‘Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.’
— Matthew 26:14-15
He was one of the 12 men specifically and selectively chosen by Jesus as an apostle. Yet, he was the one apostle which Jesus stated would have been better had he not ever been born.
The Apostle Judas Iscariot.
He will always be known as the betrayer of Christ. He sold his loyalty to Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
“Judas”-is a well-known phrase in our language describing traitors because of this apostle. While his biblical background references are relatively unknown, Judas is clearly one of the best known of all 12 apostles — known because of his infamy. He is considered to have committed perhaps the foulest apt in all of the world’s history.
Judas was unquestionable one of the initial 12 men chosen to be Christ’s closest disciples. Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:19 and Luke 6:16. Otherwise, we know little of his personality except in a slight glimpses that clearly show that Judas was unduly influenced by money. His love of money was the apparent root of his evil deed.
Judas, the treasurer
Judas was the treasurer for Christ and the apostles. He “had the bag.” (John 12:6 and 13:29). It thus fell upon Judas to keep track of the financial and other gifts provided to Christ by his followers, and to buy the necessary food and supplies during Christ’s traveling ministry and he was to provide some of Christ’s receipts to the poor (John 13:29). The other apostles obviously trusted Judas because of his responsibility to care for the money.
A number of wealthy women who were followers of Christ were contributors to his ministry. Luke 8:3. It would have been up to Judas to keep these funds.
But Judas’ coveting of money is displayed about a week before the Last Supper. In all four gospels we learn of a woman who took very expensive ointment and poured it in anointment on Jesus. (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:37-9, Luke 7:37- 39). The first three gospels indicate the apostles were critical of this act, saying the expensive ointment could have been sold for a year’s wages and given to the poor.
The Gospel of John, however, identifies it was the Apostle Judas who was most critical of the act (John 12:1-5). And John goes farther to state that Judas made the statement not because he was concerned about the poor, but that he coveted the lost money because Judas was a “thief,” taking for himself some of the money that was placed in his trust. John 12:6.
Betrayed for money
As the Jewish leadership grew increasingly frustrated over Jesus’ growing popularity, they started plotting a way to isolate Jesus from the crowd to kill him Matt. 26:3-5. Judas provided the plan to the chief priests (“when entered Satan into Judas”) when Judas met privately with the Jewish priests and he bargained with them for 30 pieces of silver. Matt. 26:14-16, Mark 14:10, Luke 22:3-6. John 13:27.
His plan for murder was one of malice aforethought in that he clearly “sought opportunity to betray” Christ.
Christ identifies His betrayer
Christ knew of Judas’ betrayal of Him long before the event happened. John 6:64. Jesus told the other Apostles that one of his own would betray him, and identified the betrayer at the Last Supper.
Jesus confronted Judas directly and told him that the act he was to commit, “do quickly.” Jesus openly tipped of his betrayer to the others by giving a “sop” of bread to Judas. Matt. 26:20-25; Mark 14:18-21; John 13:21-30.
The Betrayal kiss
Judas did not act in a moment of passion. He plotted out in advance the way to betray Jesus. Judas knew Jesus would go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. John 18:2.
Judas instructed the priests and Roman soldiers he would provide a “sign—as to which was Jesus. Judas kissed the cheek of Jesus as a tip off as to which man to arrest. Matt. 26:4750. Mark 14:43-45.
The repentance, suicide
The gospel of Matthew tells us that when Judas witnessed Jesus’ arrest and condemnation to death by the chief priests and was bound and turned over to the Roman ruler, he then realized what he had done and “repented himself.” Matt. 27:3.
Judas took the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests in the temple and admitted he had sinned. The priests, having gained the arrest of Christ, showed no sympathy for Judas. Matt. 27:4.
Judas threw down the silver coins on the temple floor and ran out. He committed suicide by hanging himself. Matt. 27:5. Judas’ bowels gushed out. Acts 1:18.
The priests then took the silver and purchased a potter’s field in which to bury strangers in. Matt. 27:6-7.
There is no biblical evidence of the exact location of Judas’ suicide. However, tours of Jerusalem still point out the “Tree of Judas” where he allegedly hanged himself and the field below where his body fell.
