“The Failure of Materialism”

In Matthew 27:1-10 we read about Judas the materialist. Judas was an apostle who walked closely with Jesus Christ for three years, enjoying great fellowship with the Son of God and his disciples. Yet Judas loved this present world more than God and eventually he betrayed and abandoned the Son of God for his own gain. In this passage we see the dangers of materialism and the fate of those who do not trust in God.

Materialism Defined

A materialist is one who believes that the universe is all there is. Such a person believes, therefore, that there is no God, no heaven, no hell, no angels, no devil, no demons and no moral absolutes. A materialist is only concerned with a life of maximum pleasure and the means to achieve it. What is the materialist’s motto? “Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow, like beasts, we will die.” A materialist may even affirm some faith in God in theory but in practice a materialist lives as if there is no God.

Many who affirm Christian creeds live as materialists. We see a number of such materialists in the Bible. In Matthew 19 we read about a rich young ruler who came to Jesus with a question, “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” Knowing what was in man, Jesus told him to sell all that he possessed, distribute it to the poor, and follow him. The young man refused to do this. Why? He was a materialist and he thought he could find salvation in this age by accumulating money.

Jesus warned against such thinking. In Matthew 6:19 he said, “Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,” and in Matthew 6:24 he said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Why? “You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Judas the Materialist

The first thing we must realize about Judas was that he was an apostle. One day at the beginning of his ministry, after praying all night, Jesus appointed twelve men, including Judas, to be apostles. These men were chosen to walk closely with Jesus for three years–to learn of him, to be witnesses to his miracles, to be sent out by him to preach repentance and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and to cast out demons in the name of the kingdom of God. This was a great privilege for Judas to be closely associated with Jesus, God incarnate!

But Judas was a materialist, and, sadly, he was not changed in any way by his close association with Jesus. After three years he remained a materialist. During the time he walked with Christ as an apostle, Judas never stopped looking for power, position, and, above all, lots of money. He exhibited the nature of an antichrist, a son of perdition. Jesus even referred to this in his high priestly prayer (John 17:12, KJV), and in John 6:70-71 Jesus called him a devil. Why? Judas was an unbeliever.

Now I am sure Judas was excited when Jesus chose him to be treasurer of the group. Why? He knew he could then steal from the monies deposited with him. We read about this in John 12. He became extremely annoyed when Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume to show her love for him. Judas wanted Mary to give him the cash so he could pilfer it and enrich himself. Judas himself did not love Jesus.

What Scripture Foretold about Judas

We must realize that Jesus was not unaware of Judas’ character. He knew Judas was a thief, a devil, a materialist, an unbeliever, and an unclean person–a man destined to destruction. Jesus knew Judas’ spirituality was external and pretended. How did he know all of this? Jesus knew the heart of every man, and he knew what had been written about Judas in the Scriptures.

After Jesus was raised from the dead, God also gave the apostles understanding of Old Testament Scriptures about Judas. Peter referred to this in Acts 1:16-20, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas. . .” Peter then referred to Psalm 69 and Psalm 109. Psalm 109, an imprecatory psalm, begins “O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow” and so on (Ps. 109:1-9). And in Psalm 69:25 we read, “May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.” In both of these psalms, then, the Holy Spirit prophesied long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas.

Judas Reveals His Character

As I said, in his association with Jesus, Judas was always looking for power, position and money. But at the end of three years, Jesus announced his mission to his apostles. What was his purpose? We read about it both in Matthew 16 and Mark 8. Matthew 16:21 tells us, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

At Jesus’ announcement the hopes of Judas were dashed. Who needs a suffering Messiah, a Messiah who was only destined be killed? So Judas betrayed Jesus to his enemies for thirty shekels of silver. Judas would do anything to make a buck.

The Remorse of Judas

But after betraying Jesus, Judas was suddenly stricken with remorse. The wicked Sanhedrin had already met at that night and decided the fate of Jesus, declaring, “He is a blasphemer and must be put to death.” They met again early in the morning to confirm this wicked decision to murder Jesus. But they had no power to execute capital punishment. That power belonged only to Pilate, the prefect of Judea and Samaria, who governed this troubled district under the imperial control of Tiberias. So the Jews bound Jesus and led him to Pilate early in the morning so they could dispose of him quickly.

When Judas saw what the Sanhedrin was doing, he became filled with remorse. Instead of rejoicing he was smitten in his conscience and became sullen, depressed, agitated, and greatly troubled. But if you read the Greek text you find that Judas’ actions were not true repentance. He was merely emotionally disturbed. The Greek word used for Judas’ behavior is metamelomai , which means remorse, not metanoeo , which means repentance. Remorse is pain of mind, not change of mind. Remorse is due to fear of punishment or loss of a blessing, as it was in the case of Esau (Heb. 12:17). Judas “repented,” but it was just remorse and not true repentance.

Remorse or Repentance?

The term metamelomai is never used in the Bible in the imperative. When we are told to repent in the imperative form, it is always metanoeo . The remorse of Judas is what we call attrition, not contrition. Attrition involves self-reproach, depression, the smiting of conscience, a feeling of guilt, loneliness, a fear of punishment, self-pity, and so on. But contrition involves three components. The first is our mind. We must know that sin is wrong and we must change. The second is our emotions. We must have godly sorrow and a profound hatred for sin. The third is our will. We must decide to turn from sin and turn to God in faith. True repentance, in other words, is a whole-souled activity. The person who repents will truly forsake his wicked ways and turn to the Lord with his mind, soul, and will.

In 2 Corinthians 7 we read about true repentance, not remorse. Paul writes, “Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended. And so we were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow,” meaning remorse,”brings death” (2 Cor. 7:9-10).

We must realize that much of the so-called repentance in today’s evangelical church is really attrition, not contrition. How do we know that? We know because the emotional repentance we see does not result in changed lives. In Acts 26:20 Paul says, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds,” meaning changed lives. As we repent, we obey God and our lives change. In the Old Testament the word for repentance is shuv . It is used to mean turning from idolatry back to God in covenant faithfulness.

Confession Is Not Contrition

When we examine the repentance of Judas, we notice that he confessed to the high priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned” (Matt. 27:4). Doesn’t that sound very sincere? And not only that, Judas went further and told them what he really did. He said, “For I have betrayed innocent blood.” But let me tell you, Judas’ confession does not demonstrate contrition. Judas’ confession was not like the true confession of David found in Psalm 51 or the true confession of the prodigal son that we read about in Luke 15. No, the confession of Judas was like that of Pharaoh recorded in Exodus 9:27 and 10:16, when Pharaoh told Moses he had sinned. It was like the confession of Saul to Samuel when he was caught. In 1 Samuel 15:24 and 30, Saul told Samuel “I have sinned.” But the truth is, this was confession without the forsaking of sin. It was confession without turning to God in faith. It was confession without godly sorrow, without trusting in God and asking for the forgiveness of sins.

The repentance of Judas was not like the repentance of Peter, who also had failed and denied the Lord. Peter had godly sorrow and wept bitterly. Jesus had prayed for Peter, and then sought him out to restore him. But although both Peter and Judas failed, only Peter truly repented and was restored. And we must note here also that Judas confessed only to the high priest. He never confessed to Jesus and asked for his forgiveness. Had he done so, I assure you, Jesus would have forgiven all his sin. Jesus never drives out any person who comes to him in faith.

Repentance Is a Gift from God

Judas did not trust in Christ. He never exhibited the true repentance demonstrated by David, Peter, or the dying thief on the cross, who trusted in Christ, was gloriously saved, and died in faith. We must realize that this true repentance, which Judas failed to experience, is a gift from God. We see this in Acts 11:18 when Peter spoke concerning the household of Cornelius, “So, then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” Godly repentance is a gift from God, not something that is self-generated in people. Godly repentance that results in the forsaking of sin and producing the fruit of obedience is a consequence of regeneration, which, in turn is a consequence of divine election. Those who are born of God, therefore, will truly repent and believe. And so it is a mystery: Judas was an apostle, yet he was an apostate all the time. He remained an unbeliever, an unclean person, a thief and a son of perdition to the very end. Therefore, we must say that remorse will not result in salvation. Remorse is a self-generated, emotional disturbance. True repentance is a gift from God and a necessary consequence of regeneration. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 Paul wrote that repentance leads to salvation. What is the result of remorse? In 2 Samuel 17 we read of Ahithophel, who set his house in order and calmly committed suicide because he had betrayed his master, David. So also Judas, having betrayed his master Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God, went and hanged himself. Thus Peter said in Acts 1:25, “Judas left to go where he belongs.”

Judas Was a Loser

Judas, the materialist who wanted to gain all, lost all. He was a loser. He lost his money, his ministry, and his life. He lost the fellowship of Jesus and his apostles. He did not inherit eternal life. He went to his own place of torment. And finally, he lost his new-found fellowship with the Sanhedrin also. When he confessed, “I have sinned, for I have betrayed innocent blood,” he was declaring that Jesus was absolutely innocent. In effect, Judas was preaching to the Sanhedrin by that statement, and they could have even then repented and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. But they did not. They had no use for Jesus and no use for Judas. They told Judas, “What is that to us? That’s your responsibility.” The high priests who were supposed to counsel and comfort those who were tormented by the guilt of sin were so degenerate and apostate they did not know how to comfort the conscience stricken Judas. Judas had cast his lot with darkness, with the enemies of Christ. Remember how he left the upper room to betray Jesus? In John 13:30 we read that it was night. For three years Judas walked with Jesus, who was the light of the world, but Judas had been walking in darkness, not in light. So now he went out into the darkness to betray Jesus. It was a lonely journey. Later that night in the garden of Gethsemane he betrayed the light of the world by a kiss. He had aligned himself with Christ’s enemies, but now those enemies told him, “If you sinned, it is your responsibility. You take care of it.”

Judas’ Only Hope

There was only one way Judas could have taken care of his sin and guilt. What could we say to Judas? “Judas, get out of darkness, and go to the light, who is Jesus, who is on his way to Pilate. Even now repent of your sins. You still have time and opportunity. Judas, do you remember what you heard him say some time ago: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Judas, be like blind Bartimaeus. You were there. Cry aloud: Jesus will hear you and stop. Jesus will help you and bear your sin away. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Jesus was about to die for the sin of the world, as Isaiah had prophesied long ago. So we could tell him, “Judas, cry aloud, ‘Jesus, son of David, son of God, true Messiah, have mercy upon me, a sinner!’ Cry aloud, Judas, because no one else can take care of it. No one can solve the problem of sin except God himself in Jesus Christ. Be like the publican who prayed in the temple. Do you remember, Judas? The publican beat upon his breast and cried aloud, ‘Have mercy upon me, a sinner!’ Judas, cry aloud! Ask Jesus for mercy. Tell him, ‘I betrayed you. I am a materialist. I tried to serve two masters, God and money. Forgive my sins. I confess you are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior.'”

Judas Lost All

Did Judas do any of these things? No. Like many today, Judas refused to pray. He refused to humble himself and confess to Christ. So Judas lost all. He was so close to heaven, so close to eternal life, so close to the Savior and fellowship with him, and so close to experiencing hope and joy in Christ, but he missed it all. Instead, he went and hanged himself. The rope broke, and his large corpulent body fell headlong, burst open and his intestines spilled out, as we are told in Acts 1:18. From the height of constant fellowship with Jesus, Judas fell into the nadir of wretchedness. As his final act of unbelief he violated the sixth commandment and committed suicide. Thus, Judas demonstrated his utter rejection of the gospel he had heard Jesus Christ preach and that he himself had preached.

Judas never accepted the gospel. The Bible speaks about false brothers who are messengers of Satan, who masquerade as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:13-14), but it says such people will not persevere. In 1 John 2:19 John speaks about such people who pretend external Christianity but are wretches internally. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us,” John says about people who left the church. “For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us;” meaning they would have persevered with us, “but their going showed none of them belonged to us.”

We must realize that Judas did not lose his salvation. No, he was never saved. Judas was like a man named Demas, who is mentioned in Colossians and Philemon as one of Paul’s fellow workers. In 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul says that Demas abandoned him and went away to Thessalonica. Why? “Because he loved this world.” Demas was a materialist, and although he worked with Paul, eventually he abandoned the gospel and went to Thessalonica to make money.

The Failure of Materialism

Let me tell you a secret: Materialism will fail you in the end. You can take all your stocks, bonds, and mutual fund certificates and hug them, but in the end they will leave you cold, lonely and in the dark. When you are dying, you may be surrounded by a lot of people, but their only interest will be to get your money. Never think that they are there because they are interested in you. Jeremiah 17:11 tells us “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.” A fool is one who wastes all of his life to amass cold cash that will only leave him cold and empty. The Bible is full of examples of materialists. Achan trusted in money but it failed him. Joshua confronted Achan with his sin, and in Joshua 7:20-21 we read, “Achan replied, ‘It is true!'” Here Achan is demonstrating remorse, not repentance. Achan continued, “‘I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.’ So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.’ Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.” That is the end of a fool.

What about Balaam? He was a greedy man who we read about in the book of Numbers. His whole life revolved around the accumulation of money. In Numbers 23:10 he prayed, “Let me die the death of the righteous,” but we read in Numbers 31:8 “They also killed Balaam, son of Beor, with the sword.” He died the death of a fool.

Beware of Materialism!

If you are a materialist, if you are greedily working hard to accumulate cold cash, listen to what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:9, 10. “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people,” and here Paul probably had Demas and others in mind whom he had seen destroying themselves because of money, “eager for money, have wandered from the faith. . . ” This is not speaking about outright sinners, people out in the world. This is speaking about people in the church who wandered from the faith. Paul concludes “. . . and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Like Judas, many evangelicals are selling Jesus for fame, power, position, and above all, money. How do they do this? By preaching a diluted gospel, one that offends no one because it does not include the offense of the cross. Such people have stopped preaching repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Why? They want to increase church membership and bring in more money. But in the end, they will be pierced.

Please do not misunderstand me on this point. I am not against capitalism. I am for hard work, thrift, saving money, and providing for our families. But I am against trusting in money instead of trusting in God. Like Lot’s wife, Judas is a warning to all of us. Money did not save Judas. Money did not save Achan. Money did not save Balaam. Money did not save Demas. Money did not save the rich young ruler.

What Can We Do?

Let me say to you: Repent and have godly sorrow for your sin. Forsake your sins and turn to the only Savior, Jesus Christ. He will not cast you away, and he will give you rest which your money can never give you. The chief priests of the world could not comfort or counsel Judas, but what they said is true of all of us. Sin is the responsibility of each person. Like Judas, I sinned and deserved hell and damnation. “But God interfered,” said John Allen of the Salvation Army, and with him we echo that glorious statement. God interfered! He sent Jesus Christ his only Son, and in him he punished all the sins of all who would trust in Jesus. And so in 1 Corinthians 15:3 Paul gives us the heart of the gospel: “Christ died for our sins.” Sin is the responsibility of each one of us, but, praise be to God, Jesus took our responsibility upon his shoulders! He died and took away our sins.

Are You a True Judas?

Judas went to the place of perdition. Do you know what the name Judas, or Judah, means? Praise. But Judas failed to live a life of praise. He never experienced true joy. He was lonely because he refused to trust in Christ. He went into the night and ended his own life. But everyone who trusts in Christ becomes a true Judas, one who praises God and rejoices in his or her salvation, now and forevermore.

You still have time and opportunity. Will you listen to the gospel and repent? Will you turn from your wickedness and trust in Jesus Christ, the only Savior, alone for salvation? Will you cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, Son of God, innocent one, have mercy upon me!”? If you do so, he will help you.

There was another Judas in the New Testament who wrote the book of Jude. He ended his letter to his fellow believers with a doxology of praise: “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 24, 25).

Let me remind you: Judas was a member of the church and an apostle. He preached the gospel, cast out devils and performed miracles. I am sure he would say on the last day, “Remember, Lord Jesus, I was with you for three years. Remember that? You sent me out together with the other eleven, and we did some great preaching. Even the demons were subject to us. We ate with you and drank with you and performed many miracles. Even the demons were subject to us. You remember me, don’t you?” What will Jesus tell Judas and those like him? “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers” (Matt. 7:21-23).

Never think that because you are a member of the church that somehow you are a true Christians. We are true Christians if we repent truly, which I said is a necessary consequence of regeneration, which is a necessary consequence of divine election. When we truly repent, it is a whole-souled activity. It means a change of mind, realizing that Jesus is the Son of God and I have sinned. It means a deep sorrow for and a forsaking hatred for sin. And it means a decision to turn to Jesus Christ and walk with him at all times. And when we do this, Jesus says, “Thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”

You haven’t destroyed yourself yet. Your body hasn’t fallen down and your intestines have not yet spilled out. It is my prayer that you will repent truly and trust in Jesus Christ alone, knowing that this age and its power, recognition, position, and cold cash will not save you. We know that sin is each one’s individual responsibility, and we cannot do anything about it. But there is one who is able. I pray that that One will have mercy and save you, that you may persevere and, unlike Judas, stand before him at the end of time with exceeding joy. Amen.