Why did Judas betray Jesus?

[tonyrey]

Good Morning, Tony

Explanations only “eliminate guilt” in the same way that when I forgive Judas, I no longer condemn. And when I use the Gift of Understanding toward such forgiveness, explanations come forth. Yes, we want to hang onto our condemnation and guilt, for such is the way that our conscience operates. If I hang onto condemnation, the evil of the action stays forefront, and I am less likely to do the same action myself (i.e. revenge against an act of vengeance.)

There comes a time though, that we do not need to cling to the guilt/condemnation (guilt is condemnation of myself). At that time, we have the will to seek answers and use the Gift to help explain and forgive. Jesus explained from the cross, “For they know not what they do.”

We are all responsible for our sins. It means responding for our sins, which involves explanation. Excuses are attempts to avoid consequence but contain a falsehood. Explanations are such that we are accepting the consequences of our actions, but give ourselves/others the means to forgive.

I apologize if that sounded as if I was telling you something new. I am only presenting the other side of the coin, I think.

Yes, it is Love! Love is sobering.

Thanks, blessings to you also.

Good evening, OS! It is very difficult to achieve a balanced view of guilt. I think that is why Jesus emphasized the risk of going to hell. Preachers and even saints have often laid excessive emphasis on hell fire and made people recoil from the idea of a wrathful, vindictive Judge but it is a mistake to underestimate the gravity of evil which destroys people’s lives and causes so much needless suffering. If we are led to believe getting to heaven is a cakewalk we are more likely to err in the direction of laxity and self-indulgence. Once we are on the slippery slope to hell it is harder to stem our fall from grace as some of us know from personal experience. We have to make an allowance for the fact that Jesus was talking to adults who included Pharisees and hypocrites. The parable of Dives and Lazarus helps us to see hell in its true perspective of one man who had everything he could desire in this life while another had next to nothing. That in itself is not a crime but the context is all important:

“And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.”

Dives must have seen Lazarus regularly but he obviously failed to help him. Our worst sins are due to negligence and indifference rather than malice and contempt. That is why we have to be on our guard. Judas bore no malice or contempt for Jesus. In fact he must have respected Him and been attached to Him after sharing the hardships of the long journeys on foot together for three years in arduous conditions. He knew his Master was prepared to make greater sacrifices than His apostles. They probably went home to their families when Jesus spent forty days and nights fasting and praying in the wilderness. He was alone when He was tempted by Satan - and resisted. Judas was alone when he too was tempted - and yielded. That was the reason for his downfall. We are more likely to blunder and give in when we act impulsively without consulting anyone. If Judas had been with the other apostles he would have been less likely to make that fatal mistake, although Satan would have persisted because he had a unique opportunity to get his revenge on Jesus after so many of his victims had been exorcised.

We cannot hope to understand why Judas betrayed Jesus if we think of it solely in human terms.The conflict between good and evil has to be viewed in its supernatural context. The power of God’s love has to be offset by the power of Satan’s malice. Otherwise there would be no need for redemption! We are liberated by grace but we also have to contend with the effects of original sin - and the closer we are to Jesus the further we can fall. Judas was very close but only God knows how far he fell and whether he has been rescued. There is no doubt in my mind but we all have to decide for ourselves…

 

[e_c]

I heard an interesting theory once that Judas, having seen Jesus escape the hands of the authorities so many times before, thought he would do so again. He would be able to have his cake and eat it too… He gets the money, Jesus is fine and dandy, and everyone can go about their business. But it didn’t work out that way, obviously… FWIW.

 

[tonyrey]

Depends on what you are reading. According to canon Judas betrayed Jesus for money. What he did after with it as well as what happened to him and how he died, to me, seems contradictory. If one considers the Gospel of Judas as possible then more sense can be made. Jesus knew he was to die and told Judas. Judas willingly followed along to fulfill Jesus’s wishes and when you consider the whole reason Jesus was born was to forgive sins by his death it makes a lot more sense.

It just came to me that the whole story is like a sacrifice analogy. The good sacrifice is the lamb/Jesus while the scapegoat/Judas is “left for the devil”.

It seems rather unjust that Judas had to pay the price without having any choice in the matter! It also implies that Jesus had to be betrayed - which is by no means obvious. Jerusalem is so small it wouldn’t have been too difficult to find Him sooner or later…

 

[tonyrey]

I may have said it before, but I really would love to know what Judas was like, and “why” he did what he did.

Whatever the motives or his mindset, you have to admit his selling of Jesus was completly blasphemous and sacriligeous, literally selling God for 30 pieces of silver and giving him the kiss of friendship (something commonly done among friends in Middle East/southern Europe) does seem particularly low.

He could have been forgiven for it, but I just feel to do the above evinces…a pretty peculiar mindset.

Both Anne Catherine Emmerich and Mary Agrada (two Catholic mystics) claim to have had visions (almost like internal movies!) of the gospel story. Both basically state that Judas started out good, but gradually became more hardened and corrupt as the hard life of being Jesus’ apostle became more and more apparent.

Whether true or fictional, Mary of Agrada had an interesting vision about Judas and his personal campaign to be the treasurer of the apostles. While none of the other ones dared to desire the office, he apparently wanted it badly and was upset that none of the apostles or Mary (despite his persuasive self-deprecation, self-righteousness and flattery) would intercede to Jesus on behalf of him.

Eventually Judas asked Jesus for the position himself saying something to the effect of " I am concerned about the trustworthiness of the other apostles to this office, I care greatly about how the funds are spent, and will vow to do unto others as they’d do unto me, care about the last instead of the first etc." According to Agrada Jesus just responded to him by saying (in summary)

“Judas! Do you really desire what could well be your doom?” We all know he eventually did get the position, but it is an interesting story I think, and could possibly have been true.

I know it’s hard for us to accept, hard for anyone to accept, but perhaps Judas really did betray Jesus for just 30 pieces of silver. I am sure that was quite a lot of money in those days, and Judas could well have thought that Jesus and his ministry just weren’t worth continuing.

I’m further not convinced that Judas was some sort of nationalist/partiot seeking to overthrow the Romans. Jesus’ ministry would be a poor vehicle for that aim, since Jesus advocated peace and to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”

Pontius Pilate, the Roman tyrant definitely didn’t perceive Jesus as a potential threat. As I recall he was stunned anyone wanted to crucify Him and wondered “What evil has he done?”

Just my two cents.

Whatever Judas thought when he betrayed his Master he afterwards repented, said “I have betrayed innocent blood”, killed himself and returned the money. It is very difficult to reconcile these facts with the view that he was “hardened and corrupt”… It depends on whether Jesus had already been scourged and crucified but this doesn’t seem very likely. I must admit I’m rather sceptical that Judas was so ruthless. As you have pointed out it seems “a pretty peculiar mindset” which to me suggests he was possessed and not in full control of his decisions.

I had a friend who seems to have committed suicide against her will because she was afraid of being on her own and followed me everywhere I went. One afternoon she asked me to help her kill herself. I told her I would never be able to forgive myself and took her to a friend’s flat, called a doctor and arranged to meet him outside. When we arrived she was sitting on a settee with a glass of whisky as if she didn’t have a care in the world. The doctor was a locum who didn’t have her case notes and thought she was manipulating me. I respected his professional judgment and took her to her house. When I called her the next morning she said “goodbye” and put the phone down. I called her again, the phone stopped ringing and there was a deathly silence, not even the sound of breathing. I asked her friend to call her and the same happened to him. I went to her house and climbed through a window but she had already gone. I had a premonition that something terrible had happened. In the evening a policeman came to my house and told me she had walked along the railway track and been killed by a train. I called the telephone company the next day and was told there was no fault. At the inquest the driver said she had a smile on her face…

Why was she afraid of being on her own if she wanted to kill herself? She could have walked in front of a bus or lorry. I had kept her alive for four months after all her friends had given up trying to reason with her but when I took her to her house she must have thought no one cared for her. Yet she had a twelve year old son at boarding school who tried to call her on that fateful morning and couldnt get through. At least they had spent the Christmas holidays together…

Requiescat in pace

 

[tonyrey]

Whatever Judas thought when he betrayed his Master he afterwards repented, said “I have betrayed innocent blood”, killed himself and returned the money. It is very difficult to reconcile these facts with the view that he was “hardened and corrupt”… It depends on whether Jesus had already been scourged and crucified but this doesn’t seem very likely. I must admit I’m rather sceptical that Judas was so ruthless. As you have pointed out it seems “a pretty peculiar mindset” which to me suggests he was possessed and not in full control of his decisions.

I had a friend who seems to have committed suicide against her will because she was afraid of being on her own and followed me everywhere I went. One afternoon she asked me to help her kill herself. I told her I would never be able to forgive myself and took her to a friend’s flat, called a doctor and arranged to meet him outside. When we arrived she was sitting on a settee with a glass of whisky as if she didn’t have a care in the world. The doctor was a locum who didn’t have her case notes and thought she was manipulating me. I respected his professional judgment and took her to her house. When I called her the next morning she said “goodbye” and put the phone down. I called her again, the phone stopped ringing and there was a deathly silence, not even the sound of breathing. I asked her friend to call her and the same happened to him. I went to her house and climbed through a window but she had already gone. I had a premonition that something terrible had happened. In the evening a policeman came to my house and told me she had walked along the railway track and been killed by a train. I called the telephone company the next day and was told there was no fault. At the inquest the driver said she had a smile on her face…

Why was she afraid of being on her own if she wanted to kill herself? She could have walked in front of a bus or lorry. I had kept her alive for four months after all her friends had given up trying to reason with her but when I took her to her house she must have thought no one cared for her. Yet she had a twelve year old son at boarding school who tried to call her on that fateful morning and couldnt get through. At least they had spent the Christmas holidays together…

Requiescat in pace

I forgot to add that she had arranged for a lawyer and his family to adopt her son. Four months later his wife committed suicide. Another coincidence? She claimed she had lost her faith but there was a big statue of Our Lady in her house. She hated going to church but rather than be alone she used to come with me to Mass on Sundays. The whole time she was there the tears were pouring down her cheeks…

 

[ericc]

It seems rather unjust that Judas had to pay the price without having any choice in the matter! It also implies that Jesus had to be betrayed - which is by no means obvious. Jerusalem is so small it wouldn’t have been too difficult to find Him sooner or later…

The fact that Judas lead authorities to find Jesus didn’t appear too big a deal because Jesus was a pretty much public figure. It is not like betraying a hidden fugitive. Identifying who Jesus is also doesn’t seem to carry a lot of “guilt”. It is not that the Jewish authorities don’t know who Jesus was. He was in the synagogues all the time.

Yet the guilt assigned to Judas appear to be so great that I have to guess that there must be some other unidentified reason(s). Judas could have broken some sacred arrangement between Jesus and his apostles? Perhaps a vow of some sort? Yet, the payoff for Judas in betraying Jesus seems so little that he was so quick to want to return the ill-gotten monies.

I must be missing something?

 

[tonyrey]

The fact that Judas lead authorities to find Jesus didn’t appear too big a deal because Jesus was a pretty much public figure. It is not like betraying a hidden fugitive. Identifying who Jesus is also doesn’t seem to carry a lot of “guilt”. It is not that the Jewish authorities don’t know who Jesus was. He was in the synagogues all the time.

Yet the guilt assigned to Judas appear to be so great that I have to guess that there must be some other unidentified reason(s). Judas could have broken some sacred arrangement between Jesus and his apostles? Perhaps a vow of some sort? Yet, the payoff for Judas in betraying Jesus seems so little that he was so quick to want to return the ill-gotten monies.

I must be missing something?

The guilt assigned to Judas is disproportionate because treachery to a person who loves you so much that he dies for you seems the worst of all crimes - as indeed it would be if it is premeditated, planned a long time in advance and not followed by any gesture of regret, remorse or attempt to make amends. The fact that the payoff for Judas was so little is strong evidence that his mind wasn’t lucid when he gave way to temptation. His lack of hesitation in returning the money demonstrates how little importance he attached to it. I don’t believe even the most precious jewels in the world would have made the slightest difference. Jesus had had such a powerful effect on him throughout the three years they had been together he knew that nothing in the world can replace our love for others or their love for us. It is impossible to exaggerate Our Lord’s charisma and influence on those who met Him, least of all one of His apostles… Judas must have been heart-broken and distraught when he realised the full significance of what he had done. He must have felt utterly lost, despised by everyone - particularly the other apostles - and doomed to go to hell. No wonder he hanged himself. For him life no longer had any value, purpose or meaning in stark contrast to the life he had led with his Master. He had gone from one extreme to the other, having lost everything he treasured most: friendship, companionship, loyality and a sense of mission in the face of hostility from the High Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes. Above all he had lived with the greatest man who has ever lived on this earth and even in his demented state of mind he knew he deserved to suffer, be punished and be put to death but he also knew no one would kill him. In a sense he was a martyr but for the wrong reason. However, God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps God loves Judas more than those who have had an easy life and never had to endure temptation, far more than the self-righteous who cold-bloodedly exploit the poor and let them die of disease, manutrition or starvation. In fact I am now sure God loves Judas and forgives him…

 

[NM505StKate]

It seems rather unjust that Judas had to pay the price without having any choice in the matter! It also implies that Jesus had to be betrayed - which is by no means obvious. Jerusalem is so small it wouldn’t have been too difficult to find Him sooner or later…

You bring up a great point on it being unjust. There is still too little evidence just based on the stories themselves. The Gospel of Judas is not considered canon but things in it, from the little study I have done, imply Judas was well on being one of the closest to Jesus.

 

[Erich]

Whatever Judas thought when he betrayed his Master he afterwards repented, said “I have betrayed innocent blood”, killed himself and returned the money.

In that order?

 

[Erich]

Whether true or fictional, Mary of Agrada had an interesting vision about Judas and his personal campaign to be the treasurer of the apostles.

Reminds me of something I saw several years ago, namely:

To: Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter’s Carpenter Shop
Nazareth 25922

From: Jordan Management Consultants

Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

The profiles of all tests are included, and you will want to study each of them carefully.
As part of our service, we make some general comments for your guidance, much as an auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff consultation, and comes without any additional fee.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew had been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.

Sincerely,
Jordan Management Consultants

 

[OneSheep]

Good evening, OS! It is very difficult to achieve a balanced view of guilt. I think that is why Jesus emphasized the risk of going to hell. Preachers and even saints have often laid excessive emphasis on hell fire and made people recoil from the idea of a wrathful, vindictive Judge but it is a mistake to underestimate the gravity of evil which destroys people’s lives and causes so much needless suffering. If we are led to believe getting to heaven is a cakewalk we are more likely to err in the direction of laxity and self-indulgence. Once we are on the slippery slope to hell …

Hello, Tony, I pray you had a good weekend. I did. Sorry, I had to edit some of your quotes down because of my wordiness.

Yes, it is intuitive that if heaven is a cakewalk, we are more likely to err. Our conscience resists any thought of such a “cakewalk”. Surely, the conscience says, all harmful deeds must and will be punished, including eternal banishment for many deeds or omissions. So, the believer generally equates God with conscience, and perceives that God condemns them if they do wrong and condones them if they do right. Very natural, and a position to be fully respected.

I think Jesus respected this spirituality; it is truly part of the Gospel. However, there is another spirituality, one that inspires us to use Love as the guide to behavior, rather than the operant conditioning of the conscience. In this spirituality, Jesus calls us to not see “eternal life” as simply a matter of the “afterlife”. Instead, “eternal life” is one of perfected compassion, mercy, forgiveness, etc. This spirituality looks at “being perfect, as the heavenly Father is perfect” as a call to forgive without condition, which is exactly what occurred from the cross.

Did Jesus, at that moment, start the music of the cakewalk?

No, he did not, and Yes, he did! For the person who receives the message that God loves and forgives unconditionally, and in turn commits his life to love and forgive others unconditionally, he realizes that under no condition would God love any less! This is the foundation of an eternal life, one of “perfection” in mercy, which for the human can only mean a sincere commitment.

For the person who receives the message that God forgave only those present, or that such forgiveness and love demonstrated from the cross is not an “always”, these receivers will continue to love and forgive conditionally, which is exactly what our natural conscience dictates. This person will say, “truly God does not forgive me for that sin, so I must avoid the sin to stay in God’s graces.”

The person coming from the other spirituality is demonstrating, “God will forgive me for that sin, but I do not want to do it anyway, it is unloving, and I love without condition.”

What do you think?

The parable of Dives and Lazarus helps us to see hell in its true perspective of one man who had everything he could desire in this life while another had next to nothing. That in itself is not a crime but the context is all important:
…
Dives must have seen Lazarus regularly but he obviously failed to help him. Our worst sins are due to negligence and indifference rather than malice and contempt. That is why we have to be on our guard.

Yes, the “be on our guard” approach would be one that reflects fear of God, which falls in line with one of the spiritualities I presented. It has to do with equating God and conscience, at least in terms of behavior. The other spirituality is one such that we look upon Lazarus and help him, not because of the conscience (even though it is ever-present) but because the heart is moved. The lines (conditions) that create indifference have disappeared.

Judas bore no malice or contempt for Jesus. In fact he must have respected Him and been attached to Him after sharing the hardships of the long journeys on foot together for three years in arduous conditions. He knew his Master was prepared to make greater sacrifices than His apostles.

I get the impression that Judas may have indeed had some contempt, at least when he turned Him over. Something blinded him, there was something about Jesus that he resented, and it could have been any number of things that Jesus preached. Judas sought to eliminate an evil, or punish. He did not know what he was doing.

They probably went home to their families when Jesus spent forty days and nights fasting and praying in the wilderness. He was alone when He was tempted by Satan - and resisted. Judas was alone when he too was tempted - and yielded. That was the reason for his downfall. We are more likely to blunder and give in when we act impulsively without consulting anyone. If Judas had been with the other apostles he would have been less likely to make that fatal mistake, although Satan would have persisted because he had a unique opportunity to get his revenge on Jesus after so many of his victims had been exorcised.

We cannot hope to understand why Judas betrayed Jesus if we think of it solely in human terms.The conflict between good and evil has to be viewed in its supernatural context…

Well, I think that one big difference between Judas and Jesus was that Judas was blinded by resentment. Judas meant well; I think that in the moment he perceived Jesus as a threat. Perhaps he also feared being condemned by the powers-that-be, and wanted to be in their “graces”. There may have been several factors in his decision. Again, these are the explanations as to why I would have done what Judas did. In any case, when I am in a condemning mode (as was Judas), I am not “close to God” in terms of seeing the light. “Seeing the light” begins with forgiveness, which was not on Judas’ mind. Does that explanation make sense too?

Thanks for your response.

 

[rinnie]

1. Did he foresee what would happen?
2. Why did he return the money?
3. Why did he kill himself?
4. Did he regret what he did?
5. Could he have been possessed?

I don’t believe he could foresee what would happen, only God can see that.

He killed himself because he did not have enough faith in God to believe God could forgive him.

The bible tells us he did regret what he did, by trying to give back the money. But only he knows the true reason for his regret.

I guess you could say he was possessed to a degree but by his own fault. When Jesus said he was indeed the bread of life and whoever eats of this bread will have eternal life, That is when the Devil entered Judas and he snapped. He rejected Christ in the Eucharist.

But regardless he had free will to obey God or the Devil and he choose the Devil. Truly no different from today. We can either like Judas follow ourselves and our own selfish desires or follow God.

 

[rinnie]

The guilt assigned to Judas is disproportionate because treachery to a person who loves you so much that he dies for you seems the worst of all crimes - as indeed it would be if it is premeditated, planned a long time in advance and not followed by any gesture of regret, remorse or attempt to make amends. The fact that the payoff for Judas was so little is strong evidence that his mind wasn’t lucid when he gave way to temptation. His lack of hesitation in returning the money demonstrates how little importance he attached to it. I don’t believe even the most precious jewels in the world would have made the slightest difference. Jesus had had such a powerful effect on him throughout the three years they had been together he knew that nothing in the world can replace our love for others or their love for us. It is impossible to exaggerate Our Lord’s charisma and influence on those who met Him, least of all one of His apostles… Judas must have been heart-broken and distraught when he realised the full significance of what he had done. He must have felt utterly lost, despised by everyone - particularly the other apostles - and doomed to go to hell. No wonder he hanged himself. For him life no longer had any value, purpose or meaning in stark contrast to the life he had led with his Master. He had gone from one extreme to the other, having lost everything he treasured most: friendship, companionship, loyality and a sense of mission in the face of hostility from the High Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes. Above all he had lived with the greatest man who has ever lived on this earth and even in his demented state of mind he knew he deserved to suffer, be punished and be put to death but he also knew no one would kill him. In a sense he was a martyr but for the wrong reason. However, God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps God loves Judas more than those who have had an easy life and never had to endure temptation, far more than the self-righteous who cold-bloodedly exploit the poor and let them die of disease, manutrition or starvation. In fact I am now sure God loves Judas and forgives him…

Well to begin with I agree that God loves Judas and indeed would have forgiven him. But would Judas not have to repent to be forgiven? Judas did not repent, he took the coward way out and instead of repenting and asking for forgiveness for his sin, he took the easy way out. He let one sin compound on another.

What I think people have to remember it is not the lack of Gods love that sends us to hell, it is our sin that we refuse to quit and repent that sends us there.

I am sure that to this day people who are in hell at this moment do not lack the love of God. I am sure he continues to love them at this moment.

But it is the love of self and sin that sends them to hell.

I believe that sin is what sends people to hell no matter what it is. When you put your love of sin over your love of God you will not see heaven. No matter how much God loves you.

 

[NM505StKate]

I don’t believe he could foresee what would happen, only God can see that.

He killed himself because he did not have enough faith in God to believe God could forgive him.

The bible tells us he did regret what he did, by trying to give back the money. But only he knows the true reason for his regret.

I guess you could say he was possessed to a degree but by his own fault. When Jesus said he was indeed the bread of life and whoever eats of this bread will have eternal life, That is when the Devil entered Judas and he snapped. He rejected Christ in the Eucharist.

But regardless he had free will to obey God or the Devil and he choose the Devil. Truly no different from today. We can either like Judas follow ourselves and our own selfish desires or follow God.

Did Judas kill himself? According to Acts he fell and his tummy burst open. Not really suicide. Also in Acts he didn’t give back the money and appeared to have no regret,

 

[tonyrey]

You bring up a great point on it being unjust. There is still too little evidence just based on the stories themselves. The Gospel of Judas is not considered canon but things in it, from the little study I have done, imply Judas was well on being one of the closest to Jesus.

Thank you for that opinion which I’m sure is true. In his role as treasurer Judas must have had quite a lot of contact with Jesus. St John’s Gospel gives us the most detailed account of the Last Supper:

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13

Jesus didn’t exclude Judas but

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turneda] against me.’**(“John 13 NIV - Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet - It - Bible Gateway”)]19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

There is no doubt that St John believed Judas was possessed. St Matthew describes his final moments:

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned,

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. Matthew 27

It is significant they didn’t deny that Jesus was innocent but, hypocrites that they were, they disowned responsibility for shedding innocent blood. They implied that Judas was to blame when in fact it was Satan who had taken advantage of his weakness. He obviously hadn’t foreseen the consequences. He may well have thought Jesus would save Himself or Pilate would dismiss the case. It was only when he knew his Master had been condemned that he grasped the full significance and horror of what he had done. Whatever the reason, he had been unrealistic and was certainly not a guilty accomplice of those who planned the execution of an innocent man. His clarity of mind at that stage seems to indicate he was no longer possessed but Satan could also have put the thought of hanging himself into his mind. There seems to be no limit to his malice and delight in destruction if we are to judge by human atrocities like the Holocaust. Anyone who doubts the reality of evil is living in a fantasy world based on the assumption that morality is merely a human convention which has no lasting significance and death is the end of “a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing”… I agree with Hamlet that “there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio.” The reality of evil and hatred is counterbalanced by the reality of goodness and love…

 

[tonyrey]

Did Judas kill himself? According to Acts he fell and his tummy burst open. Not really suicide. Also in Acts he didn’t give back the money and appeared to have no regret,

As there seems to be no eye witness account of Judas’s death or the return of the money there is bound to be a divergence of opinion but Matthew’s detailed account is far more consistent with his remorse and it is very unlikely his death was accidental. The absence of an explanation of what he was doing when he fell or why he bought the land when his state of mind was disturbed weakens that interpretation of his death. The words **“I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood” **cannot be ignored in any coherent explanation. It a court of law there are often discrepancies between the evidence of eye witnesses but it doesn’t follow that it is completely false!

 

[tonyrey]

Well to begin with I agree that God loves Judas and indeed would have forgiven him. But would Judas not have to repent to be forgiven? Judas did not repent, he took the coward way out and instead of repenting and asking for forgiveness for his sin, he took the easy way out. He let one sin compound on another.

What I think people have to remember it is not the lack of Gods love that sends us to hell, it is our sin that we refuse to quit and repent that sends us there.

I am sure that to this day people who are in hell at this moment do not lack the love of God. I am sure he continues to love them at this moment.

But it is the love of self and sin that sends them to hell.

I believe that sin is what sends people to hell no matter what it is. When you put your love of sin over your love of God you will not see heaven. No matter how much God loves you.

“I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood” is indisputable evidence that Judas did repent. Killing oneself is certainly not the easy way out if you have to hang yourself! There was no such thing as an overdose in those days… I think it is a mistake to be judgmental. It is not for us to decide who goes to hell…

 

[ericc]

In fact I am now sure God loves Judas and forgives him…

But for Jesus to say Mat 26:24 “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had not been born” suggest that Judas won’t have a good ending. If Jesus accepted his repentance and forgave him, those words would have been unnecessary and non-applicable since Judas would have been in heaven. Notwithstanding the limited information as to why Judas did what he did, Jesus would know exactly the seriousness of Judas’s guilt for him to say that to the betrayer. Otherwise, it would be “unfair” for Jesus to say that.

Although one would shift the guilt to the devil, it is not an involuntary act. He cooperated with the devil. He succumbed Jn13:2. John 6:70 says it so plainly “and one of you is a devil”. He must have freewill otherwise he would not have been guilty of anything. If he didn’t do it voluntarily, he need not regret and kill himself.

Also merely regretting but without confessing your guilt to God and asking for forgiveness may not be adequate to obtain forgiveness. If he had done that, he could have been forgiven as all sins can be forgiven (except one that blasphemes the Holy Spirit.). The Prodigal Son must not only regret his actions, but return to seek forgiveness and to reunite. Otherwise, a bunch of people just need to regret their actions and commit suicide to go to heaven. If one is prepared to die, throwing away one’s assets away does not signify atonement. If would be more helpful and charitable to donate it to deserving cases to demonstrate a charitable heart has been regained.

That’s why my suspicion of other non-disclosed details of Judas betrayal that would truly display the magnitude of his betrayal. Merely leading temple authorities and pointing Jesus out isn’t much of a betrayal.

I am a pessimist for this case. But not because I am mean. But because there is not enough evidence to say that Judas was forgiven. I’d have love a loser turned good and reduce the statistic for the devil any time. Like Acts 1:25, I can only say Judas went to his own place without mentioning the H word.

 

[tonyrey]

But for Jesus to say Mat 26:24 “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had not been born” suggest that Judas won’t have a good ending. If Jesus accepted his repentance and forgave him, those words would have been unnecessary and non-applicable since Judas would have been in heaven. Notwithstanding the limited information as to why Judas did what he did, Jesus would know exactly the seriousness of Judas’s guilt for him to say that to the betrayer. Otherwise, it would be “unfair” for Jesus to say that.

Although one would shift the guilt to the devil, it is not an involuntary act. He cooperated with the devil. He succumbed Jn13:2. John 6:70 says it so plainly “and one of you is a devil”. He must have freewill otherwise he would not have been guilty of anything. If he didn’t do it voluntarily, he need not regret and kill himself.

Also merely regretting but without confessing your guilt to God and asking for forgiveness may not be adequate to obtain forgiveness. If he had done that, he could have been forgiven as all sins can be forgiven (except one that blasphemes the Holy Spirit.). The Prodigal Son must not only regret his actions, but return to seek forgiveness and to reunite. Otherwise, a bunch of people just need to regret their actions and commit suicide to go to heaven. If one is prepared to die, throwing away one’s assets away does not signify atonement. If would be more helpful and charitable to donate it to deserving cases to demonstrate a charitable heart has been regained.

That’s why my suspicion of other non-disclosed details of Judas betrayal that would truly display the magnitude of his betrayal. Merely leading temple authorities and pointing Jesus out isn’t much of a betrayal.

I am a pessimist for this case. But not because I am mean. But because there is not enough evidence to say that Judas was forgiven. I’d have love a loser turned good and reduce the statistic for the devil any time. Like Acts 1:25, I can only say Judas went to his own place without mentioning the H word.

I have pointed out that the agony of guilt, remorse and despair that made Judas kill himself is unimaginable. The words “I have betrayed innocent blood” explain why Jesus said "It would have been better for that man if he had not been born”. Unlike Herod and Caiaphas Judas repented and proved his repentance was sincere beyond all possible doubt. He gave way to temptation not only once but twice. He betrayed the Master he had followed faithfully for three years and then committed suicide. He committed two acts of folly which didn’t reflect his true character. He had witnessed how his Master was full of compassion for everyone except those who exploited the poor and regarded everyone else as sinners. He was dedicated to Jesus and must have been out of his mind to yield to temptation. Judas was literally one of the élite but the higher we climb the further we can fall. St Peter had been tempted and he warned us that “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” Judas too was a victim of infernal malice because he was closer to the Son of God than anyone else except Mary, Joseph and the other apostles - and therefore a prime target for the Evil One…

His lack of hesitation in returning the money demonstrates how little importance he attached to it. I don’t believe even the most precious jewels in the world would have made the slightest difference. Jesus had had such a powerful effect on him throughout the three years they had been together he knew nothing in the world can replace our love for others or their love for us. It is impossible to exaggerate Our Lord’s charisma and influence on those who met Him, least of all one of His apostles… Judas must have been heart-broken and distraught when he realised the full significance of what he had done. He must have felt utterly lost, despised by everyone - particularly the other apostles - and doomed to go to hell. No wonder he hanged himself. For him life no longer had any value, purpose or meaning in stark contrast to the life he had led with his Master. He had gone from one extreme to the other, having lost everything he treasured most: friendship, companionship, loyality and a sense of mission in the face of hostility from the High Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes. Above all he had lived with the greatest man who has ever lived on this earth and even in his demented state of mind he knew he deserved to suffer, be punished and be put to death but he also knew no one would kill him. In a sense he was a martyr but for the wrong reason. However, God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps God loves Judas more than those who have had an easy life and never had to endure temptation, far more than the self-righteous who cold-bloodedly exploit the poor and let them die of disease, malnutrition or starvation. In fact I feel sure God loves Judas and forgives him because he was so tortured by guilt and despair he must have paid for his folly and never be able to forget what he has done even in heaven… I’m not so sure about Herod and Caiaphas because in their case it was not folly but malice that motivated them. However no one except God knows for certain who is in hell and it is presumptuous to pass judgment on anyone, least of all a man who played a part in our redemption.

The words of Othello keep coming into my mind: “O Iago, the pity of it, Iago”!" with Iago representing the Evil One…

 

[ericc]

I have pointed out that the agony of guilt, remorse and despair that made Judas kill himself is unimaginable. The words “I have betrayed innocent blood” explain why Jesus said "It would have been better for that man if he had not been born”. Unlike Herod and Caiaphas Judas repented and proved his repentance was sincere beyond all possible doubt. He gave way to temptation not only once but twice. He betrayed the Master he had followed faithfully for three years and then committed suicide. He committed two acts of folly which didn’t reflect his true character. He had witnessed how his Master was full of compassion for everyone except those who exploited the poor and regarded everyone else as sinners. He was dedicated to Jesus and must have been out of his mind to yield to temptation. Judas was literally one of the élite but the higher we climb the further we can fall. St Peter had been tempted and he warned us that “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” Judas too was a victim of infernal malice because he was closer to the Son of God than anyone else except Mary, Joseph and the other apostles - and therefore a prime target for the Evil One…

His lack of hesitation in returning the money demonstrates how little importance he attached to it. I don’t believe even the most precious jewels in the world would have made the slightest difference. Jesus had had such a powerful effect on him throughout the three years they had been together he knew nothing in the world can replace our love for others or their love for us. It is impossible to exaggerate Our Lord’s charisma and influence on those who met Him, least of all one of His apostles… Judas must have been heart-broken and distraught when he realised the full significance of what he had done. He must have felt utterly lost, despised by everyone - particularly the other apostles - and doomed to go to hell. No wonder he hanged himself. For him life no longer had any value, purpose or meaning in stark contrast to the life he had led with his Master. He had gone from one extreme to the other, having lost everything he treasured most: friendship, companionship, loyality and a sense of mission in the face of hostility from the High Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes. Above all he had lived with the greatest man who has ever lived on this earth and even in his demented state of mind he knew he deserved to suffer, be punished and be put to death but he also knew no one would kill him. In a sense he was a martyr but for the wrong reason. However, God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps God loves Judas more than those who have had an easy life and never had to endure temptation, far more than the self-righteous who cold-bloodedly exploit the poor and let them die of disease, malnutrition or starvation. In fact I feel sure God loves Judas and forgives him because he was so tortured by guilt and despair he must have paid for his folly and never be able to forget what he has done even in heaven… I’m not so sure about Herod and Caiaphas because in their case it was not folly but malice that motivated them. However no one except God knows for certain who is in hell and it is presumptuous to pass judgment on anyone, least of all a man who played a part in our redemption.

The words of Othello keep coming into my mind: “O Iago, the pity of it, Iago”!" with Iago representing the Evil One…

All you said is true or plausible. Nevertheless, what is not so clearly evidenced is that Judas seek forgiveness from Jesus and was indeed forgiven. Perhaps I have a hung up on this tiny bit. I wasn’t much of a people oriented Human Resource Dept kind of guy. More of a compliance type. We will know in the future how this pans out for Judas.