The Twelve – Judas Iscariot

The Bible gives us more information about Judas than any of the other eleven of Jesus’ named apostles. Most of us are well familiar with these scriptures, particularly that Judas Iscariot led the temple guard to the Garden of Gethsemane and pointed Jesus out to them by the prearranged signal that he would greet Jesus with a kiss. Jesus Himself knew all about the betrayal beforehand, saying to the twelve, “one of you is a devil.” Afterward in hindsight, the remaining eleven knew that Jesus was speaking of Judas Iscariot, but at the time Jesus made this declaration, none of them particularly suspected Judas and some even wondered whether they themselves might be the devil Jesus spoke of.

Yet, much as we know from scripture about Judas Iscariot, his motives in betraying Jesus remain mysterious. Clearly Jesus’ betrayal into the hands of those who crucified Him was necessary for His Gospel mission to take God’s rightful punishment for the sins of all mankind upon Himself. In the end, Judas Iscariot was the tool whom God used to accomplish this foreordained purpose. Clearly satan was also working in Judas’ heart to accomplish his own purpose which he mistakenly believed would thwart God’s plan of salvation. In all these things, Judas is a cautionary tale for all believers. After all, Jesus sent Judas out as one of the twelve He called apostles under the power of His Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel, cast out demons, and heal the sick. Yet at some point Judas decided to betray his calling and take matters into his own hands by his own motivations. Clearly if satan could tempt Judas in this way, he can certainly tempt us into betraying the Gospel, so we must be continually on our guard.