Who Got Stuck with Judas?

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.