One of the Twelve
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve, entrusted with the money bag, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. His name has become a byword for treachery. Scripture treats him soberly, as a chosen disciple who turned, a warning that nearness to Jesus is not the same as faithfulness to him.
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,”Matthew 26:14
Who he was
Judas, surnamed Iscariot, likely meaning man of Kerioth, a town in Judea, was the one apostle not from Galilee (Matthew 10:4). Jesus chose him among the twelve, and he was trusted enough to keep the common purse (John 12:6). John records that he used to help himself from that money, revealing a heart divided by greed. He walked with Jesus, heard the teaching, and witnessed the miracles like the others, yet something in him never surrendered. At the anointing in Bethany he objected to the costly perfume, masking theft as concern for the poor (John 12:5). Scripture does not reduce him to a cartoon villain but presents a real man, close to Christ, in whom love of money slowly hardened into betrayal. His story is sober and cautionary.
His life, in Scripture and in tradition
Scripture lists Judas among the twelve and shows him keeping the money bag and pilfering from it (John 12:6). For thirty pieces of silver he agreed to hand Jesus over, and at the last supper Jesus identified him as the betrayer (Matthew 26:15, John 13:26). In Gethsemane he betrayed Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47). The New Testament gives two differing accounts of his death. Matthew says that Judas, seized with remorse, returned the silver, threw it into the temple, and hanged himself, and that the priests bought a potter's field with the money (Matthew 27:5). Acts says he bought a field, and falling headlong he burst open and his insides spilled out (Acts 1:18). Both agree he died wretchedly and that the plot of ground became known as the field of blood.
What his life points to in Christ
Judas stands as the sober counterlight to grace. He was as close to Jesus as any of the twelve, yet proximity did not save him, for he never truly surrendered his heart. His story warns that we can hear every sermon, share every meal, and still betray the Lord if love of something else rules us. Yet even here Christ shines. Jesus washed Judas's feet and called him friend in the garden, offering tenderness to the very end (Matthew 26:50). The difference between Judas and Peter, who also failed grievously, was not the size of the sin but the direction of the turn: Peter returned in repentance, while Judas despaired. Christ receives every returning sinner, however great the fall. The tragedy of Judas is that he did not come back.
Questions people ask
How did Judas Iscariot die?
The New Testament gives two accounts. Matthew says Judas, filled with remorse, returned the thirty pieces of silver and hanged himself, and the priests used the money to buy a potter's field (Matthew 27:5). Acts says he bought a field and, falling headlong, burst open so his insides spilled out (Acts 1:18). Both agree he died wretchedly and that the ground became known as the field of blood.
Why did Judas betray Jesus?
Scripture points to more than one factor. John notes Judas loved money and stole from the disciples' purse, and he accepted thirty pieces of silver to hand Jesus over (John 12:6, Matthew 26:15). Luke and John also say Satan entered him (Luke 22:3). The Bible presents both his own greed and a spiritual darkness, without fully explaining the mystery of how a chosen disciple came to such a betrayal.
Could Judas have been forgiven?
The Gospels show Jesus extending kindness to Judas to the very end, washing his feet and calling him friend in the garden (Matthew 26:50). Peter also betrayed Jesus that night yet was restored because he repented and returned. Scripture says Judas felt remorse but despaired and took his own life rather than seeking mercy (Matthew 27:3). Christ receives all who turn back; the tragedy is that Judas did not.