Who was Judas Iscariot?
According to Wikipedia-the free encyclopedia, Judas Iscariot, Hebrew: "Yehuda" Yehudah Is-kariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original Apostles of Jesus. Among the twelve, he was apparently designated to keep account of the "money bag", but he is most traditionally known for his role in Jesus' betrayal into the hands of Roman authorities.
The term Judas has entered many languages as a synonym for betrayer, and Judas has become the archetype of the betrayer in Western art and literature.
The Name that is Judas
In the Greek New Testament, Judas Iscariot is called Ioúdas Iskárioth and Iskariotes. "Judas" (spelled "Ioudas" in ancient Greek and "Iudas" in Latin, pronounced ‘yudas’ in both) is the Greek form of the common name Judah (Yehûdâh, Hebrew for "God is praised"). The same Greek spelling underlies other names in the New Testament that are traditionally rendered differently in English: Judah and Jude.
From the meaning of his Hebrew name of Judas (Judah), we find that he was a God praising person. During their time and Old Testament times, names were given to signify the bearer’s character and personality, or the events that happened, or the place or environment where the bearer was born. Thus, we can conclude that Judas was a Godly person. He was included in the circle of twelve. He was ordained and given power to heal and cast out demons. He was one of the witnesses of the miracles that Jesus had done. He was a leader of top caliber. He was the assigned treasurer, meaning that the trust of Jesus and the disciples were given to him, in terms of finances. He was part of the Last Supper. His feet were washed by Jesus’ hands. He was part of the ministry of Jesus.
Another fascinating fact about the Hebrew name of Judas; Genesis 49:1-27 states the blessing that Jacob had given to his sons. Out from the 12, he gave Judah the blessing that his line will be the line of kings. David belongs to the tribe of Judah. Both Joseph and Mary belong to the line of David. Thus, it was through Judah’s line will be the coming of the prophesied Messiah. The blessing that Jacob had given to Judah was accurate.
Therefore, the name of Judas is not a name that depicts a betrayer but illustrates a person who is worshipful and blessed.
Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?
If Judas had experienced all the wonderful things that Jesus did and also participated in it, what pushed him to betray Jesus? It is hard to imagine that a person whose name is so meaningful and filled with hope would be a betrayer of Jesus.
We could see in Matthew 26:15 that Judas went out to the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus for the covenanted (promised or pledged) amount of 30 pieces of silver (which is, according to scholars, was the amount of money needed to buy a common slave). From this viewpoint, we could say that it was greed that pushed Judas to betray Jesus.
Another viewpoint that arose was that Judas Iscariot belonged to an anti-Roman group that wanted to depose the current government. He thought that Jesus would lead Israel to a revolution against the Roman Empire. But what he saw was a different Messiah; a man that teaches and heals all the time and no mention of any revolt or raise of arms. This made Judas decide on betraying Jesus, in order to raise an uproar and bring the people to revolution.
But there is another viewpoint that I would like to point-out. Judas was the treasurer for Jesus and the disciples; that means that he holds the money of the group. Though he was appointed, he was not to be trusted for he was a thief and care not about the poor (John 12:6). From my standpoint, Judas used some of the money to purchase a field for his own. And when Jesus spoke to the disciples about the betrayer and who he was, he commanded Judas to do what he has to do and to do it quickly. The other disciples thought not about the kind of betrayal that Judas might do. They probably thought that he didn’t handle the bag (finances) properly; that he already betrayed the trust that Jesus had given him regarding the finances.
Judas already planned to return the lost money (30 pieces of silver that was used to pay for the field he bought) by agreeing with the chief priests of handing Jesus to them without the presence of the multitudes. He went to the chief priests, got his covenanted money, and led them to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.
Did Judas know what they would do to Jesus?
When Judas saw what happened to Jesus and that He was condemned, he repented to himself and went to the chief priests to call the whole thing off (Matthew 27:1-10). But the chief priests wouldn’t do anything to change the plan even if Judas returned the money. They already got what they want. Thus, Judas departed, and went and hanged himself.
He didn’t know that matters would be taken too seriously and that innocent blood would be spilled. He probably thought that the chief priests will only question Jesus and humiliate Him in the presence of the people. But it didn’t happen the way he thought it to be. Thus, he was so guilty that his guilt ate him up and went to the land that he bought and hanged himself. His death was a horrible one; he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out (Acts 1:16-18).
The ‘Judas Spirit’
The life of Judas Iscariot is well-known that the name ‘Judas’ is branded as evil until now. Many Filipinos, when they are betrayed by someone, will say “Hudas talaga si Juan! Niloko nya ako!” Judas is not a good name to be reckoned nowadays.
But the name is not the one to be blamed; it should be the spirit that led him to betray Jesus. It is interesting to note that while he was with the company of Jesus and the disciples, Satan was able to enter into Judas (John 13:27). It means that Satan was always present in the company of Jesus. Satan knew that something was up and that Jesus means business. He had to stop Jesus at any cost. Then, he found a willing host, a man that was willing to sacrifice his faith for the sake of his wants. He found his perfect partner; he found it in the heart of Judas. Though Judas doesn’t want any part of Satan, he allowed Satan to enter him by betraying Jesus. Note that Satan didn’t enter Judas when he betrayed Jesus but he entered before he betrayed Jesus! The spirit that led Judas to betray Jesus is the spirit of deceit. He deceived everyone except for Jesus. He entered inside the church without anyone suspecting anything about his plans or thoughts. He was involved in the ministry and was a leader of the church yet nobody suspected anything. The other leaders thought that he was honest to his calling and remained loyal to Jesus; but they thought wrong. He was used by the ministry and participated in numerous crusades and bible studies to win as many souls as possible.
But the ‘Judas Spirit’ has one flaw that can be seen by God; he forgot how to worship the Lord. The ‘Judas Spirit’ leads Christians to develop an arrogant and deceitful lifestyle that they begin to think that they no longer needed the Lord’s presence. Christians are the favorite hosts of the ‘Judas Spirit’; it gains power especially among the leaders (pastors, preachers, teachers, worship leaders, elders, etc.) It grows stronger as the host becomes more deceitful.
How will you know if you have the ‘Judas Spirit’?
When we begin to be bored at praising and worshipping God, the ‘Judas Spirit’ begins to dwell in us. These are just a few symptoms of Christians having the ‘Judas Spirit’:
· Begins to honor talent rather than God.
· Begins to defy authority and thinks that he is better than his leader.
· Begins to mock other brethren instead of having compassion.
· Begins to enjoy the world instead of enjoying the presence of God.
· Begins to sing/dance the songs/dances of the world rather than of God.
· Begins to slack (laziness) in his devotion time.
If you have these symptoms, better consult your nearest church, leader or pastor. It is better to admit that you are sick than to fool yourself and be Satan’s tool in his plans of destroying God’s goodness in you and your family.
What will happen if one has the ‘Judas Spirit’?
There was one man whose name was John Calvin who said that once you are saved, you are always saved. It means that you can never lose your salvation. This is only half-truth. It is true that one can never lose one’s salvation but there is a condition. To clarify this thought, let us study what happened to Judas Iscariot.
In John 17:12, it states the prayer of Jesus and one of his prayers involved what would happen to Judas Iscariot: While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
According to Noah Webster’s dictionary of 1828, perdition means the utter loss of the soul or of final happiness in a future state; future misery or eternal death. The impenitent sinner is condemned to final perdition. Thus, even if Judas Iscariot believed in Jesus and was part of the ministry yet he was damned to hell because of the spirit that entered into him.
Note that it was not the gravity of his actions that made him lose his salvation but the reaction of his unrepentant heart. It is true that he repented but not to Jesus nor to God. He repented to himself. It is interesting to note that Peter’s denial about his relationship with Jesus has more weight compared with Judas’ actions. But God doesn’t look on actions but on one’s heart. Peter accepted his sin and confessed while Judas recognized his sin and acted by hanging himself. Peter was redeemed while Judas was damned.
Thus, we can conclude that Christians can lose their salvation only in the grounds of disobedience and having an unrepentant heart.
What must one do if he has the ‘Judas Spirit’?
Brethren, it is time to search our hearts and open our minds. Let us take a deeper look in our inner self and consider what happened to Judas. He had a meaningful name and an honorable lineage. He was involved in the church activities and was active. He belonged to the disciples of Jesus yet he was damned because of his unrepentant heart.
Let us all pray and accept our sins that we had made. Let us all have a repentant heart and confess to our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us go back to our first love and enjoy the presence of God. Remember, love is sweeter the second time around.
God bless…
God Knows Hudas Not Pay
By Ptr. JC Balao