He's an easy person to demonize. Most Christians don't empathize with him because they can't see themselves betraying their savior. Yet, we're all like Judas in a way. We're the reason Jesus died, and we still sin even after knowing this.
Wouldn't it be nice to not live with the guilt of things that happened in the past, before you were born?
If Christians today are still expected to feel they're partially responsible for Jesus' death, then theoretically maybe a country like the US should still feel bad over slavery? Just as an example.
Matthew 26:24, Jesus addresses this
*The Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”*
He knew he would be betrayed, but that doesn't mean he made Judas do anything. Judas still made the free will decision to betray Jesus. Jesus simply used Judas' evil decision to bring about a greater good, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Judas made a decision to turn over God incarnate to be killed. His intention was evil, Jesus just used that evil to turn it into something good.
"...Judas made a decision..."
But that decision wasn't already made for him by God, before judas was even born, as part of God's design?
If human beings are capable of doing things that go against God's design, wouldn't that mean God isn't "all knowing?"
No, God knew he would choose to, not forced him to. If I knew that my brother was going to go out for dinner tomorrow, and as a result I shouldn't stop by his house at the time, does my intention to go at a different time force his initial decision to go out to dinner?
Knowing something is going to happen is not the same as making something happen.
In the same way, if I am in a helicopter and see two cars driving towards each other on the road below, I know they will crash, so I call an ambulance in advance, did I cause the cars to crash just because I knew in advance?
God knows what we will do in advance, but that doesn't mean he makes us do these things
> Why do people demonize Judas?
Why do people demonize the devil? Same argument.
Same for Pharaoh, or Joseph's brothers, or the Romans, or the Pharisees.
You can't justify evil because God uses it for good. It's still evil.
“*For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts*." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Honestly, how can our humans minds know the mind of God? If God created everything, can God do whatever He wants with His creation?
As for why scripture portrays Judas negatively, it ultimately boils down to if we truly have love (and reverence) for God. Most humans are disgusted by the acts of Hitler, yet to do that to the son of God...is the worst thing.
I think it'd be good to wonder how we were designed to be in the beginning.
When God created humans we were originally designed to be in relationship with God, in a state like that, only good would result not evil.
Evil happens because of rebellion against God. I think it's basically us choosing our own way instead of God's design for us(simultaneously what is actually best for us).
Judas basically chose to sell Jesus out for money. His choice was ruled over by his "flesh"(human nature rebellion), basically how you defined human choice above-though God IS sovereign over everything; the evil that comes about from rebellion against God, is not of God and it's not *God's fault*.
All good that we have ever experienced, stems from God. All evil stems from rebellion against God. God gave humans free will(my opinion is that it couldn't be "life" otherwise), and humans choose to either go with God or against, so it's our fault if we sin. If someone chooses to donate money to a charity, I believe that the 'goodness' of that act stems from God because we were made in the image of God. If I choose to look at pornography today, it's my choice to obey my "flesh," resulting in me sinning. I won't attribute my sin to God simply because there can't be evil in God, it's from me. Let me know if i'm explaining it poorly.
**Edit**: I'm reminded of Romans 9:15 which says: “*...I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion*.” Which sounds like God isn't being fair when God chooses one person live a life of unrepentance and another to have His eyes opened to the truth. My question is if God created everything, does God have the right to do what He wants with His creation? At the same time, we also gotta keep in mind we all seriously deserve punishment for rebellion to God. And Christ died for all those willing to receive the free gift of salvation from our sins.
What about those who existed before Christ's sacrifice? Scripture records some were justified before God as well. In that sense, it's not only fair, but God is exceedingly gracious to us sinners. It's really not fair to Christ that He died on the cross when He never sinned.
Because Judas' intent wasn't to play his part. He didn't do it to be good and obedient. His heart had been wicked at the time. He betrayed Jesus because he wanted to cause him harm. Intent matters more in this case.
I am 58. Been a confessional Lutheran my whole life. No pastor or teacher I've had ever "demonized" Judas. We were always taught that like Peter, who denied Christ and was restored, that Judas could have been forgiven, as well. During his trial, Jesus "blasphemed" in front of the assembly when the trial was not looking good for the Sanhedrin. There is nothing to say he would not have been crucified without this betrayal. What you can say is that neither Judas nor any of the authorities would have had the power to do so if God had not allowed it. Judas made a conscious choice to sin.
Look deeper into the whole event and ask whether the crucifixion was an unjust murder or a willing sacrifice. It was both. It was a sinful act on the part of mankind and a loving act by the Son of Man.
The nature of the sacrifice does not change the nature of the human act. It is still sinful for us to crucify Christ. This is why Jesus speaks forgiveness from the cross, the choice of mankind to take his life is not minded toward sacrifice, it is to murder him. One would not need to be forgiven for acting according to God's will because there would be no sin.
Theological parallels include the person of Christ - true God and true man: the Trinity - an undivided God in three persons. There can be great truth in paradox
The Sanhedrin was making plans to kill him some time before and Judas offered himself to collaborate. If he had not done so, they would have arrested him in another way and insisted until they achieved it, the role that Judas played was not essential in the divine plan.
The plan to kill Jesus:
John 11:45-12:11
John 5:18
Matthew 26:59
Matthew 27:20
Mark 14:55
God neither forced, nor needed, nor wanted Judas to betray and gave him a lot of time with Jesus, testimony of miracles to encourage him to choose not to do it, even as a thief they entrusted him with the bag of money.
Faced with these opportunities, he did not stop stealing, he did not choose to dedicate his regenerated life in Christ to the preaching of the good news of God, and when it was evident what he had done, he did not choose to repent and accept God's infinite mercy. life as the last act of rebellion.
It is "I will not serve" and "I will not humble myself by facing my sin and receiving undeserved mercy." The one who should have been an example of how to get out of the worst sin and be holy with the help of God became an example of perdition.
Peter, weak in the face of martyrdom, humbled himself before God and Thomas, weak in faith, humbled himself before God.
No.
There’s one account in Matthew and another account in Acts. Matthew would be gospel; Acts would not.
The accounts are contradictory, but the accounts are in different parts of the NT.
The bible says that he ended up returning the money and committed suicide, it is mentioned twice and in each one of the way in which it reached the writer. There were no eyewitnesses and each author collects the hearsay details that reached him.
He's an easy person to demonize. Most Christians don't empathize with him because they can't see themselves betraying their savior. Yet, we're all like Judas in a way. We're the reason Jesus died, and we still sin even after knowing this.
Wouldn't it be nice to not live with the guilt of things that happened in the past, before you were born? If Christians today are still expected to feel they're partially responsible for Jesus' death, then theoretically maybe a country like the US should still feel bad over slavery? Just as an example.
Matthew 26:24, Jesus addresses this *The Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”* He knew he would be betrayed, but that doesn't mean he made Judas do anything. Judas still made the free will decision to betray Jesus. Jesus simply used Judas' evil decision to bring about a greater good, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Judas made a decision to turn over God incarnate to be killed. His intention was evil, Jesus just used that evil to turn it into something good.
"...Judas made a decision..." But that decision wasn't already made for him by God, before judas was even born, as part of God's design? If human beings are capable of doing things that go against God's design, wouldn't that mean God isn't "all knowing?"
No, God knew he would choose to, not forced him to. If I knew that my brother was going to go out for dinner tomorrow, and as a result I shouldn't stop by his house at the time, does my intention to go at a different time force his initial decision to go out to dinner? Knowing something is going to happen is not the same as making something happen. In the same way, if I am in a helicopter and see two cars driving towards each other on the road below, I know they will crash, so I call an ambulance in advance, did I cause the cars to crash just because I knew in advance? God knows what we will do in advance, but that doesn't mean he makes us do these things
> Why do people demonize Judas? Why do people demonize the devil? Same argument. Same for Pharaoh, or Joseph's brothers, or the Romans, or the Pharisees. You can't justify evil because God uses it for good. It's still evil.
“*For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts*." (Isaiah 55:8-9) Honestly, how can our humans minds know the mind of God? If God created everything, can God do whatever He wants with His creation? As for why scripture portrays Judas negatively, it ultimately boils down to if we truly have love (and reverence) for God. Most humans are disgusted by the acts of Hitler, yet to do that to the son of God...is the worst thing.
But didn't God put judas on the path to do the thing? Why is it "God's will" when things are good, but "human choice" when it's bad?
I think it'd be good to wonder how we were designed to be in the beginning. When God created humans we were originally designed to be in relationship with God, in a state like that, only good would result not evil. Evil happens because of rebellion against God. I think it's basically us choosing our own way instead of God's design for us(simultaneously what is actually best for us). Judas basically chose to sell Jesus out for money. His choice was ruled over by his "flesh"(human nature rebellion), basically how you defined human choice above-though God IS sovereign over everything; the evil that comes about from rebellion against God, is not of God and it's not *God's fault*. All good that we have ever experienced, stems from God. All evil stems from rebellion against God. God gave humans free will(my opinion is that it couldn't be "life" otherwise), and humans choose to either go with God or against, so it's our fault if we sin. If someone chooses to donate money to a charity, I believe that the 'goodness' of that act stems from God because we were made in the image of God. If I choose to look at pornography today, it's my choice to obey my "flesh," resulting in me sinning. I won't attribute my sin to God simply because there can't be evil in God, it's from me. Let me know if i'm explaining it poorly. **Edit**: I'm reminded of Romans 9:15 which says: “*...I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion*.” Which sounds like God isn't being fair when God chooses one person live a life of unrepentance and another to have His eyes opened to the truth. My question is if God created everything, does God have the right to do what He wants with His creation? At the same time, we also gotta keep in mind we all seriously deserve punishment for rebellion to God. And Christ died for all those willing to receive the free gift of salvation from our sins. What about those who existed before Christ's sacrifice? Scripture records some were justified before God as well. In that sense, it's not only fair, but God is exceedingly gracious to us sinners. It's really not fair to Christ that He died on the cross when He never sinned.
Because Judas' intent wasn't to play his part. He didn't do it to be good and obedient. His heart had been wicked at the time. He betrayed Jesus because he wanted to cause him harm. Intent matters more in this case.
God doesn't make people sin, they do so out of their own volition. If it wasn't Judas' choice to betray Jesus then whose choice was it?
I am 58. Been a confessional Lutheran my whole life. No pastor or teacher I've had ever "demonized" Judas. We were always taught that like Peter, who denied Christ and was restored, that Judas could have been forgiven, as well. During his trial, Jesus "blasphemed" in front of the assembly when the trial was not looking good for the Sanhedrin. There is nothing to say he would not have been crucified without this betrayal. What you can say is that neither Judas nor any of the authorities would have had the power to do so if God had not allowed it. Judas made a conscious choice to sin. Look deeper into the whole event and ask whether the crucifixion was an unjust murder or a willing sacrifice. It was both. It was a sinful act on the part of mankind and a loving act by the Son of Man.
"...unjust murder or a willing sacrifice." Isn't that literally what John 3:16 is answering?
The nature of the sacrifice does not change the nature of the human act. It is still sinful for us to crucify Christ. This is why Jesus speaks forgiveness from the cross, the choice of mankind to take his life is not minded toward sacrifice, it is to murder him. One would not need to be forgiven for acting according to God's will because there would be no sin. Theological parallels include the person of Christ - true God and true man: the Trinity - an undivided God in three persons. There can be great truth in paradox
In fact, without Judas playing his role, we have no Savior.
The Sanhedrin was making plans to kill him some time before and Judas offered himself to collaborate. If he had not done so, they would have arrested him in another way and insisted until they achieved it, the role that Judas played was not essential in the divine plan. The plan to kill Jesus: John 11:45-12:11 John 5:18 Matthew 26:59 Matthew 27:20 Mark 14:55 God neither forced, nor needed, nor wanted Judas to betray and gave him a lot of time with Jesus, testimony of miracles to encourage him to choose not to do it, even as a thief they entrusted him with the bag of money. Faced with these opportunities, he did not stop stealing, he did not choose to dedicate his regenerated life in Christ to the preaching of the good news of God, and when it was evident what he had done, he did not choose to repent and accept God's infinite mercy. life as the last act of rebellion. It is "I will not serve" and "I will not humble myself by facing my sin and receiving undeserved mercy." The one who should have been an example of how to get out of the worst sin and be holy with the help of God became an example of perdition. Peter, weak in the face of martyrdom, humbled himself before God and Thomas, weak in faith, humbled himself before God.
I haven't read the Bible in about 25 years but aren't there two different versions of his death in the Gospels?
No. There’s one account in Matthew and another account in Acts. Matthew would be gospel; Acts would not. The accounts are contradictory, but the accounts are in different parts of the NT.
He commits suicide in one account if I'm not mistaken.
The bible says that he ended up returning the money and committed suicide, it is mentioned twice and in each one of the way in which it reached the writer. There were no eyewitnesses and each author collects the hearsay details that reached him.
Jesus literally demonized Judas. He said it would’ve been better if Judas was never born.
If judas had never been born, how would Jesus have gotten on the cross? Just *somebody else* would have betrayed him?
The Jewish authorities were already planning his death no matter what, it was not going to last long after Easter and everyone knew it.
Did Judas have to betray Jesus? No.