1. Albrecht…Lent Midweek 6…March 25^th-26^th…John 12:4-6…Judas Wants Jesus to Die!

⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ⁵ “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Grace, Mercy, and Lenten Peace be yours from God the Father and our crucified Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

INJ Who consigned Himself to the Fathers will to die so that we may be redeemed from sin, DFR:

Nearly 16 years ago, on April 20^th, 2010, a disaster occurred that shook the Gulf Coast. The Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling unit explosion. At the very bottom of the oil well (about 18,000 feet below sea level), a cement plug was supposed to act as a cork. Because the cement was contaminated and didn’t harden correctly, high-pressure methane gas from the surrounding rock managed to force its way through the cement and into the center of the main drill pipe. The gas was then caught up into the engines of the rig, causing sparks and a subsequent explosion. The sensors designed to detect gas and shut down the air intakes failed to work in time, allowing the gas to turn the rig’s own power source into a detonator.

The problems with Deepwater Horizon were not isolated. This oil rig had plenty of known safety issues, but worse than that was the failure of human oversight. Engineers raised concerns about poor equipment and a lack of safety tests being run. Instead of hearing these concerns and addressing them, BP executives pressured the oil rig to push past these warnings in order to make deadlines and increase their profits. The resulting disaster killed 11 workers, wounded 17, and caused the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

The worst part was…it could have been prevented. But they did not heed the warnings given and many were charged for their role in this disaster. It reminds us of the danger that comes from ignoring warning signs.

Tonight, we conclude our series, Who Wants Jesus to Die? We meet one character whose actions contributing to Jesus’ death were not a one-off, spur of the moment decision, but had been ongoing for quite some time despite multiple warnings. Tonight, Judas Wants Jesus to Die!

Our text takes place during a dinner at Bethany in the midst of Holy Week. Mark tells us it is just two days before the Passover. So, when John tells us that Judas was about to betray him, it would happen very soon. But John reveals something else to us about Judas’ heart. He was concerned as to why Mary would anoint Jesus’ feet which such an expensive perfume, when it could have been sold and given to the poor. But John, giving us insight into his heart, ⁶ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

The word translated, to help himself holds significance. It means to siphon, or to steal, and it is an imperfect verb. This denotes ongoing action. Thus, Judas didn’t just decide tonight to steal from the moneybag, but he had been doing so for quite some time. Think about what that means. Over the last three years Jesus had been teaching His disciples about the whole council of God. Judas heard Jesus speak on the 10 Commandments and how even the attitude of the heart means you break God’s Law. More than that, Jesus spent much of His time warning them about the dangers and evils of the love of money!

And yet, throughout all this, Judas continued to serve his own needs without regard for his fellow disciples who needed that money, nor for His Savior who taught these things that they may turn to Him as the way of salvation. Judas had let the sin of greed take root, it held its grip tightly despite all the warnings Jesus gave to wake him up. But greed is a far cry from betrayal, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, it is not. Sin is a cancer. It spreads. Sin dulls the conscience down and only drags you further and further into death. Satan held his grip on Judas from the moment he ignored Jesus’ warnings, for it was then that Satan planted the seed that Jesus is not the most important thing for Judas to be concerned about. You can see how far Judas fell from the supposed simple sin of greed when, shortly after this dinner at Bethany, Judas met with the chief priests to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

We know how this ends. Judas betrays Jesus, and doesn’t realize the reality of his sin until it is too late. Judas feels guilty for betraying innocent blood, not expecting Jesus to die – but his heart had already made the decision. Yes, his heart wanted Jesus to die because it fed his dependency on sin. It fed his relationship with the devil and tore him away from Jesus.

Who among us can say we haven’t been touched by such a sin as Judas? Maybe it is not greed, but some other vice. Do we harbor anger in our heart, or hatred for our neighbor? Do we let lust rule and dominate our lives? Is gossip an essential part of social networking? Judas did not view what he was doing, stealing from the treasury as a deadly act. Nor did he think that betraying Jesus would be a deadly act. But it was because his heart was dead to Christ!

Solomon writes in Proverbs 14, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Such would be our fate if we treat sin the same way as Judas. “I will work on my anger someday, but not now.” “I will give up pornography, but not today.” “I don’t need to gossip and I can stop whenever I want, but after I tell you this story.” Its end is the way to death. And we cannot claim, “I didn’t know any better.” Judas had Jesus right before him, teaching him what was right and wrong. You and I have the living Word of God that does the same. No excuse – the Law condemns our sin.

Throughout Judas’ walk with Jesus, Jesus was reaching out to him. Jesus wanted Judas to look to Him for the forgiveness of his sins, even the sin of betraying the Son of God. From the time they met, until Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pursued Judas. Jesus even went to the cross to pay for his sin. We see Judas guilt become overwhelming. We see him try to undo his actions, but it was too late. Judas never looked outside of himself for redemption. He was chained by a sin-blackened heart. Because of this, Judas couldn’t see that he unknowingly accomplished God’s purpose – to have Christ die for us as our substitute and sacrifice that we may trust in Him. That is what separates you and Judas. To trust Jesus as your Savior means to trust that He paid for your sin and sets you free from that sin. Such trust brings a power from God.

First the power of confession and absolution. We have the privilege to go before God and confess our sins to Him, knowing that for Christ’s sake, we will be forgiven. Besides going to God directly, He has given you fellow Christians who know what it is like to be afflicted by sin, struggle with the lusts of the flesh, but who have also been set free by the grace of God. These, your brothers and sisters in Christ, are here to assure you of God’s absolution through your Savior.

Secondly, it gives you the power of Christ. That is, the desire to resist the devil and our sinful flesh, and be able to flee from it. But when we stumble and fall into sin, the power of Christ then leads you back to your Heavenly Father to ask Him for forgiveness and thank Him for the restoration He freely gives. All this is yours because the Father determined that Jesus should die as your substitute.

Judas had feelings about Jesus’ death, but they were too late, and his agenda of earthly goals destroyed his faith in Christ as his Redeemer. Judas’ heart wanted Jesus to die the same way ours does by nature. But Satan kept Judas from seeing the true purpose of Jesus’ death. So that we don’t take sin lightly, let us continue to look at the cross and see the purpose of why Jesus must die, that through Him, you and I may live eternally with God.

Here we have a firm foundation; Here the refuge of the lost; Christ’s the Rock of our salvation, His the name of which we boast. Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded Who on Him their hope have built. (TLH 153 vs 4) Amen.