Do you ever feel sorry for Judas Iscariot?

[redrosetea]

It might seems a bit evil, but in some ways I do feel pity for him…I can’t think of anyone I would rather not be, as much as I would rather not be him

I am not surprised he hung himself, but the branch broke, is it possible in that little split second of time he could have been forgiven?

I don’t know how he could have been so wicked…

 

[jmcrae]

It might seems a bit evil, but in some ways I do feel pity for him…I can’t think of anyone I would rather not be, as much as I would rather not be him

I am not surprised he hung himself, but the branch broke, is it possible in that little split second of time he could have been forgiven?

While it’s theoretically possible, it seems extremely unlikely. Jesus said, “Better for him never to have been born.”

I don’t know how he could have been so wicked…

Whenever I take an honest look at my own heart, I see exactly how he could have been so wicked. “But for the grace of God, there go I,” I say, and then I go to Confession and pray for final perseverance.

But if there is any better illustration against the idea of “once saved, always saved,” he’s got to be the one - he was better than “saved”; he was one of the Twelve - yet, he fell from grace, and I don’t know how much more catastrophically one can fall than by sellling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

 

[redrosetea]

I know I am wicked ,but there are things I still wouldn’t consider

Selling Jesus for silver is about as bad as it gets…I am not saint… but I might deny Christ as Peter did, under the circumstances he was in, but I wouldn’t hand him over to be murdered for money…

 

[jmcrae]

I know I am wicked ,but there are things I still wouldn’t consider

Selling Jesus for silver is about as bad as it gets…I am not saint… but I might deny Christ as Peter did, under the circumstances he was in, but I wouldn’t hand him over to be murdered for money…

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

 

[thistle]

It might seems a bit evil, but in some ways I do feel pity for him…I can’t think of anyone I would rather not be, as much as I would rather not be him

I am not surprised he hung himself, but the branch broke, is it possible in that little split second of time he could have been forgiven?

I don’t know how he could have been so wicked…

If he asked God for mercy before he actually died then he would be forgiven. However, my assumption is that Judas is in Hell (no we don’t know that for certain) based on what Jesus said about him.

Matt 26:24-25

“The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”

Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”

 

[redrosetea]

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

I don’t think it is the same thing at all…I have never worked, but my husband had a job where much overtime was required…It couldn’t be turned down…Working to feed a family doesn’t equate murder as far as I am concerned

 

[Andrewlucien]

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

This is a little much. Sometimes people are earning wages for working on Sunday by doing God’s work. Would you consider someone who was a caregiver, such as a nurse or a firefighter, someone who was ‘selling Jesus.’ I don’t advocate not receiving Christ on Sunday, however, we need to think more about everyone who is implied by your statement. I know that in hospitals, Eucharistic Ministers are encouraged to offer nurses and doctors communion, even if they can’t attend mass on Sunday.

 

[Timothysis]

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

Pure nonsense. You wouldn’t happen to have a modern reference for this, would you?

 

[Ridgerunner]

We are creatures of limited understanding. We are subject to emotional impulses that can cause our judgment to be clouded. It is not so difficult to think pityingly of Judas. However, Jesus did not speak of him in that way. Jesus would have known Judas’ heart in a way we cannot. What level of evil might Judas have descended to, his betrayal of Jesus being only a part. Was Judas perhaps in willing cooperation with Satan? We don’t know.

St. Therese of Lisieux asserted that every person in hell is a volunteer; specifically a volunteer for hell, and not only metaphorically. She likened it to refusing God’s forgiveness and choosing to live within ourselves for all eternity, worshipping ourselves, knowing all the while how inadequate we are as gods and how miserable it would be. Hard to picture anyone doing that, but it’s imaginable. Judas might well have done that, and if St. Therese is right, that’s exactly what he did.

If he did, then his hatred for God, and, frankly, for us, would know no bounds. He would have willingly joined Satan in his contempt and hatred for God and for us, deliberately choosing to live within that hatred. Like Satan, he would rip us to shreds if he could, out of hatred for Jesus whom, after all, he caused to be ripped to shreds, evidently not repenting of it.

Kind of hard to sympathize very much with that.

 

[palmas85]

No I do not. He made a choice for whatever reason or reasons just as we all do. After making that choice he had to live and die with the consequences of his actions just as we all do. It was his choice.

 

[CB_Catholic]

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

What a bizarre statement! Tell that to my sick patients that need someone to care for them 24/7. Oh, you’ll just have to lay there and wait until tomorrow to get your meds, to have your pain relieved, to change your dirty bed, to get any food or water because if I come to work and do these things, I’m betraying Jesus like Judas did. Sorry, I can’t do that.

The Church does not teach what you have stated. It is sometimes necessary to work on Sundays, and yes, it is just to get paid for it.

 

[redrosetea]

I know he is evil…but I wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to do what he did

Do you think Jesus chose him because He knew Judas would be the one to betray him?..Was he possessed by Satan or a willing partner?

 

[Hammerofheresy]

Not really I think that what he thought that what he was doing was right but as Jesus said “better for him that he would never been born” so I am not to worried about it.

 

[Belloc_Fan]

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

How do you line this claim up with Scripture?

Mark 2:27-28 Then he (Jesus) said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Jmcrae, you’re normally really on-point and interesting to read, but this is just too much.

 

[hays1122]

I have thought of this myself. I did a study on this topic.
I read in John 18:4 that Jesus knew the plan. He knew Judas would betray him.
How did Judas “have a choice” when in John 17:12 Jesus says that none were lost except the “son of perdition,
“that the scripture may be fulfilled”. Judas was born to fulfill this plan.
If Judas “did” have a choice as some say then someone else would have taken his place, “That the scripture may be fulfilled”.
And another thing is that Judas repented.He returned the money.
He said"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood”.
As in Matthew 27:3-5 “Then Judas, who betrayed him,
seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself,
brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients”.
4.Saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.
But they said: What is that to us? look thou to it.
5. And casting down the pieces of silver in the temple,
he departed: and went and hanged himself with an halter."
Jesus prayed:
John 17:12
“While I was with them, I kept them in thy name.
Those whom thou gavest me have I kept;
and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition,
that the scripture may be fulfilled.”
John 18:4
“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
upon him, went forth, and said to them: Whom seek ye?”
Key words here,“knowing all things”.
I have also wondered if Judas
would have been better off not committing suicide. Maybe
he wouldn’t have been condemned. But Jesus said he was
the “son of perdition”. Perdition as in “Loss of the soul; eternal damnation”.
He was damned one way or another.
The reason I decided to study this topic is because of some of the things people do,people that are dedicated
“workers for the Lord”.
There are men who dedicate their lives to prayer,
meditation and service to the Lord yet they fall.
They read their bibles,study the writings of famous theologians and pray almost continuously. Then they turn around and do things that are just so unbelievable.
I’m sure women have too but since men are the ones
mostly accepted as “church leaders”,I say men.
How can this be? I can’t help but wonder if they were damned already.
This is the only way I can explain these things I hear about.
Another way to explain it is that Satan is doing all he can to ruin God’s plan.
God has wonderful plans for us,he wants only good. And Satan hates God so much that he attacks those who are working the
hardest to promote God’s plan of eternal happiness for his followers.
So watch your back if you are following Christ.
Satan is lurking and waiting to get you.
We have to admire the saints who made it. They didn’t get caught in the devil’s snare.

 

[pray4peace]

It might seems a bit evil, but in some ways I do feel pity for him…I can’t think of anyone I would rather not be, as much as I would rather not be him

I am not surprised he hung himself, but the branch broke, is it possible in that little split second of time he could have been forgiven?

I don’t know how he could have been so wicked…

I find peace and hope by praying for the poor souls in purgatory, since we do not know the final outcome for those who have passed on. God is the only one who knows what is in the heart of a person at their death.

Judas Iscariot did not understand why Jesus came, and was absorbed in his own agenda.

 

[hays1122]

Do you consider the fact that every time you accept wages for working on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, you’ve done what Judas Iscariot did? And probably for less than he got, too!!

I often wondered about this. When on Sundays after church,grandma and mom with all the aunts were in the kitchen cooking and getting things ready for everyone to eat after church service. Were they sinning?
Even the preacher would sometimes join us for the meal. He didn’t object to the preparations. Never once did he say anything against those women doing all that work on Sunday.

 

[redrosetea]

Hayes that is very well thought out

 

[Belloc_Fan]

I have thought of this myself. I did a study on this topic.
I read in John 18:4 that Jesus knew the plan. He knew Judas would betray him.
How did Judas “have a choice” when in John 17:12 Jesus says that none were lost except the "son of perdition,
“that the scripture may be fulfilled”. Judas was born to fulfill this plan.
If Judas “did” have a choice as some say then someone else would have taken his place, “That the scripture may be fulfilled”.

God exists outside of time, He’s the Father of Time. So Judas’ betrayal had already happened. The way that God interacts through time is a Mystery, for certain. Jesus’ entire life seems to have been subtly laid out throughout the Old Testament. But the fact that God is infallibly “predicting” what He has predestined doesn’t mean we don’t have free will.

There’s not a good analogy for this (I can’t think of anything like the way that God interacts with history, b/c only to God is the notion of “time” irrelevant [2 Peter 3:8])- I’ve heard it compared to watching a movie you’ve seen before. You know exactly what’s going to happen, but that doesn’t mean the actors/directors, etc. don’t have free will in making it. That isn’t a very accurate analogy, of course - it’s pretty Deistic. But hopefully it at least illuminates that even known every detail of the future doesn’t deprive people of free will. Of course, God isn’t Cassandra (the woman from Greek mythology whose accurate predictions always go unheeded) - He interacts with history.

And another thing is that Judas repented.He returned the money.
He said"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood".
As in Matthew 27:3-5 “Then Judas, who betrayed him,
seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself,
brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients”.
4.Saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.
But they said: What is that to us? look thou to it.
5. And casting down the pieces of silver in the temple,
he departed: and went and hanged himself with an halter."

This isn’t repentance, this is guilt. He was guilty, and the guilt lead him to kill himself. But he never asked God for forgiveness, which is all it would have taken.

Jesus prayed:
John 17:12
“While I was with them, I kept them in thy name.
Those whom thou gavest me have I kept;
and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition,
that the scripture may be fulfilled.”
John 18:4
“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come
upon him, went forth, and said to them: Whom seek ye?”
Key words here,“knowing all things”.

Right - divine foreknowledge. That’s different than forcing his hand.

I have also wondered if Judas
would have been better off not committing suicide. Maybe
he wouldn’t have been condemned. But Jesus said he was
the “son of perdition”. Perdition as in “Loss of the soul; eternal damnation”.
He was damned one way or another.

No - God knew he was going to be damned, but He didn’t force him to make those choices.

The reason I decided to study this topic is because of some of the things people do,people that are dedicated
“workers for the Lord”.
There are men who dedicate their lives to prayer,
meditation and service to the Lord yet they fall.
They read their bibles,study the writings of famous theologians and pray almost continuously. Then they turn around and do things that are just so unbelievable.
I’m sure women have too but since men are the ones
mostly accepted as “church leaders”,I say men.
How can this be? I can’t help but wonder if they were damned already.

God’s a loving God, and He gives us a choice. Some people reject Him, and opt to live their lives in sin.

This is the only way I can explain these things I hear about.
Another way to explain it is that Satan is doing all he can to ruin God’s plan.
God has wonderful plans for us,he wants only good. And Satan hates God so much that he attacks those who are working the
hardest to promote God’s plan of eternal happiness for his followers.
So watch your back if you are following Christ.
Satan is lurking and waiting to get you.
We have to admire the saints who made it. They didn’t get caught in the devil’s snare.

Right on.

Just remember that God is so much more powerful than Satan.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

So don’t despair.

 

[Ad_Deum_1]

I have thought of this myself. I did a study on this topic.
I read in John 18:4 that Jesus knew the plan. He knew Judas would betray him.
How did Judas “have a choice” when in John 17:12 Jesus says that none were lost except the “son of perdition,
“that the scripture may be fulfilled”. Judas was born to fulfill this plan.
If Judas “did” have a choice as some say then someone else would have taken his place, “That the scripture may be fulfilled”.
And another thing is that Judas repented.He returned the money.
He said"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood”.
As in Matthew 27:3-5 “Then Judas, who betrayed him,
seeing that he was condemned, repenting himself,
brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and ancients”.
4.Saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.
But they said: What is that to us? look thou to it.
5. And casting down the pieces of silver in the temple,
he departed: and went and hanged himself with an halter."

I often struggle with the same thing the OP is struggling with. He did repent - he tried to make it right but there was no forgiveness available for him it seems. I even get reminded of the scenes from The Passion (which is possibly problematic) where I truly feel for Judas.

You bring up a good point - it does seem like he was “slotted” for this position to betray the Son of Man. I think, however, that we must remember that it was ultimately the WILL of Judas to hand Jesus over. Also, when he repented, he repented to those who were responsible for the torture of Our Lord. From what we know from Scripture, Judas did not repent to the Christ, to God, to the one who forgives.

There are times when I, too, look into my own heart and I can see a little Judas brewing inside of me. Every sin is an offense to Christ. In no way are our sins comparable to the actual betrayal of Jesus but we must remember that it is for our sins that Jesus died on the Cross. If it weren’t for our sins, he wouldn’t have died. I think of every sin of mine as one of the many wounds to Our Lord. I would rather die than offend Christ (though I don’t always live up to this statement). I think Judas had a similar mentality - but it was just aimed the wrong direction.

He betrayed Our Lord, he realized what he did and tried to repent but decided that instead of facing Our Lord and begging for forgiveness, as we do in the confessional, Judas decided to commit the ultimate sin - losing hope. By committing suicide, he sinned and sure there is probably a chance he could have repented when the branch broke (assuming he hadn’t already died) but I think it is safe to say that he probably didn’t.

Either way - the phrase “in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled” does not, in any way, mean that Judas cannot be held responsible for his actions. His last act in life was indeed an offense against God.

It was his will and his choice.