Key points
- 1
1Judas did not start out evil; he followed Jesus while holding a false picture of who Jesus was, and betrayed Him when Jesus failed to meet his expectations.
- 2
2Jesus responded to His betrayer not with rage but with a broken heart, revealing that He loves even those who turn against Him.
A story from life
A mentor who counseled Pastor Hunter through premarital preparation was later revealed to have been unfaithful to his own wife
- 3
3Judas wanted success and personal prosperity from Jesus, but Jesus came to serve — stepping into our mess to clean us up and send us on mission.
“He is a savior whose heart breaks for those who betray him. He's a savior who loves us in the midst of our sin”
“God cares far more about his mission than your mansion. Cares far more about the broken than our bank accounts”
Illustration
A woman named Carol at the preacher's home church used 'Lord, bless this mess' as a cover for ongoing sin, illustrating misplaced expectations of God
- 4
4Judas wanted a savior who would slay his enemies, but Jesus is the Lamb who was slain for His enemies — including us — calling us to love even those who have hurt us.
Paraphrase
Jesus was not the savior Judas wanted. He is not a savior who slays his enemies, he's a savior who was slain for his enemies.
“If all of Jesus' enemies are also all of your enemies, you've probably made Jesus into the Jesus you want, not the Jesus who is”
A story from life
Pastor Hunter was cut off in traffic while praying on the way to work and caught himself wanting the other driver judged
Illustration
Pre-election Facebook scrolling revealed that Christian friends on both sides were certain Jesus agreed with their political position
- 5
5At the Last Supper Jesus gave Judas one final, crystal-clear picture of who He is: a savior whose body is broken in service and whose blood is poured out in sacrifice for the forgiveness of many.
“You see, Judas didn't betray Jesus at the last supper. He betrayed Jesus with his life”
- 6
6We betray Jesus not only by a single act but by living our whole lives following the Jesus we want — accepting His gifts while withholding our service, sacrifice, and forgiveness.
Application
Pastor Hunter closes by turning the disciples' anxious question — 'Am I the one, Lord?' — back on every person in the room. He asks us to honestly examine our prayers: are they mostly requests for personal success and victory over enemies, or are they surrendered offers of service and sacrifice? He challenges anyone who has grown frustrated or cold toward Jesus because He hasn't delivered what they expected to apologize — just as he had to apologize to his wife for holding her to an unrealistic image. Specifically, he calls us to release resentment toward someone Jesus died for, to take a next step in giving or serving, and to start having honest conversations about Jesus with the people around us. The invitation is simple: stop following the Jesus you have constructed, and come back to the real one — the servant-savior who gave His body and blood for us.
