Perhaps one can learn some lessons from analyzing why Judas betrayed
the Lord Jesus. Specifically, this short essay will hypothesize
2 scenarios concerning thoughts of Judas that may have cumulated
in his betrayal. Then, it attempts to point at the specific flaws
in Judas' thoughts that we probably repeat in some form or the other.
Ultimately, it attempts to draw some practical lessons from the
mistakes of Judas.
The Holy Bible does not mention too much about the personality
of Judas. We learn that Judas loved money and was a thief (John
12:6). Interestingly, the fact that Judas committed suicide after
the Crucifixion of Christ suggests that Judas felt deep remorse
for his deed. Alternatively, it could suggest that Judas thought
that the Lord Jesus Christ was not going to be crucified.
One can imagine the following scenario for his betrayal. Judas
witnessed many instances in which the Lord Jesus saved Himself from
the hands of the Jews. (John 8:59). Maybe Judas thought that the
Lord Jesus would save Himself from the Jews all the time including
the instance of Judas' betrayal. The end result of this strategy
is the following. The Lord Jesus Christ is fine; Judas made some
money; and the chief priests were scammed.
This scenario is motivated by Judas' love for money
and his willingness to lie and cheat to get it. There are some lessons
that we can learn from this.
- Love of money is blinding.
- You never know how big the results of a lie could get.
But you know that the results have the potential to be very bad.
In Judas' eyes, betrayal of the Son of God was reduced to the scam
of chief priests. The latter does not sound as bad, especially since
the chief priests are considered the enemies of Judas. If Judas
had the right vision, he would not have done that.
Here is a more interesting scenario. Many of the contemporaries
of the Lord Jesus thought that the Lord Jesus was the Savior sent
by God to deliver the Jews from the Romans. The Lord's many miracles
probably deepened the idea that He was in a good position to defeat
the Romans. Perhaps Judas shared this belief. Perhaps Judas wanted
to force the Lord Jesus to start a "revolution" by putting Him between
2 choices: death or fighting a war.
These are only a few lessons that are taught from within Judas
"Betrayal of the Lord." Did Judas actually love the Lord Jesus Christ?
Possibly Judas loved the Lord, but initially not more than his love
for money and earthly wealth. In the finality of the events, Judas
learned a remorseful lesson. Love of money should not be first in
one's life nor should it destroy another ONE'S life.