What About Judas?

Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
—Matthew 26:14–16

How close can a person be to Jesus — and still miss Him?

I am intrigued by Judas’ story. Here, we find a man who was called by Jesus, named as an Apostle, ministered — and healed — in Jesus’ Name, witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles first-hand, ate and drank with Jesus, physically walked with Jesus; and yet betrayed Him.

There is more to the story of Judas than betrayal.

Judas was:

Called personally.
Trusted with the money bag.
Sent out to preach.
Given authority to cast out demons.
Present for miracles.
Included in intimate teaching.
At the table of the Last Supper.

At the Last Supper:

Jesus washed Judas’ feet.
Jesus shared bread with him.
Jesus addressed him as “Friend” (Matthew 26:50).
When Jesus handed him the morsel (John 13:26), in their culture, it was a gesture of closeness and honor.

Yet, in all four of the Gospels, the first time we hear Judas’ name, he is identified as the one who betrayed Jesus. That sets a tone. It has unfortunately clouded our understanding of who Judas actually was. Because the Gospel writers identify his beginning through the lens of his end, we tend to write him off as nothing more than betrayer. But we must not forget that he was a real man. A man who lived on this earth and walked with Jesus.

Judas shows us how close a person can be to grace — and still make a tragic choice. If that is true, then his story is not only tragic — it is instructive.

Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him when He called him. But He called him anyway. Not only was Jesus fully embracing His eventual death when He chose Judas, but He also gave him every opportunity to choose a different path.

Through all of Jesus’s teaching and discipling, Judas was there. Yet Jesus never called him out. He was never excluded from what Jesus was doing. Jesus kept him by His side until the night He was betrayed.

Jesus did not keep Judas near because He needed him for the plot.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9

Even though Judas heard and saw everything the other eleven saw, he apparently walked away with a distorted vision of who Jesus was and what He was doing. Judas heard the Sermon on the Mount. He heard the parables and their explanations. Judas was there for the feeding of the five thousand. He saw the sick healed, demons cast out, and Lazarus raised from the dead. But somehow, he missed the truth of how Jesus was calling His followers to respond.

How often have I been guilty of the same thing? I read my Bible and pray. I listen to Christian music. I go to church to sing and listen to a sermon. But am I submitting to the Holy Spirit’s directing and nudging as I walk from day to day? Am I allowing God to change not just my outward actions, but my heart? Or am I checking off my “spiritual boxes" as I live the life that seems right to me?

How many times have I thought, or even said, that if I had been alive when Jesus was walking the earth, I would be able to live my life much differently?

Judas’ life casts that idea in a different light.

Closeness to Jesus is not the same as belonging to His purpose.

Judas was included when Jesus sent out the twelve to proclaim the nearness of the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. He not only saw, but he accomplished amazing things in Jesus’ Name. He had been given access to incredible power for ministry.

But somewhere along the way, he began to interpret things differently. Maybe he began to think the road was too difficult. Too long. Maybe he was impatient. I wonder if he thought that his way was better than Jesus’ way?

That’s where I get stuck. How many times have I chosen a path because it seemed right to me? How many times have I given up on waiting, and plowed ahead? How much damage has been left in my wake because I did what seemed right to me?

I'm not so concerned about us becoming future betrayers. But there is real danger in assuming we are immune.

In the Gospels, we find an interesting parallel to Judas’ betrayal — Peter’s denial of Jesus. Both betrayals seem unimaginable considering the lives these men had lived with Jesus. But while the betrayals seem similar, their responses couldn’t be more different.

Judas, when he realized the sequence of events that he had set in motion, was filled with remorse and declared that he had sinned. His remorse turned to despair and led to suicide, because he could not embrace the forgiveness he had heard so much about.

Peter, on the other hand, was broken and wept bitterly. While he may have been confused about the events that transpired, he seems to have been unable to completely lose hope. His brokenness ultimately led to repentance. And that repentance led to restoration on a beach (John 21:15-19).

Judas’ story may not be primarily about wickedness. It may be about unmet expectations and the refusal to let God remain mysterious. Judas is not the villain of the Gospels. He is the tragedy.

Judas shows us that weakness alone does not save. Weakness must be entrusted to God and surrendered, because weakness that is not surrendered becomes despair.

Peter failed and returned. Judas failed and despaired. The difference was not the severity of their failure; it was their response to Jesus' call to repentance and restoration.

I choose to repent and trust.

How about you?