The name “Judas Iscariot” has become a byword for a traitor. When someone commits an act of betrayal, people usually say of him that he is “a Judas Iscariot.” But we must not imagine that we are somehow immune, that we could never become like him. Potentially, betrayal lies in the heart of every person. In Matthew 26 we read that when Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him, what did they do? Did they say to themselves, “Oh, I’m no traitor, this has nothing to do with me…”? No. With one voice they all began to ask Him, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord!” That is a well-founded fear, because, as my grandmother Olga used to say, “There is nothing more deceitful than the human heart.” Even we ourselves do not know what is in our own hearts. If not Judas, then remember at least Peter… how, after he had sworn his loyalty to Him, under different circumstances he then denied Jesus three times. No one knows whether he is faithful until the moment he is given an occasion and a reason to be unfaithful. For while everything is fine, no one thinks about becoming a traitor. Only when we are given a reason to be unfaithful is our true “self” revealed. When relationships become strained, when clashes of interest arise, conflicts, occasions and reasons, then we may decide to do something that we consider to be “good”… I do not believe that when Judas decided to betray Jesus, he decided to do something evil. No. He thought this was a good deed — that he should hand Jesus over… That is why I think Judas, and what is written about him in the Word, is a very sobering message for every one of us.
THE OCCASION FOR THE BETRAYAL
We read of Judas’s decision to betray Jesus in Matthew 26:14-16.
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Notice, here Judas is called “one of the Twelve.” He was an apostle, one of the twelve apostles. What provoked Judas to go and betray Jesus? Does anyone recall what the actual occasion was? It was the gesture of Mary, who broke the jar with the very costly perfume and anointed Jesus with it (John 12:1-5).
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” (John 12:1-5)
When Judas saw that Jesus rejected his position, he became so angry that he decided to betray Him. Judas saw Mary’s gesture as a waste. Judas’s bitterness against Jesus opened a place in his heart for Satan (John 13:2). In Luke 22:3 we read:
3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. (Luke 22:3)
So then, the occasion, the thing that triggered the betrayal, was Mary’s gesture — her “wasting” of perfume to anoint Jesus. Jesus approved of it. He said that what she had done would be preached throughout the whole world in memory of her. Mary’s gesture teaches us that God desires us to give ourselves to Him one hundred percent. Not to hold something back, not to give Him a small portion, but to devote ourselves to Him completely, to give Him all of ourselves.
THE “MINISTRY” OF JUDAS
Jesus knew beforehand what kind of man Judas was. Even before this moment came, from the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus knew that Judas would be the one to betray Him. For in John 6:70-71 we read:
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) (John 6:70-71)
Even though from the very beginning Jesus knew that among His disciples there was a traitor and who he was, Jesus showed no favoritism toward some of the disciples at the expense of the others. Jesus trusted Judas. He was called “one of the Twelve” (Luke 22:47). What is more, he was the “treasurer of the church” — he was the “trusted man” in the apostolic group, for he held the money bag (John 13:27-29).
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. (John 13:27-29)
Judas held the money bag. He managed the finances and was responsible to do what Jesus told him. You cannot entrust the finances to just anyone. The person must be honest, precise, competent and trustworthy. And Jesus placed that trust in Judas. Judas, however, did not live up to the trust placed in him. He abused his position by stealing from the money bag of Jesus and the apostles (John 12:4-6).
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” (John 12:4-5)
And here we are told what the real reason behind this seemingly “pious” proposal of Judas was — supposedly to give the money to the poor and not to “waste” it.
6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:6)
This was Judas Iscariot. He held a responsible position. He was the treasurer of Jesus and the apostles. And he was with Jesus the whole time. He saw what Jesus did — how He lived, how He preached, how He healed and performed miracles. In Acts 1:17 the apostle Peter says of Judas after his death:
17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry. (Acts 1:17)
Perhaps Judas even cast out demons. When Jesus gave authority to the Twelve, no doubt Judas also received that authority. And yet he stole, and yet he betrayed Jesus. Betrayal is not impossible for those who have experienced God’s glory and miracles. That is why we must be very careful about our hearts. Let there not be found in us bitterness toward God or toward brothers and sisters; let us not imagine that we can live a life of compromise; let us not allow within ourselves the deceit of sin. And that deceit is the notion that we can commit sin without bearing the consequences of that sin. But the truth we see in God’s Word is that every sin has its consequences. This is stated both in the Old Testament (Numbers 32:23):
23 “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. (Numbers 32:23)
And in the New Testament as well (Galatians 6:7-8):
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)
So then, may God help us. Let this spirit of betrayal not take root in us. Rather, may we have clean hearts — hearts open to God. And may we examine ourselves continually — whether we are in a right relationship with Him.
THE ATTEMPTS TO SOFTEN JUDAS’S HEART
What is interesting is that even though Jesus knew what kind of man Judas was, Jesus still trusted him. When you place your trust in someone, you challenge him to prove worthy of that trust. Because when someone entrusts something to you, you say to yourself, “Yes, this person trusts me, he values me, and I want to prove worthy of that trust.” So then, by trusting him, Jesus was challenging Judas to be faithful. What is more, even though Judas abused Jesus’s trust, Jesus still wanted to soften his heart and give him an opportunity to repent. How merciful God is!
- He ate the Passover together with him. Jesus shared with Judas the last supper of His life before the crucifixion, even though He knew who he was.
- He washed his feet. When He rose from supper and began to wash the feet of His disciples, He did not turn away even from the traitor’s feet — He washed Judas’s feet as well. What humility! What grace! And yet Judas did not recognize God’s mercy.
- He hinted to him that He had perfect knowledge of what he was scheming and what he was doing. While He was washing Peter’s feet, in John 13:10-11 Jesus said to Peter:
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. (John 13:10-11)
This was a hint for Judas. It was meant to bring him to his senses and to make him understand that these words applied to him. In the beginning, when God desires us to repent, He usually hints it to us through His Word or in some other way. He hints to us that He knows us and knows what is in us. Further down, in verses 18-19, Jesus made it even clearer:
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 turned against me.’ 19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. (John 13:18-19)
Jesus spoke these words in Judas’s presence. But Judas had hardened his heart to such a degree that he did not understand the hint.
- After the hint did not work on Judas and did not lead him to repentance, Jesus publicly challenged him to confess his sin (verse 21).
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. (John 13:21-22)
And the one who was going to betray Him was perhaps looking on innocently.
- Then Jesus gave him a sign that He knew what he was doing (Matthew 26:22-23):
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. (Matthew 26:22-23)
This was a sign. And when Judas dipped his hand into the bowl, Jesus dipped His as well. This was a sign to him that Jesus knew what he was scheming. Moreover, this sign narrowed the circle of possible traitors to only two people — those who were next to Him, on either side of Him. For to dip your hand into someone’s bowl, you must be at most an arm’s length away from him, right? You cannot stretch your hand to the other end of the table, can you? Judas was next to Jesus! On one side of Him was John, and on the other side was Judas. Because he was the treasurer… And yet Judas’s heart was not softened — he did not come to his senses and did not humble himself.
- After that, like a mother who first pleads and then threatens, but for good, so too Jesus gave a very grave warning to Judas (Matthew 26:24):
24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24)
Judas was in the presence of Jesus and the disciples when Jesus spoke these words. But even so they did not sting him in the least. Why? Because his heart had been hardened. And so I tell you, let us be very careful and examine our hearts — that they may not grow hard. Because we too are sometimes like this. We hear the Word, and we are even told in plain terms that we are sinning, and yet we go off and again do what we always do… Jesus spoke plainly about betrayal and about the punishment for that betrayal in the presence of Judas. Judas, however, went on behaving as if these words did not apply to him in the slightest…
- Finally, Jesus pointed to him directly (Matthew 26:25). And look, what insolence! A person who hardens his heart simply crosses every boundary! Can you imagine, when everyone was examining their hearts and saying, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” and Judas would not be left behind, and he says the very same thing. The difference in address is that he did not call Him “Lord,” but “Rabbi,” yet in my opinion this should not be overemphasized, since after the resurrection Mary also addressed Jesus with this same term — “Rabboni.” It was more of a friendly form of address than one that belittled the deity of Jesus.
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.” (Matthew 26:25)
Here Jesus did not merely hint to him, but told him in plain words: “You have said so.” And yet, even so, Judas did not repent.
When, in spite of all these opportunities for repentance, Judas hardened his heart, he reached a place from which there is no turning back (John 13:27, 30). There is such a place from which there is no turning back. And may God keep us from ever drawing near to it. It is like the current of a river before a waterfall. If a person is a good swimmer, he can overcome the current and turn back. At a certain point, however, the current becomes so strong that it exceeds the swimmer’s ability. Once he passes that point, he is doomed to fall over the waterfall and to possible death. The condition from which there is no turning back is a condition in which our conscience has been seared. Then it becomes something like a scar from a burn on our skin — branded, insensitive tissue in which the nerves are dead, which has no feeling from touch or even from a prick, which has no sensitivity (1 Timothy 4:2). This is what happens to a person who is hardened — God’s Word passes through his ears, but he is not moved.
27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. (John 13:27, 30)
“And it was night” — this is John’s way of showing us that it was the hour of the power of Satan. When the Son of Man was about to be betrayed, humiliated and crucified. The hour in which Satan and his demons rejoiced. But Sunday morning was coming. The resurrection was coming!
DID JUDAS TAKE PART IN THE LORD’S SUPPER?
Did Judas take part in the Lord’s Supper? To answer this question, we must take a few things into account. First, we must distinguish the Last Supper from the Lord’s Supper. In the sense that the institution of the Lord’s Supper took place during the Last Supper, and more precisely at one particular moment within it. Luke tells us that this moment was “after the supper” (Luke 22:20). The very cup of the Lord’s table was “after the supper.” That is, the Last Supper is a longer period of time that includes the Lord’s Supper. Or, to put it another way, the Lord’s Supper that is instituted by Jesus takes place only in one brief stretch of time at the end of the Last Supper.
Second, the problem arises from the fact that in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke it is not stated when Judas left the Last Supper, while in the Gospel of John everything else about the last supper is described, but the institution of the Lord’s Supper itself is not mentioned. In my opinion this is so because Matthew and Luke follow the order of events described by Mark, and Mark writes his Gospel under the authority of Peter, who is not so concerned to convey the precision of the events concerning Judas as the precision of his own denial of Jesus. That is why in Mark, Matthew and Luke we do not see exactly when Judas leaves the supper. We see him coming as the leader of the soldiers who arrest Jesus, but in the first three synoptic Gospels we are not told when Judas goes to them; it is not even mentioned that he had left.
John adds and tells us that Judas left the supper immediately after Jesus handed him the bread (John 13:30), after Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. This piece of bread, however, was not part of the Lord’s Supper. So then, no doubt Judas was at the table with Jesus during the last supper (Luke 22:21), but he most likely did not wait for “the cup after the supper” (Luke 22:20), “the cup of blessing” (1 Corinthians 10:16), which was in fact the cup of the Lord’s Supper. That is, Judas was present at the beginning and he was with Jesus during the supper — perhaps until the middle of the supper — he ate of the lamb, he ate of the Passover, perhaps he even drank of “the cup of God’s kingdom” (Luke 22:14-18), Jesus washed his feet, he was there even during the questioning about who would betray Jesus, but he definitely did not remain until the end of the supper when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper and gives to His disciples His most intimate teachings from John chapters 14–17. Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly!” and Judas immediately rose and went out.
THE KISS OF JUDAS
When we speak of Judas, we cannot fail to say something about an expression that is connected with him, and that is “the kiss of Judas.” The kiss of Judas was the sign of who Jesus was, of who was to be seized. But in fact “the kiss of Judas” also reminds us of something more, and that is that usually the one who betrays you is someone close to you, some friend. Only someone who is close to you can betray you, only someone with whom you “walk together in the house of God.” Of the kiss of Judas we read in Luke 22:47-48:
47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:47-48)
What treachery! To betray your friend, your leader, with a kiss! That means to stab him in the back! Someone you trust to trip you up! The kiss of Judas reminds us that if there is a betrayal, it is most often carried out precisely by those who are closest to us, those whom we would never suspect.
Betrayal is a terrible thing. It gives strength to our enemies. It helps them reach a place they could never reach on their own. For if Judas had not betrayed Jesus by night, the Pharisees could do nothing to Him. Because the people protected Jesus during the day, and they were afraid of the people. He was right there among them, but they did nothing to Him while He was in the temple — because they were afraid. But by night — then and there where Jesus was alone — there they could seize Him. Betrayal allows our enemies to wound us more deeply than they could wound us on their own. Because the pain of being betrayed by a friend is, one might say, heavier than the wound itself.
So then, may God keep us from being traitors. And if we are ever betrayed, we must know that Jesus knows how we feel, because He too has been in our place. If you have been betrayed, know that Jesus understands you. But something more: if we are betrayed, we must not hold bitterness in our hearts, but even when betrayed — we must forgive! Because Jesus forgave Judas. Judas was punished. But I do not believe that Jesus, in His mercy, held bitterness in His heart against Judas.
Every bitterness crushes us. We are human and we often wound one another. Even within the family. But still we must forgive one another, and still we must trust one another. Still we must work together, live together and love one another.
THE REMORSE OF JUDAS
In Matthew 27:1-4 we read what Judas did after he betrayed Jesus. Judas felt remorse for betraying Jesus. And by this remorse of his he bore witness that Jesus was innocent. The fact that even His betrayer testified to His innocence underscores the fact that Jesus was condemned and crucified unjustly and undeservedly.
1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 3 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.” (Matthew 27:1-4)
Judas felt remorse, but he met with no understanding from the enemies of Jesus. They told him, “That’s your responsibility!” — “The responsibility is yours!” That is why we must be very careful about what we do, because the responsibility for our deeds is our own.
Here the question of responsibility arises. Was Judas guilty for betraying Jesus and thereby contributing to His death? Was he guilty? Yes. He was guilty. What he had sown was that he crossed beyond the boundary from which there is no turning back, and that is why his retribution was very heavy. As it is said in Hebrews 6:7-8:
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:7-8)
Jesus forgave him, but this did not absolve Judas. He was punished and he bore the responsibility for the sin. Was Judas forgiven? How could he be forgiven, when he himself did not forgive himself. Did Judas forgive himself? No. He went off himself and hanged himself. Even in his death he broke God’s Law, because no one has the right to take his own life, since God alone is the giver of life and the only source of life.
Notice that it says Judas felt “remorse.” We must distinguish between remorse and repentance. Remorse is only pain, regret that you have been caught in the sin. Remorse is pain of the mind, but not a change of mind. Remorse is due to the fear of punishment and the loss of blessing. As it is said in Hebrews 12:17 concerning Esau, that after he sold his birthright, he felt remorse and sought it with tears, but did not find it, because it was already too late. Therefore, we must not feel mere remorse, but must repent. To repent means to change your way of thinking, and to do it in time, because “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Once the appointed time has passed, you may harden your heart, and then there may be remorse, but by then it will be too late. That is why repentance is now. Concerning the difference between repentance and remorse, in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 the apostle Paul says the following:
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. (2 Corinthians 7:8-11)
THE DEATH OF JUDAS
The death of Judas is described in two places in the New Testament. In Matthew 27:5-10 we read:
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5)
This is what Judas did — he took his own life. A person who sees no prospect ahead ceases to see meaning in his life. For him there is no more hope. But we have no right to take our own lives, because it is not we who gave ourselves life, that we should take it away. God gave us our life. And if God gave it, then no one has the right to take it. I think we could say that suicide was the true wage the devil gave Judas for his betrayal. The devil always lies to us that he will give us something very good, but the only thing he has and can give us is death, because the true wages of sin is death (Romans 6:20-21, 23).
6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” (Matthew 27:6-10)
The evangelist Matthew emphasizes that what happened is in fact the fulfillment of the prophecies, something that proves that Jesus is the promised Messiah. What Matthew quotes is a prophecy from Zechariah chapter 13, and he points out that it was fulfilled in the betrayal of Judas.
The death of Judas is also described in Acts 1:15-20:
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” 18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. (Acts 1:15-18)
The death of Judas was grievous, terrible and revolting. It was a retribution that must be remembered, so that it may guard us from betrayal — so that we may know how heavy the consequences are for traitors.
19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his place of leadership.’ (Acts 1:19-20)
There it is, this is the fate of Judas, this is his punishment.
It would be better for us never to have been born than to deny Jesus. For us, Judas is like Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32).
32 Remember Lot’s wife! (Luke 17:32)
Because when God was bringing Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah, He told him not to look back. But Lot’s wife had the city of Sodom in her heart. She had loved it. And even though Lot told her, “Do not turn around! You must not turn around!”, she turned. And the Word says that she “became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). But here we read of Judas that he “fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out” (Acts 1:18). This was a sign that must remind us never to betray the Lord, but to be faithful to God and faithful to one another.