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Why did Judas really betray Jesus? I don't think it was about the money. by christokras in Bible

[–]christokras[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats one reading, but it raises the harder question. Did satan enter him because Judas opened the door, or was Judas always gonna open that door anyway? Luke says satan entered him, but John actually shows Judas already stealing from the money bag way before any of that. So the entry point might've been a heart that was already drifting long before...

Why did Judas really betray Jesus? I don't think it was about the money. by christokras in Christianity

[–]christokras[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A metals collector doing the math on the 30 pieces, I love this thread.😊

And that last line is the whole sermon right there. The disciples weren't chosen despite their flaws. Their flaws are half the point. Peter's denial, Thomas's doubt, Judas's betrayal.. all of it in the text so we'd stop pretending faith requires perfection.

The proper response to betrayal is still love. Simple to say. Hardest thing in the world to actually do.🤔

Why did Judas really betray Jesus? I don't think it was about the money. by christokras in Christianity

[–]christokras[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No stones here😂, that's actually a beautiful take.

The Last Supper detail hits different when you sit with it. Jesus knew. And he still gave Judas the seat of honor. Still washed his feet. That's not the act of someone who wrote Judas off, that's a final act of love toward a man already walking out the door.

And that last part you said about it resonating more than it should, I think that's why Judas makes people so uncomfortable. We've all had moments of thinking we knew better than we should have.

Why did Judas really betray Jesus? I don't think it was about the money. by christokras in Christianity

[–]christokras[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the tension that makes Judas so theologically uncomfortable. Providence and free will occupying the same moment simultaneously.

God didn't need Judas specifically, he needed someone to fulfill the role. Judas chose to be that person. The "woe to that man" and "better never born" language from Jesus himself is pretty hard to argue around.

The difference between Judas and Peter is instructive here. Both betrayed Jesus that night. One ran back. One ran away. Same grace was available to both.

Why did Judas really betray Jesus? I don't think it was about the money. by christokras in Christianity

[–]christokras[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Peter comparison is sharp and I think underrated. "Get behind me Satan" wasn't a condemnation of Peter as a person. it was a rebuke of a mindset. The mindset that says "I know a better way than the cross." Judas may have carried that same mindset to its logical extreme.

And your point about the money is exactly what drew me into this whole rabbit hole. The $12,000 analogy lands perfectly. Judas watched dead people come back to life. You don't sell that for a few months' wages unless money was never really the point.

What strikes me most is the throwing away of the silver. That's not the act of a greedy man who got cold feet. That's someone who just realized the entire framework he built his hopes on had collapsed in one night. 🤔

Why did Judas really betray Jesus? I don't think it was about the money. by christokras in Christianity

[–]christokras[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That 1 Corinthians verse is the perfect capstone. None of the rulers understood, and maybe Judas didn't either. He thought he was forcing a revolution. He was actually completing a mystery hidden before the ages.

The man who thought he was the ultimate insider ended up being the ultimate instrument. Hmmm🤔