Betrayal

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Is it I, Lord?”

Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Is it I, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

(Matthew 26:20-25)

Judas Iscariot walked with Jesus for three years. He heard every sermon and witnessed the miracles. Along with the other disciples, Jesus sent him out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons in His name (Matthew 10:1).

He heard the Sermon on the Mount, so he knew there is a narrow road that leads to life and a broad road that leads to destruction. He heard the parable of the prodigal son, so he knew God is ready to welcome and forgive those who have wasted themselves in many sins.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, Judas was there. He took the bread and distributed it along with the other disciples. When Jesus calmed the storm, Judas was there. He was there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. He knew Jesus was the Messiah. He ate at the same table and broke bread with Jesus.

And yet, he still betrayed Jesus.

John tells us that at the Last Supper, the devil had already seized Judas’s heart to betray Jesus (13:2). As Jesus is washing Peter’s feet, he tells him, “You are all clean, but not every one of you” (13:10). “For Jesus knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‘Not all of you are clean’” (13:11).

Jesus knew the weight of the betrayal that Judas was about to commit, and He still washed his feet. He is all-knowing, fully aware of our failures and shortcomings, yet His love remains. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

This should challenge us to reflect on our own lives—how often do we humbly serve those who have hurt us? We may be able to recite scripture, but are we allowing it to change our hearts?

Judas knew Scripture. He knew about Jesus, but he didn’t really know Him. He walked with Jesus for three years, but he never let the sermons or miracles change him. At the Last Supper, when Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him, eleven of them asked with trembling hearts, “Is it I, Lord?” But Judas said, “Is it I, Rabbi?”

“Lord” confesses authority and surrender. “Rabbi” recognizes status and intellect. We can be moved by His teaching yet remain unmoved in our souls. We can kneel to wash feet but not bow our hearts in surrender.

When Judas asked, he wasn’t seeking truth. He was hiding betrayal with religious politeness. He already held the thirty pieces of silver. He had already made the deal.

Different gospels offer different answers as to why Judas betrayed Jesus. Luke writes that Satan entered his spirit. Matthew and John suggest the reason was greed. Matthew tells us that Judas asked how much the Pharisees would pay him, and according to John, Judas regularly helped himself to the “common purse” that supported Jesus’ ministry.

Whatever the reason, it seems that Judas did not foresee the full consequences of his actions. When the arrest led to Jesus’ crucifixion, Judas couldn’t live with his betrayal. He tried to return the money, but the Pharisees refused to remove his guilt from him. In despair, he hanged himself. Perhaps this is why Jesus said, “Woe unto him by whose hand the Son of man is betrayed!”

One of the most comforting and encouraging truths we can hold onto is the understanding that Judas’ betrayal was not an unexpected twist in God’s plan; it was integral to it. The betrayal fulfills Psalm 41:9: “Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

Jesus’ journey to the cross was ordained for our salvation. In Acts 2:23, Peter reminds us, “This man, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” Judas was part of the plan, fulfilling prophecies and paving the way for the ultimate act of love—the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.