Judas' true colours

“[Judas] did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:6
Today we’re going to look at the character of Judas Iscariot – a name that has become synonymous for ‘traitor’. Judas was a common name at the time, but not any more.
It would seem that none of the other disciples suspected Judas as a traitor or a thief. When Jesus announced at the Last Supper that one of them would betray Him, they all asked Him if it was them. Nobody, it seemed, suspected Judas. Judas was a city boy, from Kerioth in Judah (hence, ‘Iscariot’), whereas most of the other disciples were from the Galilee area. This was probably the reason why he was entrusted with the group’s finances, being more familiar with money than the fishermen in the group.
Here John notes that Judas was a thief and used to help himself to the money bag. John would not have known this at the time, but it had been discovered by the time he wrote his gospel in around 90 AD. Judas was obsessed with money. When he saw Mary’s generosity at giving up her dowry to bless Jesus, he only saw the money involved.
I think it’s fair to say that Judas was not a true disciple. He never called Jesus ‘Lord’, but only ‘Rabbi’. Why did Jesus choose him as one of the Twelve, then? I can think of a couple of reasons. Firstly, the Scriptures had prophesied that Messiah would be betrayed (John 13:18, Ps. 41:9). This does not mean that Judas had no choice in the matter. Secondly, Judas gave testimony as to the innocence of Jesus (Matt. 27:3-4). He had lived with, eaten with, listened to, and watched Jesus for nearly four years, and not once in that time had he seen Jesus sin.
It is the same in Christianity today. There are people who appear to be disciples, who have ulterior motives – often involving money. It’s not too late for them to repent and serve the Lord in spirit and truth. But if they don’t, then like Judas, one day their true colours will be shown for what they really are.