Why did Judas betray Jesus? Understand one of the most tragic and evil acts in history. Drawing on Luke 22:1-6 and other scriptural insights, we learn Judas’s betrayal was not simply an act of greed but resulted from a complex interplay of unbelief, Satan’s influence, bitterness in the hearts of the religious leaders, and disillusionment.

https://youtu.be/8YGeaWHt_rg

Table of contentsJesus Modeled Faith and WisdomJudas: The Religious Leaders’ Solution to Their DilemmaSatan Entered Judas Because He Was an UnbelieverThe Religious Leaders’ WickednessThe Leaven of Bitterness Grew in the Religious Leaders’ HeartsJudas Betrayed Jesus Because of Satan’s InfluenceJudas Betrayed Jesus Because of GreedJudas Betrayed Jesus Because He Was Disillusioned with HimJudas (Might Have) Betrayed Jesus to Get Him to ActJudas Committed the Evilest Act in HistoryReligious and UnsavedThe Application for Us

Capt. Scott O’Grady was an American fighter pilot who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995 during the Bosnian War. When he ejected, he realized the Bosnians would be searching for him since they had witnessed his plane explode. Rubbing dirt on his face, he hid face-down as enemies approached his parachute, shooting their rifles mere feet from his hiding spot multiple times to try to flush him out or kill him.

He had only his essential survival gear: a radio, pistol, map, compass, and a survival kit containing food and water-purifying tablets. Knowing that moving during the day was too risky, he traveled at night and concealed himself during daylight. He ate leaves, grass, and bugs and collected the little rainwater he could with a sponge in plastic bags.

He used his radio sparingly to avoid detection, sending brief signals in hopes that NATO forces would pick them up. The dense forest and mountainous terrain made it extremely challenging to locate him. A NATO aircraft detected his radio signals, leading to his rescue after six grueling days.

Capt. O’Grady’s story garnered national attention, and the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines is loosely based on it. I’m not minimizing the danger Capt. O’Grady was in, but when Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was behind enemy lines, and I would argue that the danger He was in was even worse:

Luke 19:47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

The religious leaders have wanted to murder Jesus since early in His ministry, but they couldn’t because of the people. A public arrest would risk backlash from those who think so highly of Christ.

In Luke 20:9-18, Jesus preached the parable of the vineyard owner and said the vineyard owner, representing God the Father, would destroy the tenants or religious leaders for murdering His Son. We can only imagine how much this would further upset the religious leaders. Look how they responded in Luke 20:19:

Luke 20:19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

Again, we see why they couldn’t do anything to Jesus yet. It is shocking to think about: the religious leaders had no fear of murdering the Son of God, but they were terrified of the people.

Jesus Modeled Faith and Wisdom

Consider how Jesus responds to the opposition:

Luke 21:37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

Luke added this at the end of the chapter to inform us of how Jesus handled the situation He was in. Although Jesus’s teachings in the temple were popular, they only increased the opposition against Him. He was safe during the day because of the crowds, but when the crowds went home in the evening,