December 7, 2008

I once heard a man say without any distinguishable doubt, “Judas is in Hell.” These words were unsettling to me for two reasons: firstly, because they were spoken by a highly respected preacher, and secondly because I couldn’t find any evidence in the Bible that agreed with that statement. Is there any good that comes from a proclamation of another man’s judgment? And why is it always Judas that’s singled out? I challenge you to bear the slight discomfort if you disagree with me and see the case through to the end, or at least open your Bible and attempt to prove me wrong.

There were at least three recorded noteworthy figures in the Bible that denied Jesus. James, Jesus’ brother, (Mark 6:4) who denied him once, Judas, who denied Jesus twice; once in his dealings with the Chief Priests (Luke 22:3-6) and again with a kiss at the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:47-48), but it was Peter that denied Jesus on three separate occasions (John 18:17, 25-27). Over the course of recorded history enumerable men from every walk of life have turned their back on God. Why is it that Judas receives a more than generous share of negative attention? How is it we name our children after a man who denied his Lord three times and shame the man who confessed his sin, repented by repaying the money he had received and paid the spiritual debt of his sin with his own life (Matt 27:3-5)?

There was once a boy who turned on a water faucet which consequently flooded a junior high school lavatory. The same boy, after buying into the teacher’s notions about the rewards that come from confessing our sins, admitted to the offence and was immediately expelled. No consequence however was considered for the boy who stopped up the drain or the hundred other boys that could have shut off the water but chose to do nothing. In this analogy, the boys that did nothing could easily represent Jesus’ disciples, the boy who was punished for turning on the faucet could be Judas and the boy who stopped up the drain showed the destructiveness of Satan.

So many of us make it a pastime looking for the worst in others, and it’s certainly easy to find fault in Judas’ case, but by placing the guilt solely on Judas we miss a valuable lesson. God never uses the lukewarm middle-of-the-road to make his point. If God wants to show his strength he’ll manifest himself in the weakest of us, and if he wants to show us our weakness he’ll humble the strongest. Judas was one of the greatest of the twelve. It was Peter who was being groomed for the headship of the early church, but it was Judas who was responsible for the money. In other words, if Peter was the Minister of Defense, Judas was the Secretary of the Treasury.

To assume that Judas was responsible for the events that ensued is to assume that God is not in control. It was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex 10:1). It is God who fulfills his word as spoken through the profits. It will be God who places a strong delusion in the minds of them who are waiting to witness a rapture before they choose to believe (2 Thess 2:11). Satan was allowed to enter into Judas (Luke 22:3) only after Jesus acknowledged Judas as the traitor (John 13:26-27). What we fail to grasp is that Jesus told Judas that he knew that he was the traitor. He told Judas to do what he must do, as well as how to do it, (e.g. John 13:27, “That thou doest, do quickly”). Someone needed to fulfill the prophecy of Zech 11:12-13, (i.e. 30 pieces of silver for a potter’s field). Someone needed to turn on the faucet. Judas was chosen.

In defense of Judas, his subsequent actions showed true remorse and repentance. Judas didn’t take the thirty pieces of silver and live out the rest of his days on a beach. He knew that the wages of sin was death and paid for what he must have thought unforgivable with his own life. Judas’ action in response to his betrayal of Jesus, though misguided, made him the first disciple to die for his faith. And yet we condemn him.

Every recorded mistake in the Bible is designed for the benefit of those who follow in the course of time. When the people didn’t know what to do when they found the man picking up sticks on the Sabbath and brought him to Moses, God said to stone him (Num 15:32-36). Little did our anonymous forefather know that picking up a little extra firewood would immortalize him as an example to all who followed. His life was designed to remind us that God’s word is to be obeyed. Uzza was the man who attempted to help protect the Ark when the ox stumbled (1 Chron 13:9-10). His life was taken as an example that God doesn’t need our help. Incidentally, David was very angry at God for Uzza’s death, but if God hadn’t made an example of him, he might have been regarded as the world’s first super hero – “The Man Who Saved God”. The behavior of the man working on the Sabbath, if left unchecked, would have gradually turned God’s forth commandment (i.e. keep holy the Sabbath) into an option with no purpose or benefit at all (not unlike what most Christians experience today). Judas was no doubt an example for all of us, and, if he hadn’t convicted himself, I’m relatively certain that he would have looked into the same forgiving eyes that the rest of the disciples saw when Jesus returned.

Judas may have been willing to identify Jesus for a price but he had no way of knowing the course of events to follow. If we take a closer look, we see that Judas’ motive was not to harm Jesus. On the contrary, Mark 14:44 states, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away SAFELY.” Judas may have betrayed Jesus openly but the others denied him in their hearts and by their hiding. The Sanhedrin may have used Judas like a pawn in their conspiracy against Jesus to preserve their jobs and/or status, but it was and is and will be our sin that forced God to provide that perfect sacrifice for himself in order that we might be forgiven of our transgression. It may be true that after walking three years with Jesus that Judas should have known better, but who among us hasn’t ignored their own good judgment only to fall not once, but over and over again.

From a legal standpoint, how could someone lose something that didn’t yet exist? The free gift of salvation (i.e. being saved by grace) didn’t exist until after Jesus’ death. If Judas died before Jesus, he would be in need of God’s mercy not his grace. The Bible isn’t specific as to precisely when Judas died. The gospel of Matthew does mention Judas’ death shortly after he saw Jesus was condemned which was before the release of Barabbas (Matt 27:3-5, 15-16). If Judas’ self execution preceded Jesus’, how then could Judas have forfeited God’s gift of salvation since that gift wouldn’t exist until after Jesus had fully paid for it with his death several hours later?

Is this assessment of Judas’ character correct or is he in Hell? Only God knows. It would be enlightening though to know what great work Judas might have done had God not seen fit to make an example of him. The tragedy here isn’t merely one life being cut short. It’s the fact that for 2000 years we’ve been distracted from the fullness of the Master’s truth and have been unable to see the whole purpose of this fallen disciple. Judas and Peter were great men, but, illogically, Peter who did nothing that fateful day later received eternal reward while Judas who acted immediately received eternal condemnation. But why?

The bible instructs us to love one another as Jesus loved us. One of the ways we can manifest love is through forgiving others. God has promised to forgive us in the same proportion we forgive others, but it doesn’t end there. Jesus will also be defending those who believe on him against evil itself. So there is a connection between forgiveness and defending that which has been forgiven. Have we forgiven others? More importantly, have we forgiven the Judas’ in our lives? If we have, we should be willing to defend them. For how can we expect Jesus to defend us if we aren’t willing to first forgive and defend those who have denied us.

It was the boys that did nothing that reflected the disciple’s behavior in my old junior high. It was I who was expelled. No one knows who stopped up the drain with paper towels, but it was the school administrators and teachers that placed all the burden of guilt on the shoulders of one small boy in order to relinquish their own responsibility, and that is what duly represents our sin. No where in the Bible does it imply that Judas was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, and if Jesus didn’t blame him why do we. Pointing fingers at Judas is nothing more than a clear indication that we aren’t willing to accept the complete responsibility for our actions. Why do I defend someone like Judas? Because Jesus chose to defend someone like me. 
 

 

© John Lindsay 2006, 2008