The Audacity of Evil

Author: Joseph

Date: August 25, 2024

The twelve disciples of Yeshua had gathered to Yeshua and asked Him where they should prepare the Passover meal for them all. Yeshua then directed them to a specific man in one of the cities to whom they should request to use his home for their meal.

Yeshua knew that His betrayal would happen soon thereafter He would observe the Passover with His disciples, so instead of gathering with Mary and her children, He would gather with His disciples. It was appointed for the disciples to be there for this time, both for the benefit of those who were sincerely following after Him and for the judgment to come upon the one, Judas, who would betray Him.

This would be one of His last moments with all the disciples together, and His time was near for what He was purposed to accomplish. Yeshua told His disciples to tell the man whom they would borrow the house from, “The Teacher says, My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples” (Matthew 26:18). His time was near. He was well aware. The one who would betray Him was also getting ready for the completion of his sin.

The disciples all did as Yeshua had requested in finding the room to have the Passover in, and they prepared the Passover meal as commanded (cf. Exodus 12:3-6, 8).

When the evening came and they were all seated together and eating the Passover meal, Yeshua surprised them by stating, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me” (Matthew 26:21). Knowing that what Yeshua spoke was true, they became full of grief and sadness because of His words… except for one. They each began to implore of Him if they would be the one, hoping that He would not reveal that it was them. Yeshua responded to their pleas, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me” (Matthew 26:23). They were all sharing a meal together, so this statement revealed no one specifically, but only that it was one among them.

After stating that it would be one of them, Yeshua gave a stern warning to them all, “...woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! IT would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). The sin of betraying Yeshua, God in the flesh, over for simple money – a worthless thing of perishable material – would also render the person worthless through whom it would be committed.

Judas, having already decided to betray Yeshua to the chief priests and the elders (Matthew 26:14-16), unashamedly asks Yeshua, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:25). Why does Judas ask such a boldly deceptive question, knowing certainly that he is the traitor?

Judas did not believe that Yeshua is the long-awaited Messiah, God in the flesh. He saw Yeshua’s actions as wasteful of wealth (John 12:4-6). Satan himself had taken advantage of Judas’s resentment of Yeshua and entered into him to harden his heart to betray Yeshua (Luke 22:3-4). Judas believed he was being covert in his actions, but Yeshua knew from the time He chose Judas that he would betray Him (John 6:70). No matter how closely Judas followed Yeshua and saw His good deeds, heard His teachings, or pretended to follow after Him, Yeshua already knew that betrayal was in his heart. Yet Judas, deceived by his own desires, was ignorantly unaware that Yeshua already knew.

Yeshua replies to Judas’s audacious question by pronouncing judgment upon him, “You have said it yourself” (Matthew 26:25). By Judas’s own words he would be condemned for his deceptive actions and his imminent betrayal of Yeshua. And so Judas was judged in that moment.

"...he betrayed Yeshua to serve his empty desires and meaningless pursuits."

When directly in the presence of Yeshua, Judas still believed he would be able to successfully betray Yeshua and obtain his desires through it: wealth and perhaps even commendation from the chief priests. Judas’s desires were foolishness and sinful, pursuant to the things of the world and of the flesh, not having any real lasting value. Even with this being apparent, Judas still considered betraying Yeshua to be of more value than the consequences of doing so, being fully convinced that no harm would come to him for betraying Yeshua. Judas did not see God right in front of his face. And even in the presence of Yeshua, did not believe Him. Judas’s idolization of wealth and worldly recognition was a blindness too deep for him to see the Truth. It was a distraction too great to allow him sobriety of mind and heart. And so he betrayed Yeshua to serve his empty desires and meaningless pursuits.

The audacity of evil: to betray the eternal goodness of God for insignificant and worthless pursuits.

What in your life could act as blindness to the Truth, just as Judas had? Do you have something you are aware of, yet insist is worth the cost of betraying God for it? Perhaps you do not recognize the betrayal you are committing against God because the distracting pursuit has become too great of a desire in your life for you to see it clearly for what it is: meaningless waste.

Let nothing ever lead you to betray God. Cast away evil desires and have not the audacity of evil to cast away the goodness of God for worthless pursuits. Repent today from anything that has done this. Judas did not turn away from his evil pursuits, but you can and are able to do so through repentance. Act now before you have judgment pronounced on you, just as Judas did.

Matthew 26:17-25

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org