In Mark 6:7 and 12-13, we read, “Calling the twelve to him, he sent them out
two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.” Following his instructions, “They went out
and preached that people should repent.
They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and
healed them.”
I’ve read this passage many times before, but this is the
first time I was struck by the fact that the 12 went out two by two. They each ministered with a partner. Sooooooo….who was the partner of Judas, and
how did that go? Did Judas function
empowered by the Spirit of God? Was it
his partner who carried the burden of ministry?
Was Judas’ inclination toward evil in any way apparent to the person who
worked so closely with him? Were they
any less effective than other twosomes?
In Luke 22:3, it says that Satan entered Judas just prior to
the betrayal. However, we also know from
John 12:6 that Judas was the “treasurer” for the group and that he had his hand
in the money bag. This would indicate
that he was not a whole-hearted follower of Jesus from the beginning. He was in the habit of giving in to
temptation.
This raises all sorts of questions in my mind. A big one is how one goes from being a person
who preaches repentance and a person to whom God gives the gift of healing to a
person who will regularly give in to temptation and ultimately betray the
Lord. But, haven’t we seen this in our
times with the fall of well-known and respected preachers and teachers? Do the believers around them ignore the “little
sins?” Do they fail to hold them
accountable?
After spending an extended time in ministry with Judas, did
his partner not see anything amiss? Did
anyone go to Jesus and express concern?
Of course, in the case of Judas, Christ knew what would happen and that
it was a necessary part of the plan for our redemption. So, if another disciple had expressed concern
to Him, He would have told him not to worry about it…that he knew what Judas
was thinking and doing. Actually, I
think women often have better instincts than men when it comes to someone’s
true nature, so it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that a woman in the group
expressed her concerns about him.
God knows and will ultimately judge rightly, but I think we
bear responsibility to hold those with whom we partner accountable. We need to care enough to confront when we
see someone edging their way toward betrayal.
