JUDAS DID NOT 'BETRAY' CHRIST

Why are the teachings about Judas a symphony of disregard to the design of divine intention?  Judas was not an evil man; he had a ROLE, which lead us to consider what we consider him now – as an evil man.  No, he was not and he was never one.   He had a task bigger than himself and bigger than our considerations.  There was an article in Time magazine that really fits my point here, it says there “...he was a necessity.”  And I utterly believe so.  If we allow our thinking to elevate from human considerations we will see that the meaning of Judas’ last act prior to his hanging himself does not simply proceed from the concept of being a traitor.  Remember that Jesus foresaw that ‘someone’ is going to betray him and he told his disciples about it?  Judas’ act was part of a plan in our salvation history though we often deem it as an evil act.  I totally disagree to Father Williams (posted on Chrisly’s bulletin post), when he said, “That doesn't mean, however, that God intends for us to do evil, or that he intended for Judas to betray Jesus. If it wasn't Judas, it would have been someone else. The authorities had already decided to put Jesus to death, and it was just a matter of time.” 

Yes, God doesn’t intend for us to do evil or that he intended for Judas to betray Jesus, we know that.  But the more important question here is not that.  It is the CHOICE given to man in the framework of God’s great plan.  The implications of that last phrase “and it was just a matter of time” (of course, referring to prior phrases to understand its context) seem to conclude that if Judas did not betray Jesus, we then would have the same story of our salvation account.  That is pure assumption and entitled to disregard of philosophical (or theological) truths, for that argument is based on a premise conducted on “possibilities”.  If so, then I could argue, “Peter COULD HAVE NOT denied Jesus three times besides Jesus would still have died or the roster that crowed could have not been there if its owner had him cooked and fried during dinner of the day prior.”  “What then would Jesus’ words mean when he told Peter that he would betray him when they were on the mountain?  Isn’t it that it would mean nothing?”  “Or Jesus could have not been nailed to the cross, he could have been drowned or beheaded.”  “Or Jesus could have asked his angels to pick him up and bestow all his glory by commanding the heavens and earth to rain down fire and slaughter his enemies.”  These are, in context, part of possibilities that often times we consider SHOULD have happened – just like Judas’ betrayal.  Why cannot we simply find the strands that separate the realities behind the word “had” and the realities that govern possibilities?

You ask, what is then my point here?

One is simply this; nobody should rest their thinking on the argument of possibility to assume it as fact or to rewrite an event that had happened, in this case, our whole salvation history.  YES, JUDAS WAS NOT MEANT TO BETRAY JESUS because God could never exact deeds on us by virtue of the principle of freewill, but God only gives us choices and Judas had a CHOICE.  And he chose to take part by performing the role intended for the realization of God’s plan.  Yes, it was a dirty job, as we consider, but somebody has to do it.  And it was Judas for that matter.  My friends, we could never understand all this if we don’t TRY to elevate our thinking to the path of divine perspective.  Judas was a good man; he was very close to Jesus.  But he had a role in order to fulfill the greater good, and that is for the completion of the salvation of mankind and the forgiveness of all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Yes, Judas killed himself, but we don’t know what happened just before he hanged himself or what were his last words.  Maybe it was “Father, forgive me.” Or “Father, my role is finished.” I don’t know.  But for sure he felt guilty maybe on the act he had committed or the gravity of the act itself – and that is betraying a very good friend.  Maybe as human being, he could not take it.  These are all possibilities.  For I don’t know what COULD have happened or the realities behind the outcries of the heart for those who took part on what happened in Jesus’ time.

I could never tell or even think of the fate of Judas, and if I continue to understand all the circumstances from the outlook of man, perhaps I would never will.  But when I TRY to understand a glimpse of the immensity of God’s great plan of our salvation history, I can probably say that Judas is with God now…in heaven.

Comments

[Chrisly]

Dolabs, thanks for your comment to my bulletin post. At least I knew that the subject on Judas really makes sense. Coz it does make sense to all of us. I thought no one would care to comment.
Anyway, I would like to begin in saying that the Church’s Magisterium does not hold the idea that Judas is in hell. Yes historically, it was thought that probably Judas is in hell. But no Catholic dogma asserts of Judas being in hell. But why not? Because as we know, we only have two sources at hand on the revelation of God (of His divine plan): Scriptures and the Tradition. Neither of the two explains more than what we already know of him, that he sold Jesus to the high priests and that he committed suicide. Why did he commit suicide? Yes, we don’t know the exact reason because he did not tell us before his death nor left some notes explaining himself. We don’t even know whether he repented or not. We don’t know nothing more. And we would never even know whether God pardoned Judas or not (yes, one may dispute that there is no need of pardon because he did not sin in the very first place and his act was a necessity to the plan of salvation. I’ll deal with it later). So the very fact that we don’t know more than what we already know is the very reason why the Church is so careful in saying whether Judas is in hell or not and whether God pardoned him or not.
But one thing the Church is openly asserting, and in this case I do assert, that Judas betrayed Jesus. That Judas did commit a mortal sin. That it was his free will and his free choice to sell Jesus and so risked in putting him to death. And yes, we should remember that Jesus foresaw that someone was going to betray him. But that doesn’t make the act of Judas as something necessary and as part of the divine plan of salvation. It was simply telling us that Jesus is omniscient and that He is God. No Christian will deny that. I don’t want to go explaining about the hypostatic union of the divine and human nature of Christ. He is God and that’s it. Since he is God, the moment he told his disciples about someone of them betraying him, he knew already what was in the mind of Judas. If in that very moment Judas had not in his mind of betraying Jesus, do you think Jesus would say exactly the same words he really had said? I guess not. It is because of the mere fact that Judas and his act of betrayal weren’t an absolute necessity to the divine plan of salvation. Yes, whether we like it or not, it could have been someone else. Or it could have been in a different manner. If it had been one of the other disciples, he might have said the same words anyway. If it had been someone other than his disciples, then he might not have pronounced as if telling it would be one of those disciples. But if it had been in a different manner, (it’s up to you to think of some other manners to put Jesus to death) then he might not have said the same words. The point is, Jesus knew before someone else could have executed what he had in mind. He is omniscient because he is God. And alas it was Judas to commit the act of betrayal and so put him to death. I repeat, it is not necessary to be Judas nor should it be an act of betrayal.
But why isn’t it necessary to be Judas nor should it be an act of betrayal? This question of whether who or in what manner could have led him to death is not really that important as we might think it is. Those things are secondary to the divine plan of salvation . What is important and what is absolutely necessary to the divine plan of salvation is that Jesus would be put to death because of the sin of mankind. Yes, it was the sin of mankind that put Jesus to death. If this is the case, then the question of who was supposed to do it and in what manner is of no importance.
Yes, someone has to do it or someone should be instrumental (and of course in a certain manner). And Judas chose to be that someone or rather, Judas happened to choose to be that someone. It is true. I very much agree. But let us not end the sentence by simply asserting that Judas chose to be that someone or happened to be that someone. There is another more important question that we are missing which is exactly the very mistake of this so-called “gospel of Judas” and the key to understanding all this. The question is: Was Judas aware of his instrumentality? If he knew the plan then he might have been justified. But this would be very absurd and is very difficult to assert, or should I say a contradiction. Why? First and foremost, because if he knew the plan of salvation, then he was altering God’s plan of salvation. Remember, it is the sin of mankind that would have to put Jesus to death in order to fulfill the redemption. Do you think Judas committed a sin if he knew all the while the plan of salvation? I guess not. Why? In this case the principle of double-effect is at play. Because Judas, being aware of his instrumentality, was betraying Jesus not because he wanted Him to be dead, but he wanted to be part of the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation which is obviously the good intended. And this mistake leads to the second mistake which is very much unacceptable. We know that only God can save us. And if Judas knew the plan of salvation, he then took part directly to the salvific act of God. Man can only be part of the salvific act of Jesus indirectly just like Virgin Mary.
We are left then to conclude that Judas really betrayed Jesus. Judas really committed a sin. But despite this, I won’t agree that he deserves our hatred because after all he became instrumental for our redemption no matter what. And who among us does not commit sin? But neither is he deserving to be called a saint. He was not Peter. He was not Peter who after betraying Jesus asked for forgiveness. But we don't know . Yes we don't know whether with His infinite mercy God forgave Judas or not. That is why it is not easy to say whether Judas was condemned or not.
But after all, only God knows the exact reasons why it had been Judas. We are only humans and we always have to look things from the outlook of a man. We can never be divine. But God gave us means to know something about the Divine plan: Scriptures and Tradition are at hand which contain the revelation of God’s plan and we can take a glimpse of God’s whole plan though never fully grasping it. Because unfortunately, it remains and will always forever remain a mystery.

Happy Easter to everyone!

[rheinanhd]

Thanks for bothering to comment my brother Chrisly.
These topics are like fungus, huh? They are craving to be scratched. Hehehehe.

1. First, I would say that the rules that form the ‘gravity’ of suicide (in Ethics) was not applicable during their time because all these principles were formed on the later part (most by St. Thomas Aquinas) therefore we can neither pre-judge the severity of that sin based on the element of its commission nor justify the extent of Judas’ worth when he killed himself.
2. Secondly, I’m not saying that the ACT OF JUDAS is a NECESSITY. For if that will be our ground for argument, then all our deliberations will be misled when we fall to the pit of a great philosophical (and theological) truth: about PRE-DESTINATION. (which we know that it is never the case due to free-will). Remember that the concept (and truth) of Divine Omniscience leads us to the knowledge that God doesn’t hold or know our PARTICULAR eternal destiny but he holds and knows the ‘different paths’ that we might take towards our eternal destiny. That’s the main point of it all, setting aside the maddening strands of all the arguments behind the concept. God knows the different roads that will lead to the fate of Judas, but due to Judas’ free-choice He will never know the exact path Judas will take. I believe that the role was necessary.
3. Thirdly, I’m sorry to say that I don’t agree when you said that Judas’ act (of betrayal) was not part of the divine plan of salvation. I believe it is. Let me express my reasons – first, if God’s Omniscience infinitely works, and we know that Jesus is God (One of the Three Persons) then He knew the ‘different choices’ that Judas will commit. If part of it was betraying Jesus himself, then why did he still choose him to be his disciple? If so, and if we consider that Judas’ act was the greatest sin probably in the face of the earth, then we will be lead to the conclusion that Jesus’ choosing of him to be one of his disciples was a key contributing part of Judas’ downfall. For if you know the intentions of a man against you but still you chose and led him to the circumstance of the fulfillment of those intentions only to let the man be cursed upon generations and generations of witnesses to the crime against you which could have been avoided if you didn’t choose him in the first place, isn’t it? Isn’t that tricking that person onto bad fate? If we’re going to assume that Judas’ act was purely a crime against Jesus then Jesus contributed to that crime against him too, right? But if we assume that Judas’ act was a role greater than betrayal and sin and Judas himself, we will be led to believe the necessity of his part in the fulfillment of God’s plan.
And another thing, through Divine Omniscience there MAY NOT HAVE BEEN another person who will have to execute Judas’ act. And I’m not saying that it has to be an act of betrayal, for we can never know the ‘cause’ without the ‘effect’ or even say the word, so who can really tell what it COULD HAVE BEEN prior to the commission of Judas’ betrayal – only God knows.
4. And yes, I absolutely agree with you the necessity of Jesus’ death because of our sins for it was part of the divine plan – and the manner of his death is really of no importance.
But with regards to the instrumentality of Judas, I agree that he MAY not be aware, but not that nobody was. I believe Jesus was aware. Jesus always had in mind the plan of salvation. He knew the instrumentality of Judas. He is God though human so he knows through divine omniscience. So if Jesus knew all along and he knew that Judas MIGHT (due to Judas’ freewill to choose) betray him, why did he still choose him to be his disciple? He could have chosen anybody but him, but why Judas? I believe, though I may never fully understand, that in God’s plan of salvation, Judas was part of it. And IF Judas was aware of his role, I agree to you then that he had justified the principle of double-effect on choosing the greater good, but not directly on the ‘salvific act of God’ (as your term says – for I only know the immediate implication not the term itself) for Judas never knew the entirety of the salvation nor his exact role. He knew he was part of something great, but he still had choices whether to follow or fail to.
5. I agree that Judas committed a sin and that he betrayed the Son of God. But let us be careful with the implications of that word ‘betrayal’. For in the first place, he was the one CHOSEN to be a disciple. And if God knew all along that there is a possibility that Judas will betray him, then what is the point of choosing him still if not by considering that the act of Judas’ betrayal was just a stroke on a painting masterpiece. Therefore I am led to believe that, though a grave insult to a friend, the act itself was for something greater than itself – and that is a role played for the fulfillment of our salvation. I know that we can never really justify the end by its means, but this was greater than Ethics and principles. It is like saying that in the grand orchestra of divine plan of salvation, Judas had a part, like the other disciples, like all the Christians, like all of us.
6. And lastly, I’m not saying that neither we should take for granted seeing things from the outlook of man nor to pretend to see things on divine plane. All I’m saying is that if the origin of all this began and ends with God, then isn’t it more appropriate to form our considerations based on God’s viewpoint, through our outlook, by elevating our judgments and contemplations…even just to try.
Yes everything else aside from Tradition and Scriptures will remain to be part of the darkness of mystery. But when we open our minds to greater schemes, there will be glimpses of the beauty of God’s wholeness.
Happy Easter to you my brothers.

[Chrisly]

Yeah! I’ll scratch it one more time. hehehe.
1. First point: I would say moral principles have always existed from the time Adam and Eve sinned. Through what? Through conscience. But these principles were made concrete when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Killing, from then and on, has always been a grave sin since it’s par of the Ten Commandments (Do not kill). People of Israel were already making sacrifices as a form of repentance for their sins. So it would be logical that during the time of Judas, suicide was a grave sin (mortal sin) since Ten Commandments were already in existence.
2. Second point: I guess we are in the same line with regard to predestination. Surely that it’s impossible and it’s an idea to be shut off. And yes, Divine omniscience is exactly what you think it is. I agree with you that His omniscience doesn’t set aside our freewill that He himself gave us. But I don’t understand that while we say that due to Judas’ free-choice God will never know the exact path Judas will take, then how come you said that Judas’ role was necessary? It seems illogical for me. Because if it was necessary, then we should say that from the very beginning God knew already what path Judas must take since the plan of salvation has been in the mind of God from the very start. In other words, if Judas’ role was necessary to the plan of salvation, his role must not be taken out from the plan of salvation. And since God is the author of the plan of salvation, then He knew from the start what role or what path Judas has to take. Unless you mean that his role and what path he has to take are two different things. but it will seem ridiculous for me if that’s the case.
3. Third point: I think I did not say explicitly that Judas’ act of betrayal was not part of the divine plan of salvation although I’m aware that what I said would somehow implicitly affirm it since I’m into the position that it could have been someone else. But I prefer saying that Judas’ act of betrayal wasn’t necessary than saying it as not part of the divine plan. Why? Because of its historical value, that it really did happen, that it was in the end Judas who betrayed Jesus. Anyway, I’m not convinced with the given reasons in proving that his act of betrayal was part of the divine plan of salvation. To the first reason: let me say that we need to differentiate here the potency and act/existence of a thing. It is quite different to say that 1)Jesus chose Judas as disciple in potency of betraying Him, from saying that 2)Jesus chose Judas as disciple in act of betraying Him. When Jesus chose the 12 disciples, in fact all of them were in potency of betraying Him because everybody was a sinner. In that very moment, although as God Jesus was omniscient, He could not know that Judas would be the one to betray Him because of his freewill. He only knew it to be a possibility not only in Judas but in each and everyone of the disciples. So Jesus did not choose Judas in order for him to betray Him simply because He did not know. He had no idea until the high priests asked Judas and he decided to betray Him. Since Jesus was omniscient, He foresaw it immediately. To the 2nd reason: THERE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN other else except Judas. Yes we really cannot know. So we can also say THERE MAY HAVE BEEN other else than Judas.
4. Fourth point: Jesus has known the instrumentality of Judas only after Judas made the decision of betraying Him. Before that, He could not know. He knew it only to be a possibility in respect to man’s freewill.
5. Fifth point: I guess there’s no need of comment here. The above affirmations are enough. One other thing though: yes everyone had a role to play in the divine plan of salvation. But God cannot designate a role to each and every one. Again the question of freewill. For sure Judas had a part (though unnecessary). But we cannot justify HOW he managed his part. Because he was free to do it. God did not dictate what He must do. And if we justify Judas, then we should justify everybody else because everybody was part. Then no one was guilty of Jesus’ death except God which will be the last thing I could think of here on earth.
6. Sixth point: I agree. But we should know our limits.
Happy Birthday! And Happy Easter! Mauli ka sa summer sa pinas?

[Tobie marichell]

okay.............im not a catholic to start with..i reallt don't understand any of such arguments.....but one thing is for sure Judas has been the ultimate bad guy in this epic like story...again.....story depending whose telling it may vary....thats my non philosophical view to this topic...thanks for the some enlighthing views.

[rheinanhd]

hey, tobie...
thanks for your comments. that's why we have arguments to enlighten our views. we're not quarreling, it's just discussion. we'll say, scholastic deliberations. hehehehehe. thakns.

[rheinanhd]

ON YOUR FIRST POINT – I absolutely agree that killing/commission of murder is a mortal sin. But let us consider that Judas did not particularly commit murder. It was suicide. And not just that, the act itself was a cause of the weight of the ‘act of betrayal’ itself. What I was referring to when I said about the rules/principles of morality are the guidelines of actions based on moral philosophy that we have now. (E.g. Judas did not know that the composition that justifies a moral act is based on end, means and circumstance). Those were the things I was referring to. But going back, if you’re considering that the act of Judas to end his life is a grave matter and mortal sin, considering that time in history, then would you consider Jesus’ act of dying a mortal sin too? Remember in Ethics that one of the most fundamental act of man and that which becomes one of the basis for the Virtue of Justice is the preservation of life. If Jesus knew that he was going to die why did he go back to that town? He could have run to save his life. Isn’t that a moral act too? But he had to go through the passion for our salvation. He had to offer his life for the forgiveness of our sins. And I totally agree. You see Judas had the reason, he knew he had betrayed a friend, that was why he took his life. And the only reason I can think of was that he was sorry for his actions. For if you’re not, then what is the reason of taking your life. For fun? That would be absurd.
ON YOUR SECOND POINT – (About Divine Omniscience) God never knew what the exact path that Judas is going to take, BUT HE KNEW THE PATHS he will take due to his Omniscient Power and yes, Judas’ role was necessary to the plan of salvation. And it is not a contradiction. You see, on the plan of salvation Judas’ role was necessary for that part specifically. Now, if Judas DID NOT CHOOSE to take part of it, do you think that role will be fulfilled? And I believe that the plan of salvation would not even be fulfilled. For everybody had roles to play. Let us do some extrapolation, if the disciples were not there, if those people that Jesus healed were not there, if the Scribes were not there and everybody was not there, and two thousand years ago, Jesus was the only one in Nazareth and he came just like a zap – do you think our salvation history would be the same? Of course not. You ask what then is my point? – my point is simply this: THAT EVERYBODY HAD A ROLE TO PLAY. Even our Blessed Mother Mary. If she was not there or she chose not to carry Jesus in her womb, do you think everything will be the same? Of course not. You see, God laid out his plan of salvation, but it was never EXACTED on our humanity. He still gave everyone their choices if they want to take the role. (Of course, don’t confuse that with direct revelation). Even Mother Mary was given that choice, and she chose God’s will. In the case of Judas, God knew his CHOICES due to his Omniscient Power BUT HE DID NOT KNOW THE EXACT CHOICE JUDAS WILL TAKE. God gave Judas a role, just like all the characters in our salvation history, but He still gave us that privilege to choose on our own. It is like saying, in order for us to attain the rewards of heaven, IT IS NECESSARY to do God’s ways. God knows the PATHS or the possibilities that we’re going to take but not PARTICULARLY, due to the fact that the end of our acts depends on our free-choice. And it will never be a contradiction. I say again, JUDAS’ ROLE WAS NECESSARY IN THE PLAN OF SALVATION, BUT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY FOR JUDAS for he may choose not to participate. And God knew his choices. But never the exact choice Judas will take. And if that explanation is not enough, simply it’s like this, in drawing, if I draw an outline for you to follow in order to achieve a certain idea and still I give you the choice of following it or not, the necessity of following is laid out to you for the achievement of the goal. But still it is up to you, whether to follow or not. In other words the plan is there, but it is up to you still the lines you’re going to draw.
ON YOUR THIRD POINT – I think were on the same point about Potency+Act here. That Jesus does not base his nature on that plane but only in Essence+Existence. Yes, we can base your argument on the potency that is embedded on man, that all of them were capable of sin against our Lord, but we have to consider the particularity of those sins. Because remember, that in God’s omniscience he knows the PARTICULAR POSSIBILITIES BUT NOT THE EXACT ONES THAT THAT PERSON WILL CHOOSE due to our freewill. For if that’s not the case then as an example when Jesus told Peter that he will betray him 3 times, he could have told everybody too. That is just an affirmation that Jesus knew the POSSIBILITIES of the sins that his disciples will commit. But he still left them with the freewill of choosing otherwise. And Jesus did not choose them because they were capable of sinning against Him for who among on earth is not? But he chose his disciples because of the ROLES they were going to play. And betrayals were part of it. And on the argument about whether Jesus knew about Judas’ act of betrayal – of course he knew the possibility of it. But not the exact act of Judas due to Judas’ freewill. You see, DIVINE OMNISCIENCE DOES NOT CONTRADICT WITH THE COMMISSION OF SIN OF THE AGENT FOR OMNISCIENCE DELVES ON THE TOTALITY OF POSSIBILITIES OF THE SIN THAT THE AGENT WILL COMMIT, NOT ON THE PARTICULAR AND EXACT SIN THE AGENT WILL CHOOSE FOR COMMISSION. FOR IF THAT’S THE CASE WE’LL FALL TO THE ERROR OF PRE-DESTINATION.
ON YOUR FOURTH POINT – I think I made a mistake on my last account with regards to Judas’ instrumentality. What I really meant was that Jesus knew the instrumentality of Judas BASED ON the plan of salvation. I agree with you that He considered it as a POSSIBILITY because of Judas’ freewill but NOT THAT JESUS HAD NOT KNOWN PRIOR to the act of betrayal of Judas’ himself. If you’re referring to the act itself, yes Jesus did not know. But if you’re referring to the KNOWLEDGE of the commission of the sin, then we would contradict Divine Omniscience, right?
ON YOUR FIFTH POINT – I totally disagree because if we don’t have roles to play then what is the use of morality and the Scriptures and Tradition as media for guiding our actions? Besides, the role given for us does not contradict our freewill. For we have all the freedom to choose otherwise. Roles are there as an option. It is like God saying, here is the ladder you have to climb in order to share in my glory. But we still have the freedom to choose whether to climb it or not and to choose if we really desire to share in his glory. But if we really want to be with God’s glory, we’ll climb his ladder, and what is this ladder? It is the Scriptures, Tradition, morality, the teachings of Christ, and all the foundation of our Christian faith. Everyhting is there. BUT IT IS UP TO US, and our choosing, if we really want to climb = ).
LASTLY, I cannot really say who committed sins for I would never be able to know God’s judgment. In the immensity of God’s Being and the ‘littleness’ of our being, I would never be able to comprehend and even be worthy to understand. In the finitenss of our nature, there will always be mysteries meant not to be understood. All I can say is that I will forever be grateful to know Jesus, as a God, saving the meekness of my humanity.= )
(Dili yata ako pogi makauli, buhe.)

[Chrisly]

i'm already in the point of saying enough coz unfortunately, i don't have a luxury of time. seminarista baya. basi mapangisgan na kita dini sa internet. hehehe.
anyway, we have nothing to worry, coz the important thing is, we know Jesus saved us from eternal condemnation to hell no matter if we have different point of views with regard to Judas.
But for the last time, let me just cite something i got from the internet (which i suppose could help in understanding the matter). i guess this is what we really are discussing from the very start: DID JUDAS BETRAY JESUS OR NOT?

"Scholars surmise that Judas may have been the only Judean among the twelve disciples of Jesus. This alone could have caused him to feel somewhat superior, as Judeans considered Galileans to be country dwellers or "bumpkins." When Jesus gave him charge of the money box, it may have additionally boosted his ego.

Judas is often identified as a Zealot, an attribute held by only one other disciple, Simon the Zealot. We know that Judas was probably a Zealot by his surname, Iscariot. Researchers believe this is a form of the title sicarii, meaning "dagger-men," a group of ultra-Zealots who carried a knife with them at all times to be prepared to assassinate traitors and capitulators. In English, we could call him Judas the Daggerman.

Though motivated primarily by socio-economic and political factors, the Zealots also had prophetic ideas driving them. They believed that if they turned Israel back to God and incited war against the Romans, the Messiah would arise to lead them and establish His Kingdom. This "understanding"resulted from misinterpreting many prophecies concerning Christ's teachings. In short, the Zealots ignored many of the prophecies regarding His first coming and completely mis-timed those about the second.

Initially, Christ's message probably aroused great excitement among the Zealots and their sympathizers. His early public teachings, in which He rarely mentions having to die for the sins of the world, seemed to fit their expectations of a Messiah who would turn the people back to God. The accompanying miracles, healings, and casting out of demons only added to their "proof." Here was a righteous Jew, a descendant of David, who could lead them to victory over the Romans and usher in God's Kingdom.

Judas must have been thrilled. Jesus the Messiah had chosen him to be one among His twelve — and had appointed him treasurer too. Surely, he would be a mighty king in the New World Order that they would establish. It was more than he had ever hoped or dreamed.

Yet at some point, Jesus' message began to change. He frequently told His disciples that He would die—by crucifixion, of all things—and that this was a main reason for His coming. Judas began to notice that Jesus' references to the Kingdom contradicted his own ideas of it. How could this be right? Daniel had prophesied of the Messiah's coming at this time to set up the Kingdom that "shall stand forever" (Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14, 27; 9:24-25). Jesus, Judas thought, must be a false Messiah.

He began to find fault with the things Jesus said and did. He began to steal from the money box, either for his own ends or maybe to fund some of the activities of the sicarii. Once, in Bethany, he even complained aloud of his displeasure to Jesus (John 12:3-6). When Jesus gently rebuked him for his comment (Mark 14:6-9), Judas was incensed! Luke 22:3-6 tells what happened next:

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. Then he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Not even Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as King of Israel could dissuade him from his course. Judas had convinced himself that Jesus was a false Messiah and that He had to pay for His deception.

So Judas betrayed Jesus, who was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to die — just as He had foretold. With the prophecies fulfilled before his eyes, Judas Iscariot saw how He had misunderstood all along:

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!" Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:3-5)

It was too late. All the remorse in the world could not undo the damage he had caused—he had condemned the Savior of the world, the King of kings, to a cruel, shameful, painful death by crucifixion.

What terrible destruction we can cause when we proudly act on our own private interpretations of Jesus' teachings or scripture."

CONCLUSION:Yes, Judas betrayed Jesus not because he had a role to fulfill but because his own misinterpretations led him in betraying Jesus. He sinned and he even affirmed it as we can see from the citation.

salamat dolabs...

[rheinanhd]

Thanks xlie.
I’m already tired of this topic too.
These things only enthuse the mind for a little while. And then they start to fade away. = )
Anyway, that was well researched and well said. From the scriptural point of view, I rest my case. But from the philosophical plane, you know I’ll always have something to argue on. But we know that this would be a long ride. So I rest my case too. I’ll leave everything to the sanctity of our own personal beliefs. = ) I wish you all the best in your endeavors, xlie. And to all of you my brothers who have come to hold on to the grandeur of “philos” in search for that uniqueness in attaining “sophia.” As seekers we live, in our seeking we find the reason WHY. Just like wisdom, it is always a constant walk on the road of searching. And never will it be a destination, for its magnificence lies in our persevering.

[Mikko]

iudas, whom was called by ieshua a friend. Iudas was not an evil man that in his part he just accepted the fact that he will be sacrificing his image and name for eternity. His actions were beyond the grasping of man's accountability of actions. God gave us the power of freedom. Basta, marami pang nakalakip na mga bagay bagay na mag papatunay na si iudas ay hindi lubusang masama! what he did is he sacrifice the lesser good that is himself for the sake of the greater good and that is which god to be crusified... ika nga ni judas, hahahaha the man i betrayed, called me his friend. How hell must have laughed... Buhe!!!!