The Tragic End of Judas

by Hugh DeLong

In John 18:3, we read about Judas carrying out his betrayal of Jesus. The story of Judas includes other specific references in Scripture, including:
"For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” Mark 14:21 (ESV).

Judas was chosen to be part of the apostles. He walked with Jesus, listened to Jesus, was commissioned and sent out on a limited commission by Jesus, and he partook of the powers that Jesus gave to the apostles. As Peter put it: “he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). Yet with all these great privileges, he also betrayed Jesus.

God had foreplanned that the Messiah would be betrayed by a friend and foretold it in the prophets (cp. Acts 1:16-20). Yet Judas was held responsible for his actions. Perhaps he was chosen because of his weaknesses, as others, like Paul, were selected for their strengths. Even so, he, like all men, was faced with options and made choices. He chose to betray Jesus. He chose to steal from the common purse (John 12:6). He chose to return the money from the betrayal. He chose to kill himself. For such choices, he will be held accountable.

The great privileges did not remove the matter of choice in his life, but they did increase the degree of guilt. The more that is given, the more that is required. This brought out the ‘Woe’ pronouncement from Jesus.

While many want to jump into the abyss of trying to figure out where the line of God’s sovereignty and Judas’ responsibility diverges, I prefer to realize that I, too, make choices and must answer for them. The magnitude of this situation is heightened by the realization that such choices lead to heaven or hell. Judas made bad choices and ‘went to his place,’ a place Jesus characterized as ‘woe. ’ Where are my choices leading me? Where are your choices leading you?

For further consideration: The three scriptures that point towards condemnation:

"The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24).

"While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled” (John 17:12).

‘Perdition’ indicates the concept of ‘destruction’ as defined by Louw Nida’s lexicon: “to destroy or to cause the destruction of persons, objects, or institutions—‘to ruin, to destroy, destruction.’"

"And they prayed and said, 'You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place'" (Acts 1:24-25).

Here, many scholars cite various Jewish writings to suggest that "to his own place" was a Jewish idiom for a ‘place of destruction.’