70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
John 6:70-71, The Bible
Poem: Judas
In reference to John 12:1-8 All money to be given to the Son of man I take; That means I am the least likely to make money mistakes; Why would Mary anoint his feet and bring us all such gloom? We would have made a lot of cash from selling the perfume.
Disclaimer: Judas was not a publican; he was the treasurer for Jesus and the disciples. I use the word as a metaphor because he behaves very similar to them.
In this post, I would like to explore another exception to the Pharisee-publican rule, Judas Iscariot.
Who was Judas Iscariot?
Judas was a disciple of Jesus that betrayed him. He had the same greed of a publican; he stole money as the treasurer for Jesus and the disciples:
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
John 12:4-6, The Bible
The strange thing is that this is not what makes Judas different, after all, publicans were greedy too.
What makes Judas different from the publican in Luke 18:13-14 is the fact that Judas did not believe in Jesus:
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
John 6:64, The Bible
This was the biggest issue with Judas; he shut out possible redemption by hardening his heart. Jesus wants to save you, but he will not force it upon you; it will forever be a choice.
Even after being remorseful and returning the money used to betray Jesus, Judas never believed that Christ could save someone like him, leading him to take his own life:
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us?
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:3-5, The Bible
Bottom line
The publican and the prostitute are not always humble. We must learn to humble ourselves before Jesus in order to receive the permanent gift of eternal life, and the knowledge of God through him.
Or as the book of Proverbs puts it, pride comes before a fall:
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18, The Bible
We must also remember that Jesus is willing to redeem anyone that seeks it, anyone that believes in Him. Salvation is a free gift that none of us have to earn; we just have to reach out and receive it through faith.