Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles. Judas gave Jesus to his enemies for thirty pieces of silver. Judas’ betrayal was a terrible sin and he ended up committing suicide.
How did Judas betray Jesus?
The religious leaders of the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, because he was very popular and defied their power. Just before Passover, Judas made a deal with them: he would take them to Jesus at a time when he could not defend himself, for the price of thirty silver coins ( Matthew 26: 14-16 ).
The opportunity came after the last supper, when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane with only a few disciples. Judas led a hostile crowd to the place and kissed Jesus to indicate that he was the person they were to arrest ( Mark 14: 44-46 ).
After Jesus was arrested, Judas understood that he had sinned and felt remorse. He returned the money to the religious leaders and committed suicide ( Matthew 27: 3-5 ).
Find out here: Who was Judas Iscariot?
Why did Judas betray Jesus?
Judas was influenced by the devil. Even though he was a close disciple of Jesus, chosen to be an apostle, Judas decided not to resist the devil’s temptation and sold his friend for money. The main reason may have been greed or something else, but the suggestion came from the devil ( Luke 22: 3-4 ).
Judas knew Jesus and learned from him. He knew that he could resist the devil and ask God for strength not to fall into temptation. But he chose to listen to the devil and let him have power in his life.
See here: what does God say about sin?
What can we learn from Judas’ betrayal?
- We must resist the devil– even those who are very close to Jesus can be tempted by the devil; we need to fight temptation and choose to be faithful to Jesus
- Guilt can be destructive– Judas felt guilty, or condemned, after his betrayal and ended up committing suicide; he forgot that he could repent and be forgiven
- Nothing for God’s plan– Satan used Judas to destroy Jesus’ ministry but God changed the situation by using it to bring salvation to everyone through the resurrection
