2 Timothy 3:4 - treacherous

 “Treacherous”

(2 Timothy 3:4, January 1, 2011)

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4 treacherous, ...

treacherous,

When Stephen spoke in Acts 7:51-53 against the leaders in Israel, He called them treacherous. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” The betrayal of entrapment is part of the horrible evil of treachery. It is an inside job, accomplished by a friend who waits for the right moment, and then abuses a relationship of trust.

Judas, the man of treachery

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, is the prime biblical example of this evil behavior. In Luke 6:16 this disciple of Jesus is described with this word, here translated with the noun “traitor,” “Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” His kiss of Jesus at the arrest of the Messiah will stand forever as a supreme act of treachery, a secret “handing over” of the Son of God to those who were determined to put Him out of the way.

A culture of treachery

What is striking about the apostle's use of this word in 2 Timothy 3, is that he is not merely describing the work of one bad individual. He says that in the last days, the New Testament era, people will be treacherous. We rightly despise traitors. What would a culture of treachery look like? We do not need to use much imagination. Missionary Don Richardson describes his work among the Sawi people of Iryan Jaya, where this attribute was valued. When Richardson was able to communicate the gospel story to this tribe, they celebrated openly when they heard what Judas did. They could not relate immediately to Jesus. Judas was their hero.

A world of treachery

What if the whole world cheered when people were treacherous toward God and his people? In the last days, as the message of Christ is going forth throughout every tribe and tongue and nation, people will be treacherous. Sad. Traitors will look for opportunities to do what traitors do, even within the church.

The Lord, the faithful One

Jesus is the polar opposite of every vice that can be imagined. If all the earth is treacherous, Jesus of Nazareth is nothing but faithful. The treacherous man is the one who secretly receives 30 pieces of silver. The faithful One is publicly exposed on a cross as a vile object for our sake. How do you communicate that to people who love Judas? God leaves a witness everywhere. Richardson found a way. Jesus was the “Peace Child” who alone can end the most deadly war. A majority of the tribe was converted by the word of the ultimate Peace Child, and treachery lost its demonic grip on many lives.