"The Son of Man will go 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."
There have been thousands of prophecies on Jesus' sacrificial death for our sake. But Judas was never in those prophecies. God's will to sacrifice Jesus would have pushed through even without Judas' help. In fact, early on, the Pharisees already were plotting to have Jesus arrested.
So why has the name of Judas been associated with betrayal and greed? It is because of SIN.
Did Jesus want him to be the fallguy? I don't believe it. Jesus loved His disciples. he handpicked them. He knew that he was going to die for their sins even before they new it. He loved Judas for sure and even tried to warn him. "Woe to that man..." but Judas hardened his heart and chose silver over the gold that Jesus offered.
Some people say -- and I was one of them -- that Judas was created to sin the sin of betrayal. They say that if Judas had not betrayed Jesus, the plan of God would not have pushed through. This is not possible because...well..God is God! Even before Judas was even born, God;s plan for salvation through Jesus was already in motion. Even without Judas' betrayal, His plan would have its fulfillment.
So why is the story of Judas so important to us? it shows us the frailty of our humanness. Even after knowing Jesus so intimately over 3 years, after being a front-row witness to Jesus' compassion and His miracles, after sitting at His feet listening to His teachings, Judas succumbed to temptation and sinned.
We must always guard our hearts and minds against the enemy who prowls like a hungry lion waiting to pounce on the weakest in the herd.
I also believe that Jesus forgave Judas -- "Father, forgive them for they know not what they're doing." In Matthew 27:3, it says "When Jesus was condemned, he (Judas) was seized with remorse (he was sorry), and returned the thirty pieces of silver (he tried to make things right, repentance".
(Photo Credit: scottallenlewis.com)
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