Judas has been labeled as one of the most notorious villains of all times. And yet when we consider what he actually did and did not do, was he really that bad?
He did not kill or directly hurt anyone but himself. He never denied his relationship with Jesus. He followed Jesus and ministered for him. Jesus trusted him to hold a responsible position in His Ministry.
When we come right down to it, what he did was share the location of his friend at a certain time.
He, like all the other disciples except Peter, did nothing to stop Jesus’ arrest. He was the only one who publicly acknowledged his sin. He tried to reverse the consequences of his actions.
But he is seen to this day as committing the worst sin. Even the name Judas brings up an association with the word, “betrayer.”
We do not know the full story of Judas. So the following is only conjecture from the little we know … and from what we know about how satan works.
Judas, perhaps like you, was drawn to Jesus. Judas liked numbers, order, a firm, definite direction. Judas liked having goals and meeting them.
Judas planned. He thought ahead. He carefully considered all possible outcomes and chose the best one.
He liked that this new teacher had a plan. This teacher was confident. He seemed like a quiet mover and shaker. He wasn’t going to cause outright war, but He was decidedly changing things.
Judas laughed to see the old teachers of the law squirming as they tried to deal with Jesus.
Judas was also delighted that he quickly earned Jesus’ trust. He was not just the bookkeeper. He came to think of himself more as an operations manager.
He began to make more and more decisions on his own. Some would later label him as a thief, but Judas never saw himself that way. He always thought he was making the right decisions about how to use the money.
But over time, Jesus became more difficult to manage. He didn’t stick to Judas’ schedules. He hung out with questionable people. Judas began to wonder what the mission was anyway.
Not only were things moving too slowly for Judas, they just did not seem to be moving in the right direction.
He began to look at the others in the group as inferior to him. A bunch of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot? Judas wondered what he could have been thinking to sign on with this lot.
Judas also thought Jesus played favorites. He seemed to really like Peter. And John … well, He seemed to love him.
Now … let’s pause right here in our story. This is how satan operates. He always preps his victims before he moves in for the kill.
He had prepped Judas with pride, jealousy, entitlement and discontent. He had managed to maneuver Judas into a position where he thought he needed to take matters into his own hands to “right the ship.”
Satan did not want Judas to just outright walk away. No, he needed him for his mission. So he planted the next idea in Judas.
What if Jesus could get arrested? Surely He would show His Power then to the opposition. Judas had seen first hand what Jesus could do with His Power. He just needed the right poke to use it.
Maybe He would even turn to Judas for help. Maybe He would even need money from Judas.
Judas was surprised at how powerful he felt in even considering how he could save the mission and gain Jesus’ Love and admiration at the same time.
Pause again. Jesus already loved Judas. No matter what he did or did not do, Jesus’ Love for him would never change.
Same with you. Whatever you have done, are doing or will do in the future will not change Jesus’ Love for you.
So Judas put his plan into action. He did not talk to Jesus. He did not pray to God, Who he had worshipped since childhood. He did not talk to his friends or family.
He went to the authorities and made a deal. It was amazingly simple. Jesus was well known. So they could have nabbed Him at anytime. But they did not want to deal with crowds.
So they agreed to pay Judas money if he would just let them know a good time to arrest Him. All he had to do was tell them the time and place and confirm they had the right man.
Again, Judas felt the surge of power. Not only was he going to get things going the right way and earn Jesus’ Love, he now felt he had the admiration of the authorities.
He put the money in his pocket and went back to the group and waited for the opportune time. He thought no one knew of his plans. That gave him an added feeling of power, almost like planning the ultimate surprise party.
But satan knew. He licked his chops with anticipation.
And Jesus knew.
He had known all along the temptations that would come to Judas. But He also knew Judas would have the power God had given him from his creation — the power of free choice.
Was Judas just doomed to be labeled for all eternity as a betrayer … or could he have chosen the right road Home?
Join me next time at the crossroads of Judas’ life. You may discover you too are at a crossroads. You too have The Power to choose.
“I have set before you Life and death, Blessings and curses. Now choose Life, so that you and your children may live!”Deuteronomy 30:19
