We have become preoccupied today with the extraordinary, sporadic, non-universal ministries of the Spirit to the neglect of the ordinary, general ones. J. I. Packer

“Man is something that must be overcome.” Frederick Nietzsche

“We fear and avoid the evil, not because it is evil but because it might endanger us; and should we allow ourselves to be enmeshed in it too deeply, through its fettering powers, it might make our human life precarious. Likewise, we consent to the good, not because it is good but because it assists us in the establishment and the fortification of the “I.” “A good conscience is a peaceful pillow.” Yes, and more, we seek God, not for His sake, but for our own sakes; we seek Him, because we are strengthened by Him, comforted, and hope to be saved. We seek Him, so that we might use Him for a mighty retreat for ourselves.

Christians without exception do not root up and conquer the “I” of man. It knows that we Christians, while we contribute much, yes, the most, yes, we give and offer even the last thing we have, yet that last thing we will not give—ourselves—not all of us. For that reason the world does not fear us very much at present. One condition we persist in laying down, perhaps unwittingly, even to God, even in our praying and pious living—and this condition is ourselves, we, the human, our “I.” We will not let ourselves be conquered. On the contrary, we assert ourselves! We defend ourselves. We appear to be strong. Whatever we think, do.” Karl Barth

Is This Odd for This Passage About Judas Here?

God’s wants us to see something from this passage. sandwiched in between the promise of the baptism of the Spirit and the fulfillment of that promise at Pentecost.

The Fulfillment of Scripture

Peter says in verse 16,“Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas.” “What scripture had to be fulfilled?” Peter in verse 20. “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it’; and ‘His office let another take.’ ”

There are two different Old Testament quotes in this verse and that the fulfillment of each one is described in a different part of this paragraph.

Psalm 69:25, “Let his habitation become desolate and let there be no one to live in it.” And that word is fulfilled in how Judas died and purchased a field by his blood-money that became a desolate field of blood (vv. 17–19).

Psalm 109:8, “His office let another take.” And that word is fulfilled in the way Judas was replaced by Matthias, described in verses 21–26.

One has to do with the desolation of Judas’s habitation, and the other has to do with the replacement of Judas among the 12 apostles.

Why all of this at this time, why would he talk about Judas now? “The scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas.”

The Purpose of the Holy Spirit

God wants us to see the unwavering purpose of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to see when the Holy Spirit says something, it will be fulfilled, even if it takes a thousand years.

You see this invincible purpose most clearly in the words “had to” “The scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke.” How can Peter say, “It had to be”?

So many people say, Isn’t the future open-ended? Aren’t people free to make of life whatever they want so that even God has to adjust his plans?

There is only one answer: either Peter was wrong, everyone must decide whom you will believe, the skeptics or the apostles, either Peter was wrong or the Holy Spirit, expressed in Scripture, is invincible.

The Story of Judas

Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and threw the money back in the temple, and that the priests put their heads together and evidently said, “Well, this is not our money, it belongs to Judas. He’s dead, so let’s buy a field (probably the very field where he died) in Judas’s name, and use it to bury people like that” So in a sense Judas, the thief, leaves the blood-money of his inheritance behind to buy a desolate graveyard for his habitation. But why use this ugly, brutal, tragic story to illustrate the invincible purpose of the Holy Spirit?

It is not hard to believe that God’s purposes are invincible when things go well for God’s anointed. But when things go bad, when there is lying, and mistrust and betrayal, and death, then you need all the help you can get to believe that the purposes of God are invincible. Not even Judas and Satan could undermine or escape the encompassing invincibility of God’s purpose.

Why would Jesus choose Judas knowing what he would do?

Openness to God theology says Jesus did really know. Then, they have a real problem with the verse below.

John 6:64 says, “Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.” And in John 17:12 Jesus prayed, “While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

The Replacement of Judas

Why is the second half of this passage devoted to the replacement of Judas? Why does Luke want us to see that the invincible purpose of the Holy Spirit, expressed in Scripture, includes the replacement of Judas—and specifically the replacement by one who had been with the 12 during the whole three years of Jesus public ministry?

It shows us that the pursuit upward toward more spiritual power must never be disconnected from the pursuit backward toward the teaching and the work of the historical Jesus.

The Holy Spirit has an unwavering zeal for the glory of Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not short-circuit this historical knowledge of this Jesus. He does not short-circuit what Jesus began to do and to teach. Everything the Spirit does and says is oriented and tested by the once for all revelation of God in Jesus Christ. John said, “By this you will know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.”

This is A Lesson for Us

If the church longs to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, to be clothed with power from on high, then we will devote ourselves not merely to prayer for this blessing, but we will also give ourselves to the backward work of knowing the Jesus of the gospels. We must strive to hold on to the words and deeds of Jesus, recorded by the apostles.

Here is something of the complexity of the causes of Jesus’ death. On the one hand, Jesus was betrayed. That’s what led him to the cross. On the other hand, it happened, we’re told, “as it has been decreed.” That is, Jesus sees that although there is a human agent, a betrayer, who sets him up, yet God is working on all of this too. This is not just an accident of history, the result of one man’s malice.

Why did the political machine of the day need a betrayer? Why didn’t they just go and arrest Jesus? Because it was not common for everyone to know each other as it is now.

How did people know who Jesus was? Not many people had seen him. Stories about him were everywhere in the first century, but if there was a big crowd and somebody was standing at the back, they wouldn’t even have all that clear shot of who he was. No, to find out who Jesus was, point him out, make it clear who he was, and set up a time when there wasn’t going to be a riot, it took somebody on the inside. That’s what Judas Iscariot did. He took some money for it and handed Jesus over.

Judas is condemned, not because he escapes the sovereignty of God but because, at the end of the day, he did what he wanted to do. At the end of the day, we’ll be condemned or praised not because we managed to elude the sovereignty of God but because we end up doing what we want to do. Remember what Barth said earlier.

Judas was Never Saved

John chapter 6 and verses 70 and 71: “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve” (John 6:70–71

Judas Had Association

Who did he associate with? He was one of the twelve.

Judas Had a Reputation

Of the twelve, they chose one to be the treasurer. Now, who do you choose for the treasurer? Well, I would say you would choose the most impeccably honest and trustworthy member of the group to be the treasurer,

Judas the Minister

Matthew 7: 22–24: “Many will say to me in that day”—that is, the judgment day—“Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23).

Please remember, when you look for the devil, never fail to look in the pulpit. Paul said that the “ministers [of Satan are] transformed as … ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15), for “Satan himself is transformed [as] an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Judas betrayed Jesus, not because he did not have choice, but because that is what he wanted to do. He had a choice, we always have a choice.

You and I are just like Judas, we will do exactly what we want to do.

We are just as guilty as Judas, we kill Jesus everyday with our decision to sin.

Today, we have a choice, we can make a decision to be obedient to Jesus and deny ourselves, as Barth said, our “I”.