The Coins and Kiss of Betrayal, Feb. 22, 2015

The Coins and Kiss of Betrayal

Psalm 25:1-7, Matthew 26:14-25

Grace Presbyterian Church

February 22, 2015

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

Introduction  This morning we begin our Lenten journey - a journey which will take us from the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane to the agony of the Cross of Calvary. To do this, we’re going to look at coins of betrayal, a crown of thorns, the sword of revenge, garments of freedom and the curtain in the Temple. This morning we start with “Coins of Betrayal.”

Three Tales of Deceit  To do this, I’d like to share three famous tales of deceit and betrayal - Marcus Junius Brutus who betrayed his friend, Benedict Arnold who betrayed his country, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed his master.

Marcus Junius Brutus, Betrayer of a Friend  The betrayal carried out by Brutus involved his good friend, the Roman General Julius Caesar [100 B.C. - 44 B.C.]. Caesar  trusted Brutus to such an extent that he made him a part of his inner circle and appointed him governor of Gaul. However, Brutus and others felt Caesar was assuming far too much power. So treachery, betrayal and conspiracy began to grow in the heart of Brutus. Along with sixty other senators, he agreed to be a part of an assassination attempt on Caesar to take place on the Ides of March - March 15 in the year A.D.44. When the men attacked him, Caesar saw Brutus among the group with his dagger drawn. At that point, Caesar ceased to struggle and asked the famous question, "You too, Brutus?" (Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar,” 1599, Act 3, Scene 1)

Benedict Arnold, Betrayer of his Country  The betrayal carried out by Benedict Arnold V (1741 - 1801) involved his country. Benedict was an outstanding Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. But he felt he had been slighted and overlooked for promotions on several occasions.

So when he was granted command of the fort at West Point, he switched loyalties and tried unsuccessfully to surrender West Point to the British. The plot was discovered and Benedict escaped to become a Brigadier General for the British Army.

Had he succeeded in giving West Point to the British, the British might have won the Revolutionary war and today we’d all be driving on the other side of the road.

Judas Iscariot, Betrayer of Jesus  The betrayal carried out by Judas Iscariot involved his Master, Jesus of Nazareth.  Judas was a man whose name is defined in the dictionary as “One who betrays under the guise of friendship.” But his name wasn’t always a symbol of betrayal. After all, three years earlier, Jesus had said to Judas, “Follow me!” And Judas had responded by leaving his home and family to follow him.  It’s interesting to note that Judas was the only disciple not from Galilee. Since Galileans tended to look down upon Judeans, this may have caused friction between Judas and the eleven other disciples. However, Judas embraced the cause of Jesus fully and completely. Scriptures indicate that Judas held a very special place in the life of Jesus. Jesus trusted him with their money. (John 12:6) And at the Last Supper, Judas was sitting on Jesus’ left, the place of honor.

While they were eating, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ They looked at one another, uncertain of whom Jesus spoke. It was not at all obvious to them that Judas was the one who would betray their master and lead the authorities to Jesus. No one immediately pointed to Judas and said, “I’ll bet Jesus is talking about him.” Instead, they were afraid that Jesus meant them.

 

 

Jesus then further clarified his statement by saying, ‘The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.” Because they were sitting next to each other, Jesus could hand Judas the morsel of bread and say to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly,” without any of the other disciples hearing him.

Coins of Betrayal  Judas immediately left the Last Supper and went to the chief priests who paid Judas thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Thirty pieces of silver may not sound like much until one realizes that in those days, this was equal to about four months wages for the average worker. So take your monthly income, multiply by four, and that gives you an idea of the value of the coins of betrayal. It was more money than Judas had ever seen in his life. And Judas loved money.

Ointment  In fact, In the Gospel of John, Judas criticized Mary for using expensive ointment to anoint Jesus’ feet. He said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5) [This was a day’s wage for a laborer]

Judas was a Thief  Judas didn’t say this because he cared for the poor, but rather because he was the treasurer of the disciples’ money and had been routinely stealing from their money box for some time. Jesus quickly replied, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial.” This reprimand from Jesus may have upset Judas to the point where he no longer had loyalty to their cause. Or Judas may have expected Jesus to conquer Rome by force instead of allowing himself to be crucified. And the thought of making 30 pieces of silver was too great a temptation.

The Kiss of Betrayal  No matter what his motives for betrayal might have been, once he received the payment, Judas entered the Garden of Gethsemane with soldiers. Since the soldiers had no idea what Jesus looked like, Judas identified him by greeting his master with a kiss on the cheek - a kiss which sent Jesus on the lonely, painful road to the Cross. In this case, the kiss, normally a sign of affection, love and trust, became an instrument of deceit.

Regret  Judas soon regretted his act of betrayal so he gave the money back to the chief priests. Then, filled with remorse, he went out and  hanged himself, never experiencing the exultation of the resurrection.

Betrayal Takes Time  As we think about betrayal, we realize that it doesn’t happen on impulse, all of a sudden. Betrayal is a well thought out act that develops in our minds over weeks, months and sometimes years before we put it into action. Little by little, our minds think of why it is perfectly OK to take the road of deceit and betrayal. Once conceived in the mind, betrayal slowly but surely takes on a life of its own. Little by little, Judas rationalized the action he was going to take. Once he had justified his act of betrayal, he set the act in motion.

Closeness and Betrayal   It is also a fact that the closer our relationship is with a person, the more intense the pain and hurt if betrayal occurs. This is why Jesus must have felt immense grief and pain when Judas betrayed him. The psalmist said, "Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me." [Psalm 41:9 NRSV]

Jesus would have Forgiven Judas  The amazing fact which Judas didn’t realize is that Jesus would have forgiven him at once had Judas asked. In other words, Judas didn’t need to take his life. All he needed to do is ask for forgiveness.

They All Fell Away  At the same time, we must not put all the blame on Judas. While in the Garden, Jesus said to the rest of his discples, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me..” [Matthew 26:31 NRSV]. Peter said to him, ‘Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And so said all the disciples.” [Matthew 26:33-35 NRSV] But before the night was over, Peter indeed denied even knowing Jesus.  In fact all the disciples deserted Jesus when he needed them most. They had betrayed their Master.

Our Story  As we look back, we realize that the story of Judas is our story because each of us has within us the potential to betray. To be unfaithful to covenants. To lie and practice deceit. Like Judas we do and say things in life we wish we could take back. Things we said and wish we hadn’t. Things we did and later regretted. We find that when we’ve betrayed the trust of another human being, we can’t reverse what we have done to make it the same as it was. We can’t turn back the clock. It’s too late!

Final Thoughts  My question this morning is this. Have you, like Judas and the disciples, betrayed Jesus? With words that hurt. Actions that broke God’s commandments? Have you been guilty of violating sacred covenants of friendship or marriage? Are you harboring guilt of betrayals of long ago? Then I ask you to bring your sins of betrayal and lay them at the foot of the Cross. And God will forgive! God will absolve, pardon and acquit you. God will cleanse, renew and sanctify you!

Remember, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that, “At it’s best the Church is not so much a collection of righteous saints as it is a collection of forgiven sinners.” Or, we could add, a collection of forgiven betrayers. Amen.
Psalm 25:1-7  NRSV

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust;

   do not let me be put to shame;

   do not let my enemies exult over me.

Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;

   let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

 

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

   teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth, and teach me,

   for you are the God of my salvation;

   for you I wait all day long.

 

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,

   for they have been from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

   according to your steadfast love remember me,

   for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!

 

Matthew 26:14-25 NRSV

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.” ’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ He answered, ‘The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’ Judas, who betrayed him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ He replied, ‘You have said so.’