Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. Matthew 10:4 lists him among the disciples, identifying him as the one “who also betrayed Him.” Though he walked with Christ, witnessed miracles, and heard the Lord’s teachings, his heart was not truly surrendered.
He served as the treasurer for the group, yet John 12:6 reveals his character, stating, “he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” Judas’s betrayal was rooted in greed and spiritual hardness.
He agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 26:14-15 says, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” He sought opportunity to deliver Jesus into the hands of the chief priests.
At the Last Supper, Jesus revealed that one of the twelve would betray Him. Matthew 26:25 records Judas saying, “Rabbi, is it I?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.” Later that night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas identified Jesus with a kiss, fulfilling the betrayal (Matthew 26:48-49).
After seeing Jesus condemned, Judas was filled with remorse, but not repentance. Matthew 27:3-5 says he returned the silver and went out and hanged himself. His end was tragic, and Acts 1:25 notes that he went “to his own place,” a phrase indicating judgment.
Jesus called Judas “the son of perdition” in John 17:12, and Psalm 41:9 prophetically describes him as a familiar friend who lifted his heel against the Lord.
Judas’s life is a solemn warning. Proximity to Christ is not the same as devotion. His betrayal shows the danger of unrepentant sin and the sorrow of rejecting the Savior.
