Publication date
11/1/11
Volume
32
Number
21
The WatchTower
Was Judas a Hypocrite?
The Watchtower Magazines
../literature/watchtower/1911/21/1911-21-1.html
 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y. 
merely 
carry 
out 
the 
provisions 
of 
that 
covenant, 
which 
prom­ 
ises 
that 
they 
shall 
have 
the 
privileges 
of 
restitution. 
If 
they 
avail 
themselves 
of 
the 
opportunity 
they 
shall 
have 
eter­ 
nal 
life. 
At 
that 
time, 
the 
right 
to 
human 
life 
will 
have 
passed 
out 
of 
the 
hands 
of 
our 
Lord 
as 
Redeemer, 
and 
will 
all, 
thence­ 
forth, 
be 
represented 
in 
the 
Covenant 
itself, 
which 
guarantees 
all 
the 
things 
that 
God 
declared 
man 
should 
have. 
The 
stony 
heart 
of 
mankind 
will 
give 
!Jlace 
to 
a 
heart 
of 
flesh; 
and 
all 
who 
will 
live 
up 
to 
the 
terms 
of 
this 
covenant 
shall 
have 
eternal 
life. 
During 
the 
Millennial 
age 
the 
New 
Covenant 
will 
represent 
the 
life· 
rights 
laid 
down 
by 
our 
Lord. 
Who­ 
ever 
fails 
to 
observe 
that 
Law 
will 
receive 
chastisements. 
By 
this 
arrangement 
Christ, 
as 
Mediator 
of 
the 
New 
Covenant, 
will 
for 
a 
thousand 
years 
dispense 
the 
blessings. 
During 
this 
Gospel 
age 
our 
Lord 
keeps 
the 
right 
to 
life 
under 
his 
own 
control 
in 
order 
to 
give 
it 
to 
justice 
as 
the 
ransom·price 
for 
the 
world's 
sins, 
for 
the 
redem!Jtion 
of 
the 
world. 
As 
soon 
as 
he 
gives 
up 
this 
right 
at 
the 
end 
of 
this 
age, 
justice 
re­ 
linquishes 
it, 
and 
mankind 
receives 
it, 
as 
shown 
foregoing. 
VOL. 
XXXII 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y., 
NOVEMBER 
1, 
1911 
No. 
21 
WAS 
JUDAS 
A 
HYPOCRITE? 
It 
is 
difiieult 
for 
any 
noble 
mindpd 
person 
to 
read 
the 
ac- 
SOme 
of 
the 
money. 
Perhaps 
he 
thought, 
"Now 
things 
are 
not 
('ount 
of 
.Judas' 
pourse 
without 
feeling 
a 
sense 
of 
righteous 
coming 
out 
very 
well. 
I 
will 
keep 
some 
of 
this 
money 
for 
the 
indignation-a 
disgust 
for 
the 
baseness 
of 
charaeter 
which 
disciples 
and 
.Tesus 
for 
a 
rainy 
day." 
But 
he 
was 
really 
could 
thus 
lwtray, 
for 
thirty 
pieces 
of 
silver, 
the 
one 
whom 
thinking 
about 
Judas. 
he 
recognize,l 
as 
the 
noblest 
of 
men, 
whether 
or 
not 
he 
was 
THE 
NECESSITY 
OF 
JUDGING 
OURSELVES 
sure 
that 
Jesus 
was 
the 
Messiah. 
It 
may 
not 
be 
amiss 
here 
to 
By 
following 
a 
similar 
course 
of. 
reasoning 
many 
people 
reflect 
that 
Judas 
did 
not 
reach 
this 
depth 
of 
iniquity 
sud- 
persuade 
themselves 
~hat 
they 
are 
trpng 
to 
~elp 
oth('rs, 
when 
denly, 
but 
rather 
that 
the 
disposition 
toward 
unrighteollsness 
really. 
they 
are 
!ooklllg 
.out 
.for 
thmr 
own 
mterests. 
Hence 
had 
grown 
upon 
him 
during 
the 
three 
years 
of 
his 
intimacy 
there 
IS 
a 
neceSSIty 
for 
Judg~ng 
ourselves. 
The 
new 
creat:lre 
with 
the 
Master, 
when 
the 
reverse 
disposition 
should 
have 
had 
sl.lOuld 
gpt 
the 
old 
creature 
mto 
a 
corner 
and 
cross-questIOn 
('ontrol. 
hIm: 
"Why 
llo 
you 
act 
thus 
and 
so~ 
Are 
you 
sure 
that 
you 
At 
the 
time 
he 
was 
chosen 
to 
be 
an 
Apostle 
he 
was 
evident- 
did 
not 
have 
~ome 
s~lfish 
~otive 
in 
this 
matter~" 
If 
Ju:las 
Iy 
a 
good 
man, 
so 
far 
as 
outward 
appearance, 
at 
least, 
was 
had 
thus 
eX3;mlllPd 
hImself 
It 
,,:ould 
have 
been 
better 
for 
hIm. 
concerned; 
ancl 
his 
name 
which 
signifies 
"Praise" 
would 
But 
not 
haVIng 
done 
so, 
he 
dnfted 
farther 
and 
farther 
away 
se('m 
. 
to 
indicate 
tha.t 
his 
par('nts 
had 
been 
of 
a 
religious 
cast 
fr?m 
,~ 
right 
spirit. 
Fin~lly 
he. 
went 
to 
the 
:hief 
priests 
and 
of 
mllid 
and 
had 
wlshcd 
and, 
so 
to 
speak, 
had 
prophesied 
of 
saId, 
'Yhat 
would 
you 
gn'e 
me 
If 
I 
were 
to 
gIve 
Jesus 
o~er 
~:' 
him 
that 
he 
would 
be 
a 
messenger 
of 
God 
to 
sound 
forth 
his 
They 
smd, 
So 
much. 
Then 
he 
turned 
the 
matter 
over 
m 
hIS 
praise. 
And 
what 
a 
privilege 
and 
opportunity 
he 
enjoyed 
in 
minll 
for 
several 
hours. 
So 
when 
he 
was 
in 
the" 
upper 
cham- 
this 
direction! 
her" 
his 
mind 
was 
abstracted, 
and 
he 
sat 
quietly 
watching 
From 
the 
meager 
mentionings 
of 
thc 
Gospel 
rrcords 
we 
what 
the 
others 
were 
doing. 
. 
may 
reasonahly 
infer 
that 
the 
beginning 
of 
his 
downfall 
was 
Wh.rn 
our 
Lord 
washed 
the 
feet 
~f 
Jus 
apostles, 
before 
the 
harboring 
of 
a 
love 
of 
money. 
Instead 
of 
rebuking 
this 
partakmg 
of. 
the 
Passover 
s,upper, 
he 
I~tImate~ 
that 
as 
they 
wrong 
spirit 
and 
seeking, 
on 
the 
contrary, 
to 
cultivate 
gen- 
had 
.bathed 
(m 
accordance 
WIth 
the 
Je:Wls~ 
reqmrement 
of 
the 
erosity, 
love 
and 
benevolence, 
he 
permitted 
selfishness 
to 
have 
puttmg 
away 
of 
all 
filth 
at 
the 
beg.m~mg 
of 
th~ 
Passover 
rontrol, 
more 
or 
less, 
in 
his 
heart 
and 
life. 
We 
may 
surmise 
season) 
they 
merely 
needed 
now 
the 
rmsm.g 
of 
then 
f~et, 
the 
that 
he 
chose 
the 
office 
of 
treasurer 
for 
the 
little 
company, 
cleansm¥, 
of 
the 
~embers 
that 
had 
come 
m 
contact 
wI~h 
the 
wherras 
had 
he 
heen 
sufficiently 
alive 
to 
his 
own 
weakness 
earth. 
He 
that 
IS 
bathed 
needeth 
not 
save 
to 
wash 
hIS 
fert 
his 
prol;er 
rourse 
would 
have 
been 
to 
refuse 
it 
realizing 
that 
to 
be 
clean 
every 
whit." 
(R. 
V.) 
Our 
Lord 
added, 
referring 
already 
he 
had 
too 
mueh 
love 
of 
money, 
and 
th~t 
the 
handling 
to 
Judas, 
"Ye 
are 
clean, 
but 
~ot 
a~l." 
Th.is 
expressio~ 
shows 
of 
the 
funds 
might 
prove 
a 
temptation 
to 
him. 
But 
on 
the 
us 
. 
very 
.clearly. 
that 
he 
~ad 
III 
mmd 
a. 
hlghe~ 
c1eansmg, 
of 
('ontrary, 
he 
sought 
and 
ohtained 
the 
office, 
and 
carried 
the 
WhICh 
thIS 
washmg 
of 
then 
feet 
and 
then 
preVIOUS 
bath 
were 
bag 
with 
the 
money 
put 
therein; 
and 
the 
Apostle 
John 
tells 
but 
the 
figures. 
. 
. 
. 
us 
that 
he 
was 
a 
thief. 
(John 
1~:6.) 
This 
passion 
for 
money, 
The 
Lord 
knew 
that 
the 
h~art~ 
o~ 
hIS 
dISCIples 
were 
loyal. 
like 
all 
other 
abnormal 
propensities 
of 
our 
fallen 
nature, 
grew 
~e 
had 
accepted 
them 
a~ 
hIS 
~Isclple~ 
anll 
had 
reck.onedly 
stronger 
as 
it 
was 
enrouraj;ed 
and 
rultivated, 
until 
finally 
it 
lml?uted 
t~ 
them 
the 
ment 
o.f 
hIS 
sacnfic: 
as 
a 
covenn~ 
of 
knew 
no 
hounds 
and 
he 
was 
ready 
to 
sell 
his 
loving 
Master 
then 
blemIshes, 
the 
full 
testImony 
of 
whlrh 
would 
be 
gIven 
Messiah, 
for 
thirty 
pieces 
of 
silver! 
' 
them 
by 
and 
by 
at 
Pentecost, 
the 
holy 
Spirit 
testifying 
that 
Probably 
.Judas 
had 
made 
the 
same 
profession 
of 
ron- 
till' 
Father 
h~d 
accepted 
the 
Lord's 
atoning 
sacrifice 
on 
their 
secration 
as 
dirl 
the 
other 
disciples: 
"Lo, 
we 
have 
left 
an 
behalf. 
Thele 
was 
one, 
how~ver, 
of 
the 
n,umber 
whose 
heart 
to 
follow 
thee' 
what 
therefore 
shall 
w(' 
have 
~" 
And 
with 
was 
not 
rlean. 
Our 
Lord 
dId 
not 
pass 
hIm 
by, 
but 
washed 
the 
others, 
he 
113d 
lrft 
all, 
anrl 
perhaps, 
in 
a 
certain 
way, 
was 
the 
feet 
of 
Judas 
with 
the 
rest, 
knowi~g 
the 
.while 
of 
~il!l 
very 
sincere 
and 
rerognized 
that 
this 
was 
the 
Messiah. 
But 
pe!fidy, 
and 
that 
he 
had 
a~r~ady 
hargamed 
WIth 
the 
chIef 
Judas 
had 
a 
business 
turn 
of 
mind. 
He 
wished 
to 
be 
asso- 
pnests 
a~d 
was 
mere!y 
awaItIng 
the 
opportune 
moment 
for 
dated 
with 
smh 
a 
great 
kingdom 
as 
the 
Messiah 
would 
set 
the 
earrymg 
~ut 
of 
hIS 
malevolent 
scheme. 
up. 
So 
there 
was 
a 
measure 
of 
selfishness 
connected 
with 
his 
Our 
Lord 
swords, 
. 
although 
not 
understood 
.by 
the 
rest, 
consrrration. 
Perhaps 
this 
is 
true 
with 
all 
of 
us. 
We 
are 
all 
must 
have 
heen 
appreCIated 
by 
Judas, 
as 
were 
hIS 
subsequent 
!lure 
that 
th(' 
Lord 
has. 
a 
kingdom 
and 
we 
hope 
to 
have 
a 
share 
wo:ds. 
Our 
Lord 
went 
so 
~ar 
.as 
to 
quot~ 
th? 
ve~y 
prophecy 
in 
it. 
But 
this 
thought 
should 
he 
seconrlary. 
Our 
merit 
should 
whlrh 
marked 
Ju?as. 
and 
hIS 
dIsloyalty, 
hIS 
VIOlatIon 
of 
~ven 
he 
of 
a 
higher 
o1'(ler 
than 
merely 
a 
desire 
for 
reward 
for 
the 
common 
hospItalIty. 
(Psa. 
41: 
9.) 
N 
one 
of 
these 
thlllgS 
service. 
moved 
Judas; 
none 
of 
these 
things 
appealed 
to 
his 
heart 
in 
As 
treasurer 
of 
the 
disciples 
Judas 
looked 
out 
to 
get 
a 
su?h 
a 
manner 
as 
.to 
ch~nge 
~is 
cou:se. 
We 
hav~ 
thu~ 
strong 
good 
share 
for 
himself, 
to 
"feather 
his 
own 
nest." 
In 
the 
eVIdence 
of 
the 
wllfu~ 
llltentlOn 
WhIC~ 
marked 
hIS 
cnme 
and 
case 
of 
the 
ointm('nt 
used 
for 
our 
Lord 
by 
Mary, 
he 
said, 
~akes 
c1;~r 
the 
meam.n~ 
o~, 
our 
Lord 
swords 
w:hen 
he 
called 
That 
ointm('nt 
is 
worth 
a 
great 
deal 
of 
money, 
and 
it 
should 
hIm 
the 
son 
of 
per~ItIOn, 
and 
declared 
that 
It 
would 
have 
have 
b('en 
put 
into 
the 
treasury 
instead 
of 
being 
poured 
on 
?;en 
better 
for 
hIm 
If 
he 
had 
never 
been 
born 
. 
• 
Jesus' 
hear}. 
"This 
he 
said 
because 
he 
was 
a 
thief 
ann 
car- 
MINE 
OWN 
FAMILIAR 
Itlf:Ji. 
~'li~ 
LIFTED 
UP 
HIS 
HEEL 
ried 
the 
hag." 
While 
they 
were 
at 
supper 
Jesus, 
appearing 
very 
sorrow- 
So 
it 
seems 
that 
this 
spirit 
of 
avari('e 
grew 
upon 
him. 
As 
fnl, 
gave 
as 
an 
explanation 
that 
it 
would 
be 
one 
of 
his 
own 
matters 
progressed 
he 
began 
to 
see 
that 
things 
were 
not 
reach- 
chosen 
twd"e 
that 
would 
hetray 
him 
and 
thus 
become 
ac- 
ing 
the 
culmination 
for 
whi('h 
he 
had 
hoped 
and 
looked. 
Proh- 
('('ssory 
to 
his 
death-one 
of 
those 
who 
dipped 
with 
him 
in 
ably 
he 
was 
one 
of 
those 
who 
said. 
at 
least 
in 
his 
heart, 
"If 
the 
dish, 
partaking 
of 
the 
same 
supper, 
the 
same 
bread 
the 
thou 
do 
these 
things, 
do 
them 
publicly, 
so 
that 
others 
may 
see." 
same 
roasted 
lamh. 
Then 
he 
pointed 
out 
that 
although'this 
This 
would 
seem 
to 
have 
been 
the 
spirit 
of 
Judas 
and 
of 
many 
was 
all 
written 
(Psa. 
41 
:9), 
and 
thus 
no 
alteration 
would 
be 
others. 
They 
want 
en 
Jesus 
to 
do 
the 
things 
that 
wouln 
es- 
mane 
in 
respect 
to 
the 
divine 
plan, 
nevertheless 
it 
signified 
tablish 
him 
with 
the 
people. 
We 
can 
imagine 
their 
saying, 
a 
very 
gross 
breach 
of 
friendship-one 
sad 
to 
contemplate. 
, 
I 
Ask 
some 
thousands 
to 
come 
and 
see 
the 
raising 
of 
some 
It 
really 
made 
no 
difference 
to 
the 
Lord, 
so 
far 
as 
his 
inten- 
one 
from 
the 
dead, 
and 
have 
a 
good 
demonstration," 
etc. 
tion 
and 
his 
consecration 
were 
concerned, 
whether 
he 
were 
But 
nothing 
of 
this 
kind 
was 
done. 
Each 
miracle 
was 
per- 
apprehended 
by 
the 
rulers 
without 
any 
betrayal 
or 
whether 
formed 
by 
our 
Lord 
in 
a 
quiet. 
way. 
betrayed 
by 
a 
comparative 
stranger 
or 
by 
a 
disciple. 
The 
Probably 
Judas 
began 
to 
thlllk 
that 
Jesus 
could 
not 
man- 
fact 
would 
make 
no 
change 
in 
the 
divine 
arrangement· 
but 
age 
affairs 
nearly 
so 
w('ll 
as 
if 
he 
would 
allow 
Judas 
to 
it 
was 
a 
cause 
of 
great 
sorrow 
to 
the 
Lorn 
that 
the 
t;aitor 
, 
, 
coach" 
him 
a 
little. 
As 
time 
passed, 
he 
began 
to 
keep 
should 
be 
one 
who 
had 
been 
a 
bosom 
friend 
and 
disciple. 
[4906] 
(399-404) merely carry out the provisions of that covenant, which promises that they shall have the privileges of restitution. If they avail themselves of the opportunity they shall have eternal life. At that time, the right to human life will have passed out of the hands of our Lord as Redeemer, and will all, thenceforth, be represented in the Covenant itself, which guarantees all the things that God declared man should have. The stony heart of mankind will give place to a heart of flesh; and all who will live up to the terms of this covenant shall have THE WATCH TOWER Brooktyn, N. Y. eternal life. During the Millennial age the New Covenant will represent the life-rights laid down by our Lord. Whoever fails to observe that Law will receive chastisements. By this arrangement Christ, as Mediator of the New Covenant, will for a thousand years dispense the blessings. During this Gospel age our Lord keeps the right to life under his own contro] in order to give it to justice as the ransom-price for the world’s sins, for the redemption of the world, As soon as he gives up this right at the end of this age, justice relinquishes it, and mankind reccives it, as shown foregoing. Vou. XXXII BROOKLYN, N. Y., NOVEMBER 1, 1911 No. 21 WAS JUDAS A HYPOCRITE? It is difficult for any noble minded person to read the account of Judas’ course without feeling a sense of righteous indignation—a disgust for the baseness of character which could thus betray, for thirty pieces of silver, the one whom he recognized as the noblest of men, whether or not he was sure that Jesus was the Messiah. It may not be amiss here to reflect that Judas did not reach this depth of iniquity suddenly, but rather that the disposition toward unrighteousness had grown upon him during the three years of his intimacy with the Master, when the reverse disposition should have had control. At the time he was chosen to be an Apostle he was evidently a good man, so far as outward appearance, at least, was concerned; and his name, which signifies ‘‘Praise,’’? would seem to indicate that his parents had been of a religious cast of mind and had wished and, so to speak, had prophesied of him that he would be a messenger of God to sound forth his praise. And what a privilege and opportunity he enjoyed in this direction! From the meager mentionings of the Gospel reeords we may reasonably infer that the beginning of his downfall was the harboring of a love of money. Instead of rebuking this wrong spirit and seeking, on the contrary, to cultivate generosity, love and benevolence, he permitted selfishness to have control, more or less, in his heart and life. We may surmise that he chose the office of treasurer for the little company, whereas, had he been sufficiently alive to his own weakness, his proper course would have been to refuse it, realizing that already he had too much love of money, and that the handling of the funds might prove a temptation to him. But on the contrary, he sought and obtained the office, and carried the bag with the money put therein; and the Apostle John tells us that he was a thief. (John 12:6.) This passion for money, like all other abnormal propensities of our fallen nature, grew stronger as it was encouraged and cultivated, until finally it knew no hounds and he was ready to sell his loving Master, Messiah, for thirty pieces of silver! Probably Judas had made the same profession of consecration as did the other disciples: ‘‘Lo, we have left all to follow thee; what, therefore, shall we have?’’ And, with the others, he had left all, and perhaps, in a certain way, was very sincere and recognized that this was the Messiah. But Judas had a business turn of mind. He wished to be associated with such a great kingdom as the Messiah would set up. So there was a measure of selfishness connected with his consecration. Perhaps this is true with all of us. We are all sure that the Lord has.a kingdom and we hope to have a share in it. But this thought should be secondary. Our merit should be of a higher order than merely a desire for reward for service, As treasurer of the disciples Judas looked out to get a good share for himself, to ‘‘feather his own nest.’’ In the case of the ointment used for our Lord by Mary, he said, That ointment is worth a great deal of money, and it should have heen put into the treasury instead of being poured on Jesus’ head. ‘‘This he said because he was a thief and carried the hag.’’ So it seems that this spirit of avarice grew upon him. As matters progressed he began to see that things were not reaching the culmination for which he had hoped and looked. Probably he was one of those who said, at least in his heart, ‘‘If thou do these things, do them publicly, so that others may see.’’ This would seem to have been the spirit of Judas and of many others. They wanted Jesus to do the things that would establish him with the people. We can imagine their saying, ‘‘Ask some thousands to come and see the raising of some one from the dead, and have a good demonstration,’’ ete. But nothing of this kind was done. Each miracle was performed by our Lord in a quiet way. Probably Judas began to think that Jesus could not manage affairs nearly so well as if he would allow Judas to ‘‘eoach’’ him a little. As time passed, he began to keep some of the money. Perhaps he thought, ‘‘ Now things are not coming out very well. I will keep some of this money for the disciples and Jesus for a rainy day.’’ But he was really thinking about Judas. THE NECESSITY OF JUDGING OURSELVES By following a similar course of reasoning many people persuade themselves that they are trying to help others, when really they are looking out for their own interests. Hence there is a necessity for judging ourselves. The new creature should get the old creature into a corner and cross-question him: ‘‘Why do you act thus and so? Are you sure that you did not have some selfish motive in this matter?’’ If Judas had thus examined himself it would have been better for him. But not having done so, he drifted farther and farther away from a right spirit. Finally he went to the chief priests and said, ‘‘What would you give me if I were to give Jesus over?’? They said, So much. Then he turned the matter over in his mind for several hours. So when he was in the ‘‘upper chamber’’ his mind was abstracted, and he sat quietly watching what the others were doing. When our Lord washed the feet of his apostles, before partaking of the Passover supper, he intimated that as they had bathed (in accordance with the Jewish requirement of the putting away of all filth at the beginning of the Passover season) they merely needed now the rinsing of their feet, the cleansing of the members that had come in contact with the earth, ‘‘He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his fect to be clean every whit.’’ (R.V.) Our Lord added, referring to Judas, ‘‘ Ye are clean, but not all.’’ This expression shows us very clearly that he had in mind a higher cleansing, of which this washing of their feet and their previous bath were but the figures. The Lord knew that the hearts of his disciples were loyal. He had accepted them as his disciples and had reckonedly imputed to them the merit of his sacrifice as a covering of their blemishes, the full testimony of which would be given them by and by at Pentecost, the holy Spirit testifying that the Father had accepted the Lord’s atoning sacrifice on their behalf. There was one, however, of the number whose heart was not clean. Our Lord did not pass him by, but washed the feet of Judas with the rest, knowing the while of his perfidy, and that he had already bargained with the chief priests and was merely awaiting the opportune moment for the carrying out of his malevolent scheme. Our Lord’s words, although not understood hy the rest, must have been appreciated by Judas, as were his subsequent words. Our Lord went so far as to quote the very prophecy which marked Judas and his disloyalty, his violation of even the common hospitality. (Psa, 41:9.) None of these things moved Judas; none of these things appealed to his heart in such a manner as to change his course. We have thus strong evidence of the wilful intention which marked his crime and makes clear the meaning of our Lord’s words when he called him the ‘‘son of perdition,’’ and declared that it would have been better for him if he had never been born. ‘“‘MINE OWN FAMILIAR FRIEND HATH LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME”’ While they were at supper Jesus, appearing very sorrowful, gave as an explanation that it would be one of his own chosen twelve that would hetray him and thus become accessory to his death—one of those who dipped with him in the dish, partaking of the same supper, the same bread, the same roasted lamb. Then he pointed out that although this was all written (Psa. 41:9), and thus no alteration would be made in respect to the divine plan, nevertheless it signified a very gross breach of friendship—one sad to contemplate. It really made no difference to the Lord, so far as his intention and his consecration were concerned, whether he were apprehended by the rulers without any betrayal, or whether betrayed by a comparative stranger or by a disciple. The fact would make no change in the divine arrangement; but it was a cause of great sorrow to the Lord that the traitor should be one who had been a bosom friend and disciple. [4906}

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