Jesus and Judas (Mari Ikeda)
1. The reason Judas decided to hand Jesus over (10,11)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
2. Why Jesus held the Passover meal (12-17)
12 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.
14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, `The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'
15 He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."
16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
3. Jesus' grief (18-21)
18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me."
19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"
20 "It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me.
21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."
1) One of the twelve would betray him
2) "It would be better for him if he had not been born"
Summary
Jesus's arrest and crucifixion were part of God's plan, and therefore, they had to take place. God's plan to sacrifice himself to forgive the sins of humanity was truly an historic event, and yet, no one at the time was aware of its significance. Judas was certainly unaware that he was contributing to the death of God's Son, but because he did, he has been the object of scorn and disdain for over 2000 years. God did not make Judas do what he did; God's plan would have come to pass regardless of Judas' course of action. Judas exercised the free will that God gave him, and he decided to betray Jesus. On his part, Jesus did not try to stop Judas, but instead, he just grieved for him. Judas was exactly the kind of person that Jesus was dying to save.
For Discussion
1. What do we and Judas have in common?
2. Why did Jesus say, "It would have been better if he had not been born"?