JUDAS: More Than Just a "Bad Guy"

March 4th, 2021 | Allison Stephens

If you say “Judas,” I think “bad guy.” Judas is the betrayer, he’s the guy who turned Jesus over to the authorities, he’s the one who traded his loyalty for 30 pieces of silver. Clearly, he’s the “bad guy” in the story, right? I don’t think that’s all there is to Judas.

Jesus chose Judas to be one of his twelve disciples. Out of all the people Jesus could have chosen, He picked Judas - that’s a big deal! Jesus shared life with Judas. We can only assume that Judas wanted to be part of the revolution that Jesus was preaching - this upside-down Good News.

Judas was also a full human being - with a hometown and a family. I think we can assume that Judas was capable of love and most likely felt love for Jesus and the other disciples. And, as with all humans, we know that Judas made mistakes, sinned, and disappointed himself and others. Judas wasn’t perfect, but we must remember that he was loved.

So why did Judas do it? Was it money? Judas received 30 silver coins from the chief priests in exchange for identifying Jesus. Was it evil spirits? Luke writes that “Satan entered Judas” right before Judas went to the temple to negotiate the deal. Was it disappointment? Some wonder if Judas was disheartened as it became clear that Jesus would not be leading an uprising against the rulers of the day. Perhaps Judas’ disappointment caused him to turn his leader in and be done with it altogether. Was Judas just part of God’s plan? Is his betrayal essential for God’s promises to be fulfilled? We must be careful about answering with a quick “yes” here - this conclusion eliminates the humanity of Judas. It ignores the person of Judas who was made in the image of God with all of the complexities and free will that God grants all of us. It makes it seem like God’s plan wouldn’t have worked if Judas hadn’t been the “bad guy.”

While we can’t know exactly why Judas did what he did, we do know how Judas felt afterward. And it’s a feeling that most of us have experienced: remorse. It didn’t take long for Judas to regret what he had done and return to the temple to give back the money. He was trying to rewind the film, to go back to before. I’ve definitely had times when I wanted to rewind the film of my life - have you? Have you made a decision that you regretted? Or wished that you’d said something a different way? Have you felt remorse after causing someone pain? These are the moments when I wish we were built with rewind buttons so that we could go back and do things differently.

But, that’s not God’s design. We are flawed people who live in a world where time only moves forward. And God allows us to feel remorse and regret so that we can take action to repair the brokenness that we create. This is the beauty of confession and then forgiveness, that leads to repentance. It is a pathway to healing that can mend all brokenness.

Judas was on this path. He confessed, “I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood.” But the chief priests did not offer forgiveness. They would not accept his confession or his money. And after Judas leaves the temple, his story abruptly ends.

Matthew records that Judas died by suicide. And once again, we are left to wonder why. Sure, we could heap judgement upon Judas or think “he had it coming.” But I don’t think that’s the lesson here. Judas was God’s beloved creation. Judas had loved ones who mourned. If you’ve lost someone to suicide, I’m sure you can relate to the sadness, confusion, and even guilt that Judas’s family and friends must have experienced. It’s a deep aching grief.

Judas’s death is included in the story on purpose. While there are countless reasons for someone to consider suicide, we know that in Judas’ case it happened after a specific sequence of events: feeling remorse, confessing sin, then being rejected and unforgiven. Shall we seek wisdom from this part of the story? Shall we be more alert to someone’s confession and more generous with forgiveness? I’m not claiming that the chief priests could have saved Judas’ life, nor am I claiming to know all of Judas’ options after leaving the temple. What I am suggesting is that we are called to love one another, even when someone has made a big mistake. And we are called to love ourselves, even when we have no hope. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please know that you are loved and call our community suicide lifeline (800) 273-8255 and talk with someone. I promise that they will listen.

God gave us a path toward healing through confession, forgiveness, and repentance. May we love one another well and journey toward healing together.