Today I hope I can finish this story about the life of Judas, as he played such an important role in the life of Jesus. Last week I said I would answer the question “Is Judas in Hell?” I have given it some thought and I realize it’s a question that will have to remain unanswered. The Bible does not tell us where this man went when he died. I have given you a lot of information about him. My personal opinion is that he is in heaven. Each of us will have our own opinions, but that’s all they really are, opinions!
What remaining evidence do we need to know? There are at least two remaining things that need to be considered. The most important one is did he die before Jesus? And the prayer of Jesus in John 17. I will comment on each one.
Did he die before Jesus? I will use Matthew 27:5 as my witness as to when Judas died. Matthew Henry in his commentary on this scripture says, “ there is little doubt but that the death of Judas was before that of our blessed Lord.” So we have this information from a most respected man of God and he is not alone in his conclusion.
My main point here is that Judas died under the old covenant as Jesus was still alive getting ready to become the sacrifice for all our sins. The sins of all the Jews were under the old covenant and the animal sacrifice as stated under the law. He died looking for the Messiah and he had his faith in God, and as such when he died he went to Abrahams Bosom, the place of comfort and rest. These people waited there until their sins would be paid for completely.
Did Judas believe that Jesus was the messiah? I don’t believe that he did. But as a Jew, he was still looking for him. And when Jesus shows up in Abrahams bosom or Hades, and preaches (1 Peter 3:19) about who he is and that their sins were now completely paid for and they were free to leave and go home to heaven. Scripture tells us that he led captivity (Ephesians 4:7-8) captive. This we believe means that Jesus went to this place of refuge and took those saints of old, home to heaven after his resurrection.
Now I want to add my final thoughts about John 17, as Jesus prays this awesome prayer. Why did Jesus pray for Peter and not Judas also? All the commentaries from learned men of God agree that Jesus did not pray for him because it would do no good. To this I agree, but not in total. Judas was doing what he was born to do, and without him accomplishing this dastardly deed, we would still be lost. He played his part and died because of it. His race in this life was so different from all the rest of his companions. Each one of us have to complete the race each of us have been given.
Jesus was God in human form but as such, he had to live just like us. He listened to Holy Spirit daily for directions, just as we need to do. He did not know everything unless Holy Spirit gave him the information, just like us. Word of knowledge, word of wisdom, etc. , (1 Corinthians 12:7-10.) I believe this is where the commentators are missing it! Jesus was the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47) and as such he had to walk by faith in God to complete the mission of redemption.
Judas was born to do this task of betrayal, and he paid for it dearly. Lost his mind and control of his emotions to the point of death by his own hands. He was doing Gods will, and I don’t believe he lost his soul and went to Hell. God would be very unfair in condemning him to this fate in carrying out His plan of redemption. But once again this is my own opinion. You make up your own mind and form your own opinions.
I have given you all the information I have on this story of the man called Judas, and I hope it has been informative and helps you see the plan of God more clearly as it weaves along through time. No other person could have completed this act of treachery. It had to be one of the twelve. Judas was a trusted man and how do we know this? He was the treasurer of Jesus Evangelical Ministries (John 12:6). You don’t become the treasurer unless you are trusted. This is a point often overlooked by those who preach and teach.
He didn’t start out to be the bad guy, he was just like all the rest. It took Jesus all night in prayer (Luke 6:12) before choosing his inner circle of disciples. I believe Jesus knew that one of his inner circle would betray him and this is why it took all night to choose them. God had it planned out and Jesus had to do his part. Sometimes we don’t see the end from the beginning, but we walk by faith and not by sight. This is faith, believing what we cannot see. God will give us the information we need on time, but not before it’s needed.
I think I will close this out before I say more than I need to. You take this information and decide for yourself where Judas is. Does it matter? Not really, except to each of us knowing that God has a plan for each of us and we will accomplish it in spite of our weaknesses and lack of faith. Keep yourself in the race and your focus on the one who has your future in His hands. Always remember, you will make it, just don’t give up. See you next week.
In His Service As Kilted Priest
The Kilted Priest 