Why did Judas betray Jesus?

carpecollum@gmail.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:48:12 GMT

Why did Judas betray Jesus? This has always been a question in my mind. We could speculate. It seems he loved money. He was the treasurer of the small band of disciples. He actually pilfered from the purse (John 12:6).

I would like to think he was just trying to swindle a little money out of these Jews. I'd like to think he didn't actually hate Jesus. After all, he had seen Jesus walk right through crowds of people who were ready to stone Him. Jesus could take care of Himself, he knew. So even if Judas turned Jesus over to the Jews, Jesus had the power to escape. I'd like to think all of that went through Judas's head.

But we aren't explicitly told his motivation. We are left only with the concrete knowledge that Judas betrayed his Lord for 30 pieces of silver. It would be blasphemy to even ask the question whether this was a fair exchange. We are revolted by the thought of selling a human for money. The thought of selling GOD for money is unbelievable! Perhaps the motive is not so important as the act. There may be many reasons a person would sell Jesus Christ: wealth, fame, physical pleasure, other religions, etc. Whatever the reason, the act is terrible, unconscionable, and worthy of eternal punishment. I fully believe Jesus would have accepted Judas back in repentance if he had turned back to his Lord. Peter betrayed Christ, too, the night of His betrayal, but Peter came back. Let's not sell our Lord for anything!

Nathan

Daily Bible Message

Why did Judas betray Jesus?