John 6:70

DISCOURSE: 1645
ONE OF THE APOSTLES A DEVIL

John 6:70. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

OUR blessed Lord and Saviour, in the whole of his deportment, was meek and gentle: yet, when occasion called to it, he exercised a holy fidelity even towards his beloved Apostles. They had now all confessed him as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God;” and had declared their determination still to adhere to him, however others of his Disciples might be offended at him, and induced to forsake him [Note: ver. 66–69.]. On this account they might be led to value themselves on their steadfastness, or perhaps feel themselves offended, when they should find, at a future period, that one of their own body was a traitor. Our Lord, therefore, warned them both against self-confidence at the present time, and against that discouragement which they would hereafter feel, when they should behold him delivered up to death through the instrumentality of one of his own most highly-favoured Apostles; saying, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

Now, if you doubt not the Saviour’s love in giving this solemn warning to his followers, let not me be thought harsh, if I call your attention to it,

I. As delivered to the Apostles—

God in every age has of his own sovereign will and pleasure, chosen, irrespective of any merit in themselves, the objects of his more especial favour—
[Even in heaven did he choose some of the angelic host in preference to others, whom, in his righteous judgment, he suffered to fall and perish: on which account they who “kept their first estate” are called his “elect angels [Note: 1 Timothy 5:21.].” And after man also had sinned, God chose our fallen race in preference to the fallen angels; providing a Saviour for us, when he had made no such provision for them. To various offices also has he chosen men, as Moses, to bring his people out of Egypt; Aaron and his descendants, to officiate in the priesthood, whilst the descendants of Moses were only Levites; and Saul and David to exercise the royal functions in Jerusalem; and Cyrus, three hundred years before any such person existed in the world, to restore his people from Babylon. The whole Jewish people were “chosen by God to be to him a holy nation, and a peculiar treasure to him above all the people upon earth [Note: Deuteronomy 7:6.].” In like manner our blessed Saviour chose his twelve Apostles. “They did not choose him, but he them [Note: John 15:16.];” calling one from his nets, and another from the receipt of custom; and afterwards another, in the midst of his most hostile purposes, and blood-thirsty pursuits [Note: Acts 22:14.]. He appealed to them, “Have not I chosen you twelve?” Have I not distinguished you above others, to be my stated attendants, and to be instructed by me with all imaginable clearness in the things which to others are revealed only in parables [Note: Luke 8:10.]?]

But though, in external circumstances, there is a great resemblance between the elect, there is often a sad difference between them—
[As, amongst the Jews, “all were not Israel who were of Israel [Note: Romans 9:6],” so all the elect are not “elect unto salvation [Note: 2 Thessalonians 2:13.]: as we clearly see amongst the chosen Apostles, one of whom was, and remained to the last, “a devil.” In their call they were alike, as they were also in their endowments (the power of working miracles), their outward conduct, and their usefulness. On one occasion, Judas seemed to be the most excellent of all the Apostles: for, when a very precious box of ointment, which might have been sold for three hundred pence (almost ten pounds) and been given to the poor, was poured upon the head and feet of our blessed Lord, he was the first to complain of the waste; and he it was who inspired all the rest of the Apostles with “indignation against it,” as an act of insufferable extravagance. True, indeed, his motives were not very pure (as we are told [Note: Compare Matthew 26:7. with John 12:3.]); but of them the Apostles neither knew, nor suspected any thing. On the contrary, when, at the close of our Saviour’s life, he told his Disciples that one of them would betray him, every one of them suspected himself rather than Judas, so correct had been his outward deportment during the whole period of our Lord’s ministry on earth. But during that whole time, Judas, who had been entrusted by our Lord as the purse-bearer for them all, had pilfered money in small quantities from the bag (had he stolen largely, the money would have been missed); and so hardened did he become through his dishonest practices, that at last he sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, and delivered him up into the hands of his enemies. This reigning lust of covetousness shewed, that, in the midst of all his professions, he was at heart no better than a devil, and that he might be justly designated by that opprobrious name.]

And may we not consider this warning,

II.

As delivered to us—

Yes, we also are God’s chosen people—
[As Christians, we are chosen above all the rest of the world, not one-sixth part of which has ever heard of the name of Christ. As Protestants, too, we are favoured of Almighty God to be delivered from the superstitions of Popery, and from the deplorable bondage in which the Popish community is held. And to whom do we owe it that we were not born of heathen, or Mahometan, or Popish parents? To whom is it owing, that our lot is cast in this happy land of light and liberty? Can we trace these mercies to any thing but the sovereign grace, and the electing love, of God? And may I not go further still, and say, that you, my dear brethren, are favoured with a ministration of the Gospel as clear and as faithful as any around you? I trust I may, without vanity and without boasting, call God to record, that I have “never kept back any thing which I conceived to be profitable for you [Note: Acts 20:20.].” Then, in these respects, I may say of all of you, that God has chosen you: and, inasmuch as you are all equally partakers of these mercies, you may account yourselves equally the children of God; yea, and so far as your outward conduct is correct, you may be accounted so by others.]

But, after all, God may see, and most probably does see, an immense difference between you—

[Only see what one reigning lust proved and demonstrated in Judas Iscariot: it proved him, in despite of all his specious appearances, to be “a devil.” My dear brethren, the same evidence will demonstrate the same awful truth, wherever it be found. Nor does it matter what that reigning lust is: it may be covetousness, or lewdness, or pride, or vindictiveness, or any other sin; but, whatever it may be, whether dear as a right eye, or apparently necessary as a right hand, it will decide our character, and determine our doom: if it continue unmortified and unsubdued, it will infallibly consign us over to the fire of hell [Note: Mark 9:43.]. If one besetting sin marked Judas as “a son of perdition [Note: John 17:12.],” and transmitted him to that everlasting dread abode, so will it us, whose place it must be,” as well as his [Note: Acts 1:25.]. Our being of the seed of Abraham will not make us “God’s children,” any more than it made him [Note: Romans 9:7.]. Our saying, Lord, Lord, however confidently we may repeat it, will not procure us a place in heaven [Note: Matthew 7:21.]; nor if we have “wrought miracles and cast out devils in the Saviour’s name,” will it prevail to avert from us our merited condemnation [Note: Matthew 7:22.]. Perish we must, if sin of any kind be harboured in our hearts [Note: Psalms 66:18.]. It is not necessary that we be perfect, in order to obtain mercy of the Lord in that day: for then who could ever be saved? The Apostles themselves were not perfect: but in purpose and endeavour we must be perfect: and they only will find acceptance before God, who are “Israelites indeed, and without guile [Note: John 1:47.].” I say again, in aim and effort we must be perfect: “for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God [Note: Romans 2:28.].”]

Application—
1.

Rest not then, brethren, in outward privileges—

[Be it so: you may have all the privileges that Paul himself possessed when in his unconverted state: yet would they not profit you, if you were not brought to the knowledge of Christ Jesus [Note: Philippians 3:4.], and to a real conformity to his image [Note: Philippians 3:10 and 1 Corinthians 13:1.]. Who can think of one of our Lord’s chosen Apostles perishing in his sins, and not tremble for himself, lest his very mercies, instead of rescuing him from eternal misery, should only aggravate and increase it?

Beware, then, lest, having been exalted to heaven, like Capernaum, in your privileges, you be cast down to hell for your abuse of them; and lest, having remained impenitent under blessings which Tyre and Sidon would have improved, your final condemnation become at last proportionably heavier than theirs [Note: Matthew 11:20.]

2. Examine yourselves as to your inward dispositions—

[God sees the heart: and by the dispositions of the heart will he judge us in the last day. Now, suppose that our blessed Lord, who in his tender mercy has chosen this whole assembly to enjoy all the means of salvation, should, on inspecting our hearts, pronounce that there was, in the midst of us, one who, notwithstanding all his fair pretences and specious appearances, was a devil; and suppose that unhappy being were pointed out to us; with what pity should we look upon him, and how compassionately should we weep over him! And can we venture to hope, that in such an assembly there is not one who is under the dominion of some secret lust? If in such a family as our blessed Lord’s, where they had such rich instructions, such a bright example, and such motives to serve their God aright, there was, even amongst the small number of twelve, one that was a devil; is there not reason rather to fear, that, instead of one only being found in the midst of this whole assembly, there may be as many in proportion as amongst our Lord’s Apostles; namely, one in every twelve? O! what a fearful thought is this! And is this an. uncharitable thought? Are we all so like to the holy Apostles, that one in twelve may not be supposed to differ from them, if not in outward conduct, yet in the integrity of his heart, and in the entire devotion of his life? And what if, after all, this proportion should be inverted, and not above one in twelve be found truly dead to sin, and alive unto righteousness, as the holy Apostles were, and ready to lay down their lives for the Lord Jesus; would not this come nearer to the truth? Alas! alas! I would not be uncharitable: but when I compare the mind, the spirit, the entire conduct of you all, with that of the Apostles, I cannot dissemble my fears respecting the testimony which the Lord Jesus, the Judge of quick and dead, shall bear respecting you at the last day. Judge then yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord. Judge whether there be not some price for which ye have already sold your Saviour, and for which ye are betraying him to an ungodly world. I must tell you, that if there be any thing, even life itself, which ye are not ready to part with for his sake, that is the price for which ye have sold him; and that, though ye may continue to deceive both yourselves and others, the hour is coming when your true character will be declared, and your proper doom awarded to you [Note: Matthew 10:39.]. May God, in his infinite mercy, impress this awful subject on all your minds, and lead every one of you to look for this unhappy character, (supposing there to be one amongst you,) not to your neighbour, but to yourselves; and to inquire, every one for himself, “Lord, is it I? Lord, is it I?” that so at last the number of this unhappy people may be diminished; and if it were possible, that not one of you should remain, who shall not at last have an approving testimony from the heart-searching God! Amen, and Amen.]