John 13:18
Why yes? Don’t leave us guessing the reasons.
However, read verse 21 where it says Jesus was troubled. I don’t think Jesus wanted Judas to betray him. He just knew it was going to happen.
If Judas was guaranteed heaven for doing that, Jesus wouldn’t have said it is better he hadn’t been born. If he was guaranteed heaven, suicide won’t be the way either. No one commits suicide to go to heaven. He did it for money perhaps expecting a different result. But when he realised things were not going the way he expected he couldn’t accept the shame and horror of his deed and saw it fitting to end his life. But as I said in another post, he could have mitigated the damage by being a witness for Christ at the trial and asking for forgiveness. He did neither. If he has done that and Jesus still meet his fate, the prophecy would still have come true, mankind will still be redeemed but Judas would end up forgiven as Peter did. A gospel preaching Judas would have made a serious impact at the synagogues.
Judas certainly didn’t expect Jesus to be crucified because when he heard his Master had been condemned he immediately threw the money into the temple and hanged himself.
he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The most significant words are **"****I have betrayed innocent blood" **which prove he did not intend to sacrifice Jesus for the money. He was not guilty of premeditated murder like Caiphas who doesn’t reveal any sense of guilt or remorse. Why didn’t Judas think of the consequences when he must have seen men crucified even as a child because Romans left the corpses hanging by the roadside as a warning to potential rebels? It seems very strange that the possibility didn’t enter his mind. If it had he would undoubtedly have had second thoughts about kissing his Master when the High Priest’s lackeys came to arrest Him. Judas must also have wondered why Jesus handed him the piece of bread when He knew He was going to be betrayed. It seemed as if his Master not only wanted to be betrayed to fulfil the prophecy but also wanted to know him to know He was fully aware of what was going to happen:
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” John 13:27
This sentence would be clearer if I had written:
John 13 1-28
I have pointed out that Caiaphas had so much power it is extremely unlikely anyone would have taken any notice of Judas, especially as he was a Galilean. If he had attempted to accuse Caiaphas of being a liar he would have been arrested on the spot, assuming he even obtained access to the High Priest nor would any of the apostles have had anything to do with him after such a perfidious act… It seems more likely He did it for money expecting a different result, an explanation which concurs with St John’s statement that “Satan took control of Judas”.
Being motivated by greed is compatible with being possessed. In fact any vice makes us more vulnerable to the wiles of Satan. Jesus told Judas **to do what he had to do **which gives the impression that he had no choice! Why else would Our Lord say that?
I agree “wanted” is incorrect but “Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do”
Jesus is not commanding Judas to go sin. He is simply prophecying what Judas will do so that the disciples will believe.
What if, instead, Judas was sowing animosity between the camp he was in and the other camp without, which would then prompt Jesus to rise up in a Maccabean style revolt against the Roman rulers and herald in the glorious age of Israel. Jesus as King, Davids throne, peace. There is a possibility that Judas was forcing God into acting his promises. Not the first time that had happened.
The context of the suicide is that if heaven is guaranteed for Judas, he won’t have chosen the suicide route to get there.
I don’t believe heaven is guaranteed for Judas, Eric. He repented but we don’t know the full story. The fact that he became possessed is not indicative of sanctity although perhaps some people are far more likely to attract Satan’s attention than others, e.g. those who were close to Jesus. Judas was regarded as a thief by St John and there is no reason to believe he was mistaken. A moral weakness obviously leaves a loophole which makes us more vulnerable. Being selected by Jesus to be the treasurer may have led to pride on his part and envy by the other apostles. They were all ordinary men not noted for their sanctity. They were rebuked more than once for their lack of faith. Judas was no exception and cannot have been entirely innocent when he became possessed. The Jews certainly believed the Messiah would establish an earthly kingdom, a fact which would explain why Judas reacted so swiftly and hanged himself when he heard Jesus had been condemned to die for claiming to be a king. There are just five words which give us reason to hope he hasn’t condemned himself to hell:The context of the suicide is that if heaven is guaranteed for Judas, he won’t have chosen the suicide route to get there.
Yes, it does look like the result was unexpected for Judas. He took his life only after Jesus was condemned. He must have hoped against hope that Jesus would be acquitted and he would be richer by 30 silver coins and prepare to jump ship. I think all the apostles were thinking of an earthly kingdom and perhaps Judas came to realize that is not going to happen with a passive Jesus and tried to get something out of it after spending 3 years there. Pure speculation on my part.
That is certainly a possibility, Darryl. Judas certainly didn’t expect Jesus to be executed like a criminal after he had witnessed people being miraculously cured and brought back to life. He knew his Master had the power to save Himself.
That’s an important point, Carl, but it doesn’t explain why Jesus made Judas aware He knew what he was going to do. He could have told the other apostles about the prophecy after Judas had left the room. He seems to have wanted Judas to know the truth but what difference did it make? Could be it that Jesus wanted His apostle to kill himself when he realised how much his Master had trusted Him?