The reason for betrayal

If Judas had not betrayed Jesus, would Jesus not have been crucified? That is not the case. Even if Judas had not betrayed Him, Jesus would have been arrested and crucified in some other way. In fact, Jesus got on the cross according to His own will. Therefore, Judas was not forced into a tragic role by God. The issue laid within himself. (1) Judas was likely an intelligent and skillful person, as he served as the treasurer of the disciple group. According to the Gospel of John, he had been stealing from the group’s money box (John 12:6). (2) Satan entered his weak, money-obsessed heart (Luke 22:3). (3) By playing the role of an informant to the chief priests, Judas opened the way to secretly arrest Jesus away from the public eye. (4) Judas received thirty pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave (Ex. 21:32). Here, is a bitter irony that equated the value of Jesus’ life to that of a slave. (5) The coins were taken from the temple treasury, originally meant for purchasing sacrificial animals. Unknowingly, the chief priests were, in a sense, buying the sacrificial Lamb of God who would be offered on the cross.

The love of Jesus

“Why did Jesus choose Judas?” This surely is a mystery. The only thing that can be said is that Judas was not predestined to do what he did. Jesus loved Judas and offered him opportunities for repentance multiple times, but Judas did not to repent. Instead, he willingly opened his heart to Satan and betrayed Jesus. The chief priests, fearing the people, had planned to kill Jesus after the Passover. However, Jesus brilliantly thwarted the schemes of these chief priests (which were also of Satan’s) and got on the cross during the Passover. In our earthly life, we are given opportunities for repentance. Let us not squander God’s love and grace, but live this day to its fullness, turning to our heavenly Father.