John 13:18-30
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Judas at the time of Jesus' arrest and death might have been Jesus' seen as His biggest enemy...Yet, Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for them and forgive them...So we know that Jesus loved Judas, prayed for Him, and then would forgive Him...
Some people believe that God's plan for humanity included Jesus' sacrifice, and Judas' betrayal played a necessary role in the gospels...However, this view doesn't negate Judas' free will in choosing to betray his friend Jesus...So Judas had free will to choose not to betray His Master...
By Judas betraying Jesus, it was a fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophecy...The Old Testament contains passages interpreted as foreshadowing Jesus' betrayal by a close friend (Psalm 41:9)...Jesus choosing Judas could be seen as fulfilling these prophecies...
Jesus may have hoped that Judas would at some point have an opportunity for his redemption...Perhaps Jesus hoped Judas would ultimately repent, or that witnessing the consequences of his actions and knowing and believing who Jesus was would lead Judas to have a change of heart...However, the Gospels don't portray this happening...
Because Jesus teaches everyone to love their enemies this seem to highlight the Power of Forgiveness in Jesus' Teachings...Throughout Jesus' ministry, He emphasized the importance of forgiveness, even for enemies (Matthew 6:14-15)...This general message of forgiveness can be seen as extending to Judas by what He believed and what He taught...Also in the LORD's Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for forgiveness "as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matthew 6:12)...This emphasis on conditional forgiveness can be seen as implying Judas could be forgiven if he repented, although the Gospels show no record of Judas doing so...While on the Cross Jesus spoke of forgiveness...While suffering on the Cross, Jesus famously prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34)...This universal statement of forgiveness could be interpreted as including Judas and everyone who needs forgiveness...So Jesus' act of forgiveness towards Judas, even knowing he would be His betrayer, could be seen as a powerful message about God's LOVE and GRACE...Jesus is our and everyone's Forgiver...
We also learn the lesson about our own imperfections...Judas was with One like he had ever met...He was with the Great One who ever walked the earth...Jesus was His Great Master and Teacher...Judas also had the opportunity to talk and learn from the other Disciples...And still after listening and learning from the Greatest Teacher, and being with the other Disciples, Judas still betrayed Him...The presence of a flawed disciple like Judas reminds us that following Jesus doesn't require flawlessness...It's about our faith, confessing our sins, and repentance...