Today as I write this next letter to you I am just amazed at all the information we have found out about this man called Judas. His life was one that was filled with wonder and excitement. He was part of the inner circle of Jesus ministries and yet he was not convinced that this was the Messiah. But he was not alone in that, as none of the disciples really understood who Jesus was and what the messiah was all about. They all deserted Jesus, but he was the only one that took such drastic measures to end his life.
Peter lied every time he was asked the question if he was a follower of Him. Thomas was a man filled with doubt and would not believe. But our story continues about this man and not about the others. I just wanted you to realize that Judas was not the only person to fail in their walk with Jesus, but he was the only one that made the decision to end it all.
Today I want to look at one particular scripture, Matthew 19:28. “ And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that you which have followed me, in this regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jesus was talking about after he fulfilled his earthly ministry and was once again sitting on His throne, that they would have their own thrones and responsibilities in this Heavenly kingdom. He was only talking to the inner circle of disciples. Matthias was not one of them! I know I am not one of the crowd with this belief, but hear me out and don’t quit reading.
Most of the biblical commentators all agree that Judas will not be there. But if that is so, then Jesus would be guilty of telling a lie or untruth as we have found out by the scriptures that he knew from the beginning that one of his inner circle was going to betray him. And we know that is impossible as Jesus was without sin. ( 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22)
Will Judas be on his throne? Everything I know about this life of forgiveness tells me he will be there. In John 17:1-26 we find Jesus praying a wonderful prayer about his disciples and even us of the future, and in verse 12 he talks of Judas as he calls him the son of perdition, that the scripture should be fulfilled. (Psalm 41:9)
So Judas by his own accord decided to betray his teacher. Why? We are not told that in the scriptures, but we don’t need that information because he was doing what he was born to do. Without someone betraying Jesus we would still be under the Law. Thank God we are under Grace and salvation is free to all who will believe.
Need some more information? Try this, John 13:27, “that thou doest, do quickly.” Here we see Judas getting a command from Jesus to go and do the act of betrayal quickly. Was he not doing what he was born to do? One of the inner circle had to make this decision to turn Jesus in, and he was the one who made it. By this act of his will he was fulfilling scripture and securing our salvation by doing the will of God.
Now that I have said all this let’s look at another scripture, 1 Peter 3:19- By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (add verse fours first four words to this thought) which sometimes were disobedient,). Then add verse 6 of chapter four, and you will get a different view of what Peter is trying to tell us about this act of Jesus as he fulfilled his mission.
I believe Jesus went down to Hades, or as the Jews called it, Abrahams Bossom. This is the what the Catholics call “Purgatory,” and this is what I believe Peter is talking about in the paragraph above. Jesus referred to this place in Luke 16:22. He said there was a great space between the two, Abrahams bossom and Hell (verse 23). Does this place still exist? The Catholics think so, not so the Protestants. So if Judas died under the Old Testament, (which he did) then it makes sense to me that this is where he would go upon his death.
But you say “why did Jesus say it would have been better for this man (Judas) to have never been born?” Good question, and I will try to answer it for you. Does this mean that this man’s fate was to die and go to Hell? I do not believe so, as I have stated before. Judas was just another man looking for help and when he realized Jesus was talking about his death, this shook him to his core.
But after he betrayed Jesus in the garden, then he realized that Jesus was not going to get away as He had on numerous times, this broke him down mentally to the point of suicide. Grief, guilt and condemnation beyond any thing a person could undergo and still survive. he just lost it as we would say today. This is the “woe” that Jesus is talking about. Complete mental anguish, something no other human being had ever experienced.
One other thought I want to throw out to you is written by a blogger called the tentmaker. He claims that verse 24 of Matthew 26 can be looked at another way if you look at it from Jesus perspective. He says this means that Jesus was saying it would be better for Him, if this man had not been born. I don’t see where he gets this translation, but I can see it if you would emphasize “that man as Jesus, and “if he” for Judas. He also claims that Martin Luther taught it this way also.
I don’t see it this way Jo way, but I do agree that Judas was doing what he was born for. He was the one who carried out the plan of God, and then he regretted it deeply. He suffered more than any other disciple and he died because of it. But, is he in Hell?
Next week I will answer this question as I write about this often hated disciple called Judas. I hope you are enjoying this subject as I try to give you my personal thoughts on this man that walked, talked and lived with Jesus over 2000 years ago. My views of him are not in agreement with most other members of the clergy and bloggers on the internet.
Each one of us have our own destiny that only we can fulfill, just as Judas had his. Keep in the race, and remember, you will make it, just don’t give up. See you next week.
In His Service As Kilted Priest
The Kilted Priest 