus deliberately to choose one disciple who would serve as a warning to future Christians. We must watch carefully before someone is elevated to a position of authority. Judas fooled the other disciples.
One who is skilled, polished, and ready to serve may be a modern-day Judas. That awful thought should make us pray and search the Scriptures concerning those who lead. “Beware,” says 2 Peter 3:17, “lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.” Jude 4 speaks of certain ungodly men who pervert grace and deny our Lord Jesus Christ. They “crept in unawares” and were “ordained to this condemnation,” as though believers didn’t recognize them until it was too late.
Judas may have been chosen so the church would forever see how easily Christians are deceived. May God give us vision and courage to identify any Judases who come among us. May we choose our tools wisely and not be fooled by appearances.
