INTRO: Today we commemorate the day Jesus was crucified. Last Sunday, we commemorated Palm Sunday, the day they spread out Palm branches on the path leading into Jerusalem an Jesus rode the donkey on them and they hailed Him as King, shouting, “Hosanna.” And last Sunday we considered that day in light of the life of Judas Isacariot. We considered the life of Judas Iscariot, from the time he ordained a disciple of Christ until Palm Sunday. We saw that he had been chosen by Christ to be one of His apostles. I recommended that he was a saved man, and that somewhere early in his ministry, something happened to him and he began to fall into unbelief.
When Jesus left Galilee to go to Jerusalem, where He will be crucified, Judas was with Him. He followed Him. He would have seen Zacchaeus saved, and seen the blind men healed as Jesus left the city. He would have heard the mother of James and John desire positions for her sons in the kingdom, which she expected to be set up very shortly.
We followed Jesus from Jericho to Bethany and saw that they made a special Sabbath meal in the house of Simon the leper. As I see it, this meal takes place on Friday evening. The Sabbath begins and they have this meal. I think that both Jesus and His disciples will have stayed there over the Sabbath. And it was here, at this meal, when a woman came and poured a large amount of perfume on Jesus, that we got a picture of the heart of Judas. He was upset that the perfume, which could have been put too much better use, even if it was given to feed the poor, was wasted by pouring it on Jesus. |
