Judas, the Traitor- Parker Cotts
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class opened with a discussion about the ongoing preacher shortage and the church’s effort to mentor young leaders like Parker Cotts. After a brief announcement about upcoming retreats and service projects, the teacher shifted focus to the biblical narrative of betrayal, using Judas Iscariot as a mirror for personal sin and selfish ambition. He traced Judas’ role from being one of the twelve disciples (Matt. 10:2‑4) to his ultimate betrayal (Matt. 26:14‑16, 47‑50), illustrating how Judas’ desire for profit and self‑service parallels the human tendency to put personal interests above Christ. Through a series of scriptural examinations—Matt. 8:19‑22, Matt. 16:24, John 12:4‑6, Gal. 5:19‑21, and Heb. 6:4‑6—the teacher showed that following Jesus requires denying self, and that selfish choices can effectively re‑crucify Christ. He urged listeners to recognize their own “Judas moments,” to avoid fixing problems apart from God, and to commit to a life of self‑sacrifice, love, and faithful discipleship. The message concluded with a call to community, reminding believers of their identity as Christians first formed in Antioch (Acts 11:26).
Key Scriptures
Now the names of the 12 apostles are these. The first Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was a man of bad character, said to the others, 'Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor?' He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as the keeper of the money he used to take what was put into it.