Gospels In Harmony – Who Betrays Jesus?

Mat 26:3-5, 14-16, Mark 14:1-2, Luke 22:1-6

[Study Aired October 12, 2021]

Luk 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
Mar 14:1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread:
Mat 26:3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
Mat 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
Mat 26:5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Luk 22:2b for they feared the people.
Luk 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
Luk 22:4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
Mat 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Luk 22:5a And they were glad,
Luk 22:6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

In our last study Christ said, “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” Our verses in this study tell us that it is the chief priests, the scribes and the elders of the people that conspired to kill Christ.

Luk 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
Mar 14:1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread:
Mat 26:3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
Mat 26:4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
Mat 26:5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Luk 22:2b for they feared the people.

“They feared the people?” If they were justified in their accusations, why would they fear the people? This is a fulfillment of the following scriptures:

Psa 2:1-3 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

They feared the people, so they needed someone close to Christ to betray him.

Luk 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
Luk 22:4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
Mat 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Luk 22:5a And they were glad,
Luk 22:6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

Satan entered into Judas. Did Satan enter into Judas by his own will? This is what the world teaches. The world teaches if we are evil by our own “choices” then Satan has free reign within us. The world uses the following verses to convince their followers that Satan and themselves have freewill. The world also says their followers can even control Satan.

Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1Pe 5:6-9 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

The scriptures are used in such a way we will be deceived. Let’s see what the scriptures say about our so-called free will.

Joh 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that what soever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

We have no freewill. Christ has chosen everyone to do what they do, whether it be evil or good, so that the scriptures may be fulfilled. Judas was chosen to be the betrayer. He is a type and shadow of the time in our walk when we deny Christ and follow the doctrines of the world, selling his doctrines for thirty pieces of silver. Another way of seeing this is losing our first love.

Rev 2:1-5 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

As we know, Judas is not able to repent and do the first works and is removed. Judas represents our old man which cannot repent and therefore must be removed. The thirty pieces represent the process of judgment of the flesh, and the silver represents repentance.

Going back to our first verses in the study, we see when this takes place in our lives.

Luk 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
Mar 14:1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread:

The feast of unleavened bread, beginning with the passover, was two days away. This represents the time we received the witness of Christ in the negative sense. We received the message of another Jesus. The messengers appeared as angels of light but were full of darkness. Paul shared the following message so we can be aware of what happened to us during this time in our walk.

2Co 11:1-15 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

As we look back at our journey, we are able to see clearly and understand that the process of salvation begins as us being the betrayer so that our old man can die. This fulfills the scriptures within us.

Gen 2:16-17 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Eating you may eat of every tree in the garden; but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die. (LITV)

Even though we are commanded not to eat “of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” that is exactly what we do so that our old man is killed. This is the only way to life and the only way we can serve God.

Eze 18:1-9 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

Joh 12:23-26 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

We all betray Jesus. This is nothing we do ourselves, but it is done so that we can gain life. Christ sent Satan to us so He could lay down His life for us.

Joh 10:14-18 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.