Dr. C. S. Lovett's
MARANATHA FAMILY NEWSLETTER
March 2024
WHY DID JESUS CHOOSE JUDAS?
"Dr. Lovett, my husband and I were studying the 6th chapter of John together and it seemed very clear that Jesus knew from the beginning who was going to betray Him. Our question is: If Jesus knew this about Judas, why did He select him to be one of the twelve? We know the Lord always has good reasons for what He does, but this one baffles us. Can you shed any light on this?"
I love those who dig into the Word and come up with great questions. This husband and wife spent time in the Word together, and the Holy Spirit was pointing things out to them. I will go the extra mile to encourage anyone who means business with God's Word. If I can get people excited about God's Word, I am in preacher heaven. So, I took time to write back an explanation. The same question about Judas may have crossed your mind as well.
HERE'S THE SETTING
Jesus had fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. The crowds were thrilled to have a miracle restaurant in their midst and were ready to seize Jesus and make Him King (John 6:15). How great it would be not to have to work for food anymore. But Jesus knew their thoughts and deliberately offended them a with a statement He knew they could not stomach: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves" (John 6:53).
Eating human flesh and drinking human blood was such an abomination to the Jews, the crowd immediatly turned away from Him leaving Him alone with the Twelve. Then He asked the disciples if they also wanted to leave.
"Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.' Jesus answered them, 'Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?' Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twleve, was going to betray Him" (John 6:68-71).
In replying that way to Peter, Jesus was saying in effect: "You have spoken well, my friend, but the simplicity of your heart does not apply to all of you, for one of you is a tool of Satan, a traitor."
WHAT DID THAT DO TO JUDAS?
If Judas' eyes met Jesus' eyes at that moment (which is likely), the hostile feelings inside surely turned bitter. Undoubtedly, he wanted more from Jesus than words about eternal life. He wanted Jesus to accept the kingship, thinking he would end up with a high position in the Lord's government. It must have been a moment of angry frustration for him when Jesus rejected the offer. This made him an easy victim, and Satan got to him.
The other disciples did not have a clue as to who Jesus meant. Not until Judas showed up at Gethsemane leading an armed mob, was the betrayer identified. But the question remains, if Jesus knew all this, why did he choose him?
WHY JUDAS?
No one has to tell you the Lord was a masterful teacher. He often employed unique teaching devices such as communion, water baptism, washing the disciple's feet, and the feeding of the 5000. Other times He used extreme ideas like, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God" (Matt. 19:24). This was the way He taught.
It was like that with His selection of Judas. It was an ingenious way to demonstrate how Satan uses men to deceive. The Lord frequently spoke of the devil's methods, but He wanted to drive home the truth of Satan's deceptive ways. So He deliberately chose one of the devil's agents to be one of twelve disciples. Of course, no one but Jesus knew his real identity. With this stratedgy, He would teach His disciples how subtly Satan works.
The lessons they learned:
1. CLOSENESS/INTIMACY. Judas was in on everything. He knew full well the Lord was innocent, yet he betrayed him. Just because people APPEAR to be close to Jesus is no guarantee they are genuine. Many are fooled today by the outwad spirituality of certain leaders.
2. THEY SAW HIS MOTIVATION. It is obvious what the devil used to reach Judas -- MONEY. Judas is a perfect example of how impossible it is to serve both "God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). Imagine betraying an innocent friend for money! But have we not seen what a little overtime pay can do to a Christian's commitment?
3. HE WAS DISGUISED. The apostle Paul speaks of Satan's servants in our midst disguised as "angels of light" (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). In Judas, we have a good example of how false believers can appear as genuine servants of God. Bear in mind that Judas was sent out with the Twelve to do miracles of healing and cast out demons. So just because someone can do miracles, is no guarantee he is from God. In our day, when so many are hungry to see miracles, this is a vital leasson. The end-time deceivers will be great miracle workers.
4. IMMUNE TO THE TRUTH. Picture Judas listening to the Lord every day for three years. See his face as he watches the Lord heal entire cities and raise the dead. There could not be the slightest doubt as to who Jesus reallly was. Yet, like so many raised in Christian homes, Judas was never saved. Being EXPOSED to the truth is never enough. Until we have seen a person's faith tested, we ought never to assume he is saved. And that applies to our friends and children. The most outstanding lesson with Judas is seeing HOW CLOSE people can come to the truth and still miss the boat.
A HAND-PICKED VISUAL AID
Jesus said much about phony Christians. The parable of the "wheat and tares" is a classic lesson (Matt. 13:28-30):
"And He said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.' "
There must be contless counterfeit Christians among us today, all appearing to be as close to Christ as Judas. The Lord said as much:
"Many will say to Me in the day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness' " (Matt. 7:22,23).
THINK OF THAT--professing Christians operating in Jesus' name, yet servants of the devil! We should be aware of them.
RECOGNIZING THE COUNTERFEIT
Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. . .and a stranger they will not follow but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers" (John 10:27,5). That is our protection--knowing the voice of our shepherd. And there is only one place you can hear His voice to get used to it--the Word of God. Believers can become SENSITIVE to phony Christians. How? By becoming so familiar with the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, that things don't feel right when they encounter the SPIIRIT OF ERROR (1 John 4:6).
And how does a person get accustomed to the SPIRIT OF TRUTH? Through listening for His voice as he reads the Word of God. A person can get so used to the SPIRIT'S VOICE as he reads the Word, that he senses something is wrong when a phony Christian speaks. Familiarity with the voice of Jesus can make a true Christian sensitive to error. When he listens to a false teacher, there is something about his message that "doesn't ring true."
THE DAY OF THE COUNTERFEIT
The hour of the "lawless one" is aproaching. This man, "whose coming is after the working of Satan," will arrive with all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Thess. 2:9). However, in advance of his coming, his forerunners will be in our midst. False teachers will be everywhere. Some will sound like the real thing having miracles and good works to confirm their claims. But they will be counterfeits and will deceive many. How will you recognize them? You won't--unless you have made yourself familiar with the voice of the Spirit!
Reading the Word of God is the best way to become familiar with the voice of the Spirit. I suggest you start with the Gospel of John. It is packed with fantiastic discourses by Jesus. As you move from one startling incident to another, the Spirit will rise. When that happens, you will also realize there is no substitute for familiarity with . . .
THE HOLY SPIRIT
C. S. Lovett
Copyright © 2024 Personal Christianity. All rights reserved.
TESTIMONIES
THANKFUL: "Brother Lovett, I teach a bBile study group every Wednesday morning. We are using your LIGHTS ON ROMANS. What a thrill to watch these great truths sink into the receptive minds. I'll never tire of the sight of seeing eyes light up when the meanings break across their understanding! You make it easy for teachers like me to open God's Word to our students.Thank you again. May God keep His hand on your spirit-filled pen." (Mrs. J. H.--CA)
ENJOYABLE: "I can't begin to tell you how I enjoyed your LOVETT'S LIGHTS ON JOHN. I belong to a prayer group that meets in the home once a week, and we studied the whole book and loved it so much. Now we're going into you ACTS. God bless you and keep you." (M.E.--IN)
HEART OVERFLOWED: "My heart is overflowing with gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the way He has used you. I am presently teaching LOVETT'S LIGHTS ON ROMANS. I can hardly contain myself as I discovered the 'gold nuggets' of hidden meanings. My how they help me grasp the deeper things of God!" (R. H.--CA)
TREASURED BOOKS: "I can never thank you enough for your LOVETT'S LIGHTS, all of which I have. I would be hard-pressed to do without. Treasures all to this ol' boy's soul! May Christ's love envelop you always." (G.G.--OK)
RESOURCES
NEWLY REVISED--LOVETT'S LIGHT ON ROMANS (2024): 360 pages. Available on Amazon.com for $15.99 HERE.
LOVETTS LIGHTS ON ACTS (2023): 407 pages. Available on Amazon.com for $15.99 HERE.
LOVETT'S LIGHTS ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (2022) 372 pages. Available on Amazon.com for $15.99 HERE.
LOVETT'S LIGHTS ON JOHN (2021): 381 pages. Available on Amazon.com for $15.99 HERE.
WITNESSING MADE EASY (2018): 213 pages. Available on Amazon.com for $14.99 HERE.
DEALING WITH THE DEVIL (2018): 242 PAGES. Available on Amazon.com for $14.99 HERE.
THE PREPARED LIFE (2017): 159 pages. Available on Amazon.com for $13.99 and is also available in Kindle form for $7.99 HERE.
CONTACT:
Personal Christianity PO Box 918, Middleton, ID 83644
626-338-7333
www.cslovettbooks.com
info@cslovettbooks.com
"Preparing for His Appearing" Since 1951
