Judas Iscariot – See you in Heaven

How can we honor only Jesus? Part 4

“⁷But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. ⁸For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.’ ” John 12:7-8

At a special dinner for Jesus among His close friends, we are learning how to honor only Him (John 12:1-8). So far we have learned the following ways to honor only Jesus:

– Serve Christ out of thanksgiving for what He has done (John 12:1-2a).

– Spend time with Christ out of joy for His gift of salvation (John 12:2b).

– Sacrifice for Christ out of love for Him (John 12:3).

The final way to honor only Jesus in this passage is to SHOW SENSITIVITY TO WHAT BLESSES JESUS ALONE (John 12:4-8). In contrast to Mary, John characterizes Judas in three ways. “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said…” (John 12:4). First, his surname “Iscariot.” The name “Iscariot” is taken to refer to his origin, “from Kerioth.”¹ This could mean his father, “Simon” Iscariot (6:71; 12:4), is either from Judah (Joshua 15:25) or Moab (Jeremiah 48:24). Judas then, would be the only one of the twelve disciples who was not from Galilee.

Second, Judas was “one of His disciples.” He belonged to Jesus’ inner circle of companions for the last three years. Many unbelieving disciples had already withdrawn from following Jesus (John 6:66), but Judas, an unbelieving disciple (cf. John 6:64, 70-71; 13:10-11; 17:12), chose to stay with Christ. Why did He remain with the Lord Jesus?

This leads to the third characteristic of Judas. He remained with Christ so he could “betray” the Lord. He stuck around so he could deliver Jesus into the hands of His enemies. Mary was devoted to Jesus, but Judas despised Him. Mary loved Jesus, but Judas seems to loathe Him.

“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). Judas thought this anointing was a terrible waste of money – a year’s wages for a working man. Judas may have sounded compassionate toward the poor, but he was not. His criticism of Mary infected some of the other disciples according to Matthew and Mark’s account. Matthew’s writes, “But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste?’ ”(Matthew 26:8)? Those who seek to bless Jesus alone are often “misunderstood and criticized; but that is what usually happens when somebody gives his or her best to the Lord.” ²

If you give your best to Jesus, you will be criticized and many times the loudest criticism will come from other believers who think they are only using common sense in how the Lord’s resources are spent. When the Lord called our family to serve Him in the Philippines, we had some believers and unbelieving family members question our sanity. Some said our time and talents could be used better by the Lord in the USA. In their minds, we “wasted” our lives for Jesus in the Philippines!

At this point Judas does not sound like a bad guy, does he? “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” (John 12:6). John informs us that Judas was not being honest. He did not really care about the poor. He only cared for himself. He had been appointed treasurer of the disciples which may mean he had some accounting ability. But he was pilfering what was put in the money box and carrying it away for himself. He was a thief motivated by greed. He wanted to make money from his association with Jesus. He desired the perfume to make money for himself. When he could not get the perfume, he soon went to the chief priests and offered to betray Christ if they paid him thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16).

Some people pretend to be Christians or even disciples of Jesus to obtain money or power for themselves. But they only have their own benefit in mind. They are not sensitive to what would bless Jesus or others around Him.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.’ ” (John 12:7). Jesus defended Mary’s act of love and devotion, “Let her alone!” He would have nothing to do with criticism brought against Mary. Anointing was usually for some festivity or celebration. But Jesus says she kept it for His burial which was just a few days away. Mary had entered into the mind of Christ more fully than the others. She knew His death was coming since He had already taught them about His suffering and eventual death many times before. Rather than wait until after He dies, she uses the perfume now when He can still enjoy it! This was a time for Jesus to relax before His sufferings and death. Mary understood this and she wanted to refresh her weary Lord and Savior.

Mary’s actions remind us that it is better to show our appreciation for someone before he or she dies rather than afterward. “Flowers at a funeral are nice, but flowers before the funeral are even better.” ³Is there someone in your life that the Lord may be impressing you to contact before his or her life is over? What would you regret more? Expressing your love for him or her before or after they die?

“For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” (John 12:8). Jesus is saying, “You will always have opportunity to minister to the poor, but your opportunity to minister to Me here on earth is limited. I’m going to die soon.” The word “Me” is emphatic. The sentence literally reads, “Me, however, you do not always have”(Ἐμὲ δὲ οὐ πάντοτε ἔχετε). Unless Jesus was the Son of God, God Himself, Who was due the same honor as God His Father (John 5:23), this statement would be an expression of extreme arrogance. But these are not the words of a mere man or prophet, these in essence, are the words of God!

Christ’s comment about always having the poor was not an endorsement of poverty or an encouragement to do nothing about poverty. He is simply saying that there will “always” be opportunities to serve the poor, but their opportunity to serve Him here on earth was rapidly fading. Now was the opportunity for special service to the Lord Jesus. Now was the time to do something that would benefit Him and Him alone. Christ welcomed Mary’s gracious display of love and devotion.

In Matthew and Mark Jesus even said her gracious act would become a perpetual memorial of honor whenever the gospel is preached. What a contrast between Mary and Judas. Mary offered her best to Jesus in sacrificial love; Judas was interested in Jesus only as a ladder for his selfish ambitions.

Mary saw her time with the Lord prior to His death as an opportunity for special service to Him. She was sensitive to what He needed, to what would bless Him. When she anointed the Lord, it did not benefit the others or herself, it benefited Jesus and Him alone.

What made Mary so sensitive to the Lord? We are told back in Luke 10:39, “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” If we would learn to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word, we would probably become more sensitive to what would bless our Lord Jesus and Him alone. Perhaps we would also give more to our Lord as Mary did.

Christian author and speaker, J. Vernon McGee, observed in this passage that Lazarus, Mary, and Martha represent three essentials in the church today, respectively: “new life in Christ, worship and adoration, and service.” ⁴If churches would focus on these three areas, think of how much the fragrance of Christ would fill our lives and communities!?!

How can we serve Jesus now in a way that serves Him alone? Spend time alone with the Lord Jesus and serve Him alone. Just you and the Lord alone. No one else there to benefit from what you give Him at that time. As You meet with Jesus, give Him…

– Your complete honesty. When you really love somebody you don’t just want to spend time with them. You want to talk with them. If you want a deeper relationship with someone, you need to be completely honest with them about your faults and your feelings. Christ is not looking for perfection, but He does insist on complete honesty. What do you talk to God about if you want to draw close to Him? Anything that you would talk to your best friend about. Your hopes… fears… dreams… anxieties… things you are embarrassed about… things you are proud of… things you are ashamed of… your goals… your ambitions… your hurts… your cares… every part of your life – you come to God and you talk to God about it. The Bible says in Psalm 116:1-2: “I love the Lord because He hears me and answers my prayer, because He bends down and listens. I will pray as long as I have breath.” If you don’t feel close to God and some of you don’t… some of you have been believers for quite a long time and you honestly have lost your spark. Your Christian life has become routine, dull, and lifeless. There is no real joy and spark any more. There is a simple remedy for that. Start talking to God again. Choose to be completely honest with Him.

– Your listening ear as you read the Bible. Listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to someone. We all want to be understood. We all want to be listened to. When you listen to someone, you are saying, “You matter to me.” When I listen to my wife or my children, I am saying, “I value what you have to say. You are important to me.” When I don’t listen to somebody I’m basically saying, “You are not important to me.” One of the ways you express love to someone and draw close to them is by listening to them. The same is true with Jesus. Every time you listen to Christ you are saying, “Jesus, You matter to me. You are important to me.” If you want to learn to pray effectively, you must learn to listen to God through His Word. Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7). The more time you spend in Christ’s word, the more your thoughts become His thoughts. God made you with two ears and one mouth for a reason: so you will do twice as much listening as talking. So as God speaks to you through His written Word you will have more confidence when you pray because you know what you are praying is according to God’s will. Your heart will be filled with joy as He answers your prayers which are in line with His will.

– Your submission. The Bible says, “⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8a). Many years ago when my children were very small, I would come home from work and they would run to the door with their hands lifted high saying, “Daddy… Daddy!” By lifting their hands, what were they saying to me? “Take me, Daddy. I’m yours. I trust You.” By lifting their hands they were surrendering themselves to me and my control. They were not trying to manipulate me or control me. They were letting go and letting me take them into my hands. Your heavenly Father wants to do the same with you. He is waiting to draw near to you and hold you in His everlasting arms of love, but you must take that first step and surrender to Him. Give up your agenda and yield to His. When we worship God, lifting our hands to Him is an expression of surrender. We are saying, “I am Yours, Father God. Take my life and use it as You please.” It is time to surrender to the God of all grace. You cannot draw near to Christ without surrendering to Him.

– Your adoration and praise. Reach out to the Lord in prayer and praise Him and thank Him. Tell Him how much you love Him. Bow your heart before Him and worship Him. Surrender to Jesus all that You have. Mary gave sacrificially to the Lord because He raised her brother from the dead. But Jesus has raised us from spiritual death and given us eternal life (John 11:25-26; Ephesians 2:4-9)! Praise Him for that! Let Him know how grateful you are! Give Him what is most precious to you. He will never forget it.

You are as close to Jesus as you choose to be. Do you really want it more than anything else? Is it worth giving up other things and developing the habits and skills required? Start asking God to give you a passion for Him. Jeremiah 29:13 (MSG) says, “When you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me a beautiful picture of what true worship looks like through Mary, the sister of Lazarus. Her love and devotion for You were displayed when she gave to You what was most precious to her. Unlike Judas, who loathed You and thought only of himself, Mary loved You and was sensitive to what would bless You as the time of Your crucifixion rapidly approached. Like Mary, I want to be still and sit at Your feet to hear Your voice of truth so I can become more sensitive to what would bless You and You alone. For me to hear You more clearly, I must lay aside anything that would keep me from hearing Your voice, including my own selfishness, deceit, envy, hypocrisy, evil speaking, and malice (I Peter 2:1). What would You say to me at this time, Lord Jesus? I am listening. In Your name I pray. Amen.

ENDNOTES:

1. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature [BAGD], compiled by Walter Bauer, trans. and adapted by William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, 2^nd ed., rev. and augmented by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979),pp. 380-381.

2. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, (Wheaton: Scripture Press, Victor Books, 1989), 1:339.

3. Dr. Tom Constable, Notes on John, 2015 Edition,pg. 232.

4. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, 5 vols. Pasadena, Calif.: Thru The Bible Radio; and Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1983, 4:444.

Why do some unbelievers remain with Jesus?

“Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ ” John 6:70

When Peter answered the Lord’s question about whether they also wanted to leave Him, he said, “Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69). But Peter was wrong about one thing. He said, “We.” By that he meant the Twelve. But Jesus corrects him, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70). Jesus is saying, “No, Peter, there is one here who has not come to know and believe I am the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In these last two verses Jesus exposes the one who “is a devil.”

Here we see the third group of disciples in this whole passage. This group is comprised of unbelievers who remain with Christ (John 6:70-71). Why do some unbelievers remain with Jesus?

A. BECAUSE JESUS SELECTED THEM (John 7:70a). Jesus admits that He chose Judas Iscariot as He did the others. “Did I not choose you, the twelve…?” (John 6:70a). Out of the hundreds who were following Him, Jesus chose one who would refuse to believe in Him and would eventually betray Him (John 6:64, 70-71; cf. 12:4; 13:2, 10-11, 21-30; 17:12; 18:2, 5). What an amazing picture of God’s grace. He desires all people to be saved – even those who will betray Him. The second reason some unbelievers remain with Jesus is…

B. BECAUSE THEY SERVE GOD’S PURPOSES (John 6:70b). Judas had every opportunity to know and serve Jesus like the other Eleven. Yet in the spirit of the “devil,” he actively opposed Christ. “…One of you is a devil.” (John 6:70b). Eventually Judas would betray Christ and hand Him over to His enemies (John 18:2-5; cf. Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50; Luke 22:1-6, 47-48). This was all a part of God’s plan and purpose for His Son (John 13:18-30; 17:12). Judas stayed with the group; he lived with them, ate and slept with them, performed miracles and preached the kingdom message with them, and yet was not one of them. He never was. The third reason why some unbelievers remain with Jesus is…

C. BECAUSE THEY SELFISHLY WANT TO BENEFIT FROM BEING WITH CHRIST (John 6:71). “He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” (John 6:71). Outwardly Judas was a disciple. Judas was privileged to be in Jesus’ inner circle of friends. He was given a prominent position as treasurer and kept stealing from the money box (John 12:6). No doubt he felt important being associated with Christ who brought hope and healing to so many. Even Judas had deceived the eleven other disciples! They did not know that he was a fake, but Jesus knew. Inwardly, Judas was a traitor, an enemy opposed to all that God wants.

My friends, you and I live in glass houses! I cannot see into your heart and you cannot see into mine, but God sees us just as we are. What does He see when He looks at us? We may deceive each other, but we will never deceive God! He knows where we stand spiritually this morning. There has never been a better incentive for us to look carefully at our own hearts.

We have looked at three groups this in this chapter. No doubt, most churches probably have representatives of each group. Some of you have been under the teaching of God’s Word, but you will drop out. You want entertainment, not expectations. You will not want to be bothered with studying and searching and understanding. You will not want to follow truth when once you see or hear it. You will rationalize it, ignore it, and eventually you will drop out. You will go off in search of a better deal, something more agreeable to what you want instead of what God wants. It happened in Jesus’s day and it will happen again.

But there are some of you who will never leave Jesus. You cannot quit. You have found too much, you have learned too much about life. You have been ministered to and fed by our Lord. You know the comfort of His presence. You can never give Him up.

But there may be others here who want to stay with Jesus for your own purposes. You want to appear to be a Christian, but you are not. You have never believed in Jesus Christ alone for His gift of everlasting life. Oh, you know the Bible and you sing songs of worship on Sunday mornings. But you do not know the Author of the Bible. You are only out for yourself. You want to use God for your own benefit.

Let’s come back to Jesus question, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67). Thousands withdrew from Jesus, but twelve stayed, one of whom was unsaved. Not everyone walks away from the Lord. Some people make a total commitment to Jesus Christ and to His will for their lives. I hope that is you. Not everyone walks away, what will you do?

Does your heart say to Jesus, “Lord, to whom can I go? I don’t always understand, I can’t always figure You out, I don’t always like what You do, but Lord, to whom can I go?” That is the heart He is looking for. If you have to say, “I belong to the first group, I’m afraid,” there is still hope. You can ask Him to teach you and open your eyes and lead you forward. You can start right now to obey what He tells you to do. But if your heart is like that of Judas, centered on yourself, all you can hear, I’m afraid, is the word of Jesus, “There is one who will betray Me.”

If your heart is like that of Judas, I believe there is still hope for you. It was not Judas’s betrayal of Jesus that made him unsaved. It was his unbelief toward Jesus that caused him not to be saved (cf. John 6:64, 70-71; 17:12). Before Judas hung himself after his betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 27:3-5; Acts. 1:18), the Bible never says he believed in Jesus for everlasting life. Therefore, I believe it is a strong argument for Judas being an unbeliever and confined to the Lake of Fire in the future.

But for the sake of illustration, let’s say Judas did believe in Christ for everlasting life before he betrayed the Lord by turning Him over to His enemies and then committed suicide by hanging himself. Would Judas be in heaven? Absolutely, because he would “have everlasting life” (John 3:16) which by definition cannot be lost because it has no end. Judas would be in heaven because no one can snatch him out of God the Son’s and God the Father’s hands (John 10:28-29). He would be in heaven because Christ died for all Judas’s sins including his betrayal and suicide (Colossians 2:13-14). But Judas would not have eternal rewards in heaven which require faithfulness to Christ to the end of one’s life (cf. I Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10, 25-27; 3:11-12).

On the other hand, let’s say Judas did not believe in Christ for everlasting and betrayed the Lord. But instead of hanging himself, he looked to Jesus in faith to forgive all his sins and give him everlasting (John 3:16; Acts 10:43). Would he be in heaven? Absolutely. And if he lived faithfully for Christ to the end of his life, he would receive eternal rewards in heaven (cf. I Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10, 25-27; 3:11-12).

Where does that leave you? If you are not sure you have everlasting life, then take Jesus at His Word when He said, “Whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). It does not matter how you have lived in the past. Perhaps you have pretended to be a Christian. You may have betrayed Christ outwardly or inwardly, but Jesus still loves you and wants to save you from an eternity separated from Him. Simply come to Him in faith just as you are, and He will give you everlasting life and come to live inside of You forever! He can transform you from a fake into a faithful follower of His.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, like the crowd in the synagogue in Capernaum two thousand years ago who heard these wonderful words from Your lips, we, too, fall into one of these three groups. Lord, make us those who love You, who cluster around You, who cling to Your words, who are willing to search them out and understand them and obey them, and believe that they alone are the words that give life. Lord, some of us may be following You from a distance, uncertain and uncomfortable. Help us to give up control and surrender to Your love which never fails. Some of us may find ourselves to be like Judas. We have pretended to be a believing disciple. We know how to look, speak, and act like a Christian, but we do not know for sure that we have everlasting life. So Lord Jesus, we come to You now as broken sinners, trusting You alone to forgive our sins and give us everlasting life. Thank You for the immense grace you have shown to us. Help us to cling to You and Your unchanging Word regardless of how the world responds to You. We ask this in Your matchless name. Amen.

Will Judas Iscariot be in heaven?

Judas Iscariot is thought by many to be saved because he was a disciple of Jesus Christ. But what does the Bible say? The gospel of John provides evidence that Judas Iscariot was an unbeliever, and therefore, will not be in heaven:

I. “‘ ⁶⁴But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him…⁷⁰Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’⁷¹He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” John 6:64, 70-71

Near the end of His bread of life discourse (John 6:26-71), Jesus acknowledged that “some” of the people who had been following Him and listening to His instruction “did not believe” in Him (6:64a). They were “disciples” (6:66) – those who were sitting under His teaching – but they were unsaved. “Many of His disciples” found His words difficult (6:60, 66) and “some” of them “did not believe” (6:64a). So this multitude of people listening to Jesus’ teaching was comprised of believing and unbelieving disciples or learners of Jesus. The unbelieving people in Jesus audience included those “who would betray Him” (6:64b).

The phrase “who would betray Him” connects to Judas Iscariot in verses 70-71: “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” Christ admits that He chose Judas as He did the others. Christ’s selection of His twelve disciples was for service and fruit-bearing (cf. John 15:16), not for salvation. Out of the hundreds who were following Him, Jesus chose one who would refuse to believe in Him and would eventually betray Him. What an amazing picture of God’s grace. He desires all people to be saved – even those who will betray Him.

Judas had every opportunity to know and serve Jesus like the other Eleven. Yet in the spirit of “a devil,” he actively opposed Christ (6:70b). Eventually Judas would betray Christ and hand Him over to His enemies (7:71). This was all a part of God’s plan and purpose for His Son. Judas stayed with the group; he lived with them, ate and slept with them, performed miracles with them, and yet he did not believe in Jesus for everlasting life.

Outwardly Judas was a disciple (“one of the twelve”) who enjoyed the privilege to be in Jesus’ inner circle of friends (7:71a). He was given a prominent position as treasurer (12:6) and kept stealing from the money box. No doubt he felt important being associated with Christ who brought hope and healing to so many. Even Judas had deceived the eleven other disciples! They did not know that he was a fake, but Jesus knew. Inwardly, Judas was a traitor, an enemy opposed to all that God wants.

Nothing in John 6:64, 70-71, suggests that Judas Iscariot was a believer in Jesus. In fact, these verses refer to Judas as one of those in the crowd who did “not believe” (6:64) and “would betray” Christ (6:64b; 71). Christ is not just talking about the disciples who would withdraw from Him (cf. 6:66) when He says, “some of you who do not believe” (6:64a), He was also talking about the one disciple (Judas) who “would betray Him” (6:64b, 70-71; cf. 12:4; 13:2, 21-30; 18:2, 5).

The other disciples did not know about Judas’ unbelieving heart, but “Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him” (6:64b). When Peter told Jesus, “We have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (6:69), this does not mean Judas had believed in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Peter was not aware of Judas’ unbelieving heart at the time he said this. But Jesus new of Judas’ unbelief (6:64b, 70-71; 13:10-11; 17:12).

Another argument in favor of Judas being an unbeliever is seen in John 13:27 where we are told, “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.” Judas’ persistent unbelief toward Christ allowed Satan to enter his body and take control of him so he could do his evil work “quickly” (13:27). The fact that “Satan entered Judas” also lends support that Judas was an unbeliever because only unbelievers can be possessed by Satan or demons. Believers have Jesus indwelling them through His Holy Spirit and He promises never to leave them nor forsake them (cf. Romans 8:11; I Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 13:5; I John 4:4).

II. “¹⁰Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’¹¹For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ‘You are not all clean.’ ” John 13:10-11

When Jesus got up from the Last Supper to wash His disciples’ feet (13:1-7), Simon Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet (13:8a) perhaps because he did not want Jesus to degrade Himself by performing such a lowly task reserved for slaves. Christ responds to Peter by telling him, “If I don’t cleanse you from the effects of sin (dirt on your feet), you can have no part (fellowship) with Me” (13:8b). Peter responds, “If fellowship with You, Lord, depends on cleansing, then wash not only my feet but my hands and head, too” (13:9)!

In the first century, there were no bathing facilities in small houses. So a person had to go to a public bathhouse to bathe. When invited to a meal, a person would first go to the public bathhouse and bathe, and then put on clean clothing, anoint himself with fresh oil, and proceed to the home where he would be served a meal. On the way from the bathhouse to the home, the guest’s feet got dirty. Hence, the host provided a basin of water so that the one who already had a bath and cleansed his entire body could sponge the dirt off his feet.

Jesus is referring to two types of cleansing when He says, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you” (13:10). The first type of cleansing refers to the complete cleansing of regeneration which takes place at the moment of faith in Jesus (cf. Titus 3:5; Revelation 1:5). This is seen in the word “bathed” (λούω) which refers to bathing the entire body. This verb is in the perfect tense which conveys the idea of a permanent cleansing that has continuing results to the present. A person only needs one complete bath spiritually. This is a one-time experience. The Holy Spirit performs this complete cleansing at the moment of faith in Jesus for eternal life. Some believers think they need to be totally bathed over and over again. They fail to understand that God’s water or soap is guaranteed for eternity. Once you believe in Christ, you will need the second type of cleansing that He speaks of next.

This second type of cleansing refers to daily forgiveness in order to have fellowship or closeness with God. This cleansing is represented by the word “wash” (νίπτω) which means to wash parts of the body. This fellowship forgiveness (cf. Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 11:4) is based upon the confession of sin (I John 1:9). So Christ is saying in verse 10, “He who is bathed [regeneration] needs only to wash his feet [fellowship] but is completely clean.” Every bathed person (Christian) needs daily cleansing of his dirty feet to have fellowship with Christ.

All but one of the disciples were “completely clean” in their position before God and could have fellowship with the Lord (13:10c). John explains that the one who had not experienced the cleansing bath of salvation was the one “who would betray” Jesus, i.e. Judas (13:11; cf. 13:21-30). Judas had not experienced the cleansing bath of salvation because of his refusal to believe in Christ (cf. John 6:64, 70-71; 17:12). It was not Judas’ betrayal of Jesus that made him unsaved. It was his unbelief toward Jesus that caused him not to be completely clean in his position before God.

III. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” John 17:12

As Jesus was praying for His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion and Judas’ death, He refers to keeping His disciples from being spiritually “lost except the son of perdition” who is Judas (17:12). The reason Judas is spiritually “lost” is because he never believed in Jesus (6:64, 70-71; 13:10-11). He is the “son of perdition” or “one doomed to destruction” because of his refusal to believe in Christ alone for everlasting life. Judas “destroyed” himself by refusing to believe in Christ and thus fulfilled Scripture (Psalm 41:9) and God’s purpose.

Before Judas hung himself (Matt. 27:3-5; Acts. 1:18), the Bible never says he believed in Jesus for everlasting life. Therefore, I believe it is a strong argument for Judas being an unbeliever and confined to the Lake of Fire in the future.

For the sake of illustration, let’s say Judas did believe in Christ for everlasting life before he betrayed the Lord by turning Him over to His enemies and then committed suicide by hanging himself. Would Judas be in heaven? Absolutely, because he would “have everlasting life” (John 3:16) which by definition cannot be lost because it has no end. Judas would be in heaven because no one can snatch him out of God the Son’s and God the Father’s hands (John 10:28-29). He would be in heaven because Christ died for all Judas’ sins including his betrayal and suicide (Colossians 2:13-14). But Judas would not have eternal rewards in heaven which require faithfulness to Christ to the end of one’s life (cf. I Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10, 25-27; 3:11-12).

On the other hand, let’s say Judas did not believe in Christ for everlasting and betrayed the Lord. But instead of hanging himself, he looked to Jesus in faith to forgive all his sins and give him everlasting (John 3:16; Acts 10:43). Would he be in heaven? Absolutely. But nothing in the Bible suggests that Judas did believe in Christ for everlasting life before he hung himself.

Conclusion: The gospel of John makes it clear that Judas Iscariot, the one “who would betray” Christ, did “not believe” in Jesus (6:64, 70-71) and therefore was not “completely clean” in his position before God (13:10-11). Therefore, Jesus describes him as being spiritually “lost” and a “son of perdition” (17:12).

Why would Jesus allow an unbeliever to have such a close association with Him for three and a half years? Perhaps it was because He loved Judas and wanted to give Him ample time to believe in Him for everlasting life (cf. John 13:1). This also magnifies the grace of Jesus Christ which gives great blessing to those who do not deserve it.

We are also reminded from this study about Judas Iscariot that what determines a person’s eternal destiny is not their works. Judas did many works for Jesus Christ as His disciple (Matthew 10:1ff; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6), but his unbelief toward Jesus condemned him to an eternity in the Lake of Fire (John 3:18; 6:64, 70-71; 13:10-11; 16:7-11; 17:12). The Bible tells us that it is not our works that determine whether we go to heaven or hell (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9), but our response to Jesus Christ. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

On Judgment Day there will be many false prophets (Matthew 7:15) who stand before Jesus and appeal to their words (“Lord, Lord”) and to their good works (“prophesied…cast out demons…done many wonders”) that they have done “in His name” for His glory as the basis of their entrance into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-22). And Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). Why does He say this? Because they had failed to do “the will of the Father in heaven” as it relates to entering the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21b). Jesus said, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40; cf. 3:5, 15-16). Until a person is rightly related to Jesus by believing in Him for everlasting life, all their good works, words, and thoughts are “lawlessness” before a holy God (Matthew 7:23; cf. Isaiah 64:6).

Do you “believe in the Son,” Jesus Christ, for “everlasting life”? If so, then God promises that you now have “everlasting life” and your name is written in the Book of Life so that you will enjoy a home in heaven (John 3:36a; Revelation 21:27). But if you reject Jesus Christ or “do not believe the Son,” you “shall not see life” in heaven, “but the wrath of God abides”on you both now and forever in the Lake of Fire (John 3:36b; Revelation 20:15). It does not matter how many good works you have done for Jesus, if you do not believe in Him alone for His gift of everlasting life, you will still suffer torment forever in the Lake of Fire (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9).