Judas Iscariot
- James Collazo
- Mar 26, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 12
Introduction
Judas Iscariot (Hebrew: Yehudah ish Keriyot / Greek: Ioudas Iskariōtēs) was born around 4 BC in the Roman client kingdom of Judea. He became one of Jesus' original twelve apostles. All four canonical gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—describe Judas' betrayal of Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas identified Jesus to the Roman soldiers and temple police by kissing him and addressing him as "rabbi" (Matt. 26:14–15; Mark 14:10–11; Luke 22:3–4; John 13:25–27).
Judas' surname, Iscariot (G2469), means "man from Kerioth" (Hebrew: ish, H377 / kiryah, H7149). His father, Simon Iscariot, was also a man from Kerioth (John 6:71, 13:2, 13:26). Kerioth was a small town in southern Judea (Josh. 15:25), now an archaeological site at Khirbet al-Qaryatayn, about ten miles (16 kilometers) south of Hebron. Judas was the only Judean among the twelve apostles; the others all came from Galilee.
Today, even among nonbelievers, the name "Judas" symbolizes disloyalty and betrayal. Ironically, Yehudah (H3063) means "praised," a common Hebrew name referring to Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He should not be confused with Jude Thaddeus, another of Jesus' apostles. From the very beginning, the gospel writers identified Judas Iscariot as "the one who betrayed him" (Matt. 10:4) or "the one who became a traitor" (Luke 6:16). Yet Jesus chose Judas as one of his apostles, even appointing him treasurer of the group despite his tendency to embezzle their money (John 12:4–6, 13:29). Nevertheless, Jesus gave Judas enough rope by which to hang himself, figuratively speaking.
Judas' Betrayal: Determined or Free?
In Christian theology, Judas represents the tension between God's sovereignty and human free will (see "God's Will & Our Free Choices"). Just before his arrest, Jesus washed the disciples' feet and confirmed his messianic identity to them. At the same time, he foretold Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial. Jesus contrasted his act of foot-washing with Judas' spiritual uncleanness, not a physical one.
John records Jesus saying, "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'" (John 13:18). Here, Jesus cites King David from Psalm 41: "Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me" (Ps. 41:9). Following Jewish hermeneutical practice, Jesus expected listeners to recall the entire psalm from memory. He did not lament himself, because Psalm 41 ends with God blessing David with victory and presence (Ps. 41:12–13). The psalm also implies resurrection: "A vile disease has afflicted him; he will never get up from the place where he lies" (Ps. 41:8). Judas never believed Jesus would rise again. Jesus' prediction of betrayal marked a turning point for Judas. Immediately after Jesus defended the woman who anointed his feet and forecasted his crucifixion, Judas approached the Sanhedrin to hand Jesus over (Mark 14:3–11).
Since 2006, when the National Geographic Society published the so-called Gospel of Judas in English, some church leaders have offered sympathetic or psychoanalytical explanations for Judas' betrayal. The Bible, however, gives three primary reasons: 1) Judas already leaned toward evil, stealing from Jesus' ministry funds; 2) the devil possessed him (Luke 22:3; John 13:27); and 3) the Sanhedrin paid him thirty silver coins—about $264.60 today, based on the Tyrian shekel—to act as their informant. He acted out of simple evil, and we do not need a complex backstory to understand that.
God predestined Judas to betray Jesus through foreknowledge and middle knowledge, yet Judas also made a series of free choices that led to his shameful end. How is this possible? God presents options for us to follow, but each option serves his ultimate plan. In Psalm 41, God foretold that someone close to Jesus would betray him, but he allowed Judas to make his own choices that led to this outcome. Jesus warned, "The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born" (Matt. 26:24). Peter faced a similar choice to deny Jesus but repented (Luke 22:61–62; John 21:15–17).
Thirty Pieces of Silver
Matthew connected Judas' payment of thirty silver coins to the prophet Zechariah:
I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD (Zech. 11:121–3).
This amount was not a coincidence. Under the Law of Moses, thirty shekels of silver was the fixed price of compensation if an ox gored the slave of an Israelite (Exod. 21:32). By accepting this payment, Judas effectively reduced Jesus to the value of a fatally wounded slave when he was tortured and crucified. Although Matthew cited Jeremiah, the prophecy about the thirty shekels comes from Zechariah. Matthew also referred typologically to Jeremiah, recalling God's command to buy a clay jar and break it over a field in the Valley of Hinnom as a protest against Israel's idolatry, child sacrifice, and shedding of innocent blood (Jer. 19). In short, Jesus became a guiltless victim of the Sanhedrin, sold like a slave (Isa. 53). For this betrayal, God condemned Judas to death, symbolized by the horrors of Hinnom (see "Netherworld: Down to Death").
Judas' Death: A Controversy of Betrayal
Judas died sometime between AD 30 and 33. Matthew and Luke each describe his death differently, and even the most conservative Bible scholars struggle to harmonize the accounts. In Matthew's version, Judas changed his mind and returned his reward money to the chief priests and elders of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, but they refused to take it. He then hanged himself from a tree. Following the Law of Moses, the priests realized they could not place Judas' blood money into the temple treasury. Instead, they used it to buy the potter's field for burying foreigners, later known as the Field of Blood (Matt. 27:3–10).
Luke tells a different story of Judas' death. This time, Judas used his silver to buy a field rather than return it to the priests. On an uncertain day, he fell in the field, and his intestines spilled out (Acts 1:18–19). The residents of Jerusalem called the site Hakeldama (G184), meaning "Field of Blood," because Judas died there. This field of blood lay in the Hinnom Valley (Greek: Gehenna, G1067)—a place associated with the netherworld. In this account, Luke uses the field to symbolize Judas' condemnation, as Peter explains, "Judas left [this apostolic ministry] to go where he belongs" (Acts 1:25).
As Christians, we believe, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), so we must seek to harmonize passages that seem contradictory. Matthew and Luke give different perspectives on Judas' death. A possible reconciliation is this: Judas hanged himself in the potter's field (Matt. 27:5), which caused his death. Later, as his body decayed and bloated, either the rope or the tree branch broke, causing his body to fall and burst open on the field (Acts 1:18–19). Luke does not claim that Judas died from the fall; he only reports that the body fell to the ground. The fall, combined with decomposition, explains the bursting. In this way, Matthew records the cause of death, while Luke provides a medical description.
Matthew emphasized Jesus' sacrifice, citing the prophets Jeremiah and Zechariah. Luke, in contrast, drew on the Psalms to explain Judas' loss of apostleship, which allowed Matthias to replace him (Acts 1:20–26; cf. Ps. 69:25, 109:8). The common explanation—Judas hanged himself, and then his body burst open—fits both accounts. The theme of gruesome death is similar to Herod's fate, when "an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (Acts 12:23), reflecting Luke's idea of God's judgment on Judas. Unfortunately, Judas died in his sins without repentance. Regarding the potter's field, the chief priests likely used the money Judas returned to buy it (Matt. 27:7). Judas did not purchase the field himself, but he provided the silver for the transaction. The priests bought it in his name so they would not keep the ill-gotten "blood money" for themselves.
Conclusion
Judas Iscariot remains one of history's most infamous traitors. Jesus chose him as one of his twelve disciples to follow closely. Yet Judas gave in to temptation and betrayed his teacher. The Bible portrays his actions, making him a symbol of greed and weakness. Judas' name, which once meant "praised" in Hebrew, now signifies betrayal. Still, his story goes beyond treachery—it raises profound questions about human nature, redemption, and destiny. Judas' choices challenge us to confront the tension between fate and free will, reminding us of the struggles of faith and the consequences of our actions.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. Your Son was betrayed by Judas and delivered into the hands of sinners, yet he remained steadfast and obedient. Guard our hearts and teach us to walk in humility, grace, and love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bibliography
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