Can you blame Judas Iscariot if God Himself chose him to be a traitor?

Answer 1

Hmm this is a hard one. In fact, the jury is still out on this question, as many Bible scholars and theologians have been debating this very issue for a very long time.

First, it has to be said that the gospels portray Judas as a nasty piece of work. John, for instance, portrays him as a thief often helping himself to the 'common fund' of the disciples as he was the 'keeper of the purse'. In addition we are told that the 'devil entered Judas' before the betrayal. More than this, we are told that he accepted a bribe of thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus. Many think this is a large sum of money, but as one silver piece was the going rate for a day's labour for an unskilled worker, thirty pieces was a month's wage - equivalent of about £1000 ($1500) today. Hardly a king's ransom. Some scholars believe that the gospel writers were still smarting a little about Judas' role in the scheme of things, and therefore portrayed him unfairly - but this is just conjecture. But we have to remember that the gospels were written by those who still had an axe to grind against Judas and so we must niot take simply at face value what they say about him, but to look more closely at the facts.

We do know, for example, that Jesus knew Judas would 'betray' him. Even at the last supper we are told that Jesus told him to 'go, and do what you have to do'. We are uncertain what this means, but some believe that Judas (and Jesus) was very aware of what would happen and what would HAVE to happen if God's plan of redemption through Jesus' death and resurrection was to take place.

Therefore, many scholars are now of the thinking that Judas was possibly obeying God's plan and doing God's will in betraying Jesus to the authorities. For if he had not done so, there would be no arrest, no crucifixion and no resurrection - and no Christian Church 2000 years later. Judas was the chosen one; if he had not done the deed, then it would have had to be one of the others to obey God's will. Jesus knew about his death and the necessity of it - so much that he laid into Peter when Peter once denied that Jesus would die by execution. So Jesus was well aware of what was to come - and that someone - Judas - would have to set the wheels in motion.

We are also told that after Judas realised what chain of events he had set in place, he was filled with remorse - so much that he threw the money back at the priests and went out and hanged himself. Some have seen this as an act of cowardice, but we have to remember that Jesus himself preached forgiveness as a result of contrition. In Judas' case, his anguish and remorse, and the resulting suicide, must be seen as the desperate work of a man who sought forgiveness for what he had done. If Jesus (and therefore God) is true to his word (and he would be!) then Judas would also have been forgiven for the betrayal - even if no forgiveness was actually necessary as it seems he was doing God's will anyway.

As a result of this, many within the Church (and a significant number within the Roman Catholic Church) are now calling for Judas to be finally made a saint. Of course, there is still great controversy over this but one day this may well happen. However, whether or not Judas is made a saint on earth, there are a significant number of Christians who believe that, along with the rest of the disciples, he is now in God's nearer presence as a result of God's grace and forgiveness, and as a result of his doing God's will, at great cost to himself - and his reputation - over the last 2000 years.