How should one reply to this?

Tzegemariam

In the name of the Holy Father, and the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God Amen

The question is this: Why is  Judas considered such a villain. If Christ did indeed have to be sacrificed, if this was his destiny as ordained directly by God the Father, then didn't Judas simply help fulfill this destiny? I understand he sold out Jesus to the Romans, but it always seemed to me to be part and parcel of the bigger picture in which the crucifixion was Jesus' inevitable fate, in which case Judas may have been a pawn and a weak man, but in fact he was doing God's work in delivering Jesus to the Romans. By the logic that dictates this fate was inevitable, if Judas hadn’t betrayed Jesus, someone else would have had to carry out the task in some other way that ultimately led to the crucifixion.


This is a question i found on a website, how would you respond?

May God bless you all and give you the grace to answer this question. Amen

TITL

Judas is a sinner because he didn't repent like St. Peter. If he did, he would probably be a Saint in the church, despite selling our Lord.

I think.

andrew8345

[quote=Matthew 18:7, NKJV]Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

Remnkemi

First, it depends which website you found this question that you want a response. If it was a Muslim website trying to prove the Bible is wrong, I would not respond in the same manner as a Coptic website. I will have to assume that the audience genuinely wants an answer, not pick a fight.

I would start by saying we do vilianize Judas Iscariot more than he deserves. I'm sure in the history of the world, there are millions of other non-repentant sinners who betrayed Jesus for less than 30 pieces of silver, yet we do not put them on some sort of pedestal, make a procession in reverse, and rebuke them saying "You breaker of the law". We can't use the argument that only Judas Iscariot deserves this condemnation since he was the only one who actually betrayed Jesus. Jesus himself said in Matthew 25, whatever you have done to any of my brothers, you have done to me. So if we betray our own brother, then we are no worse than Judas Iscariot.

Secondly, the question is reflects a victimization theory based on the Calvinistic heresy of predetermination. Judas cannot be condemned for doing God's work because he was predetermined before time to betray Jesus. And if it wasn't him, then it would have been someone else. Someone was predetermined to betray Jesus. This theory clearly illustrates a completely inaccurate cause and effect relationship. It shows a complete lack of understanding of Christ's salvation. In essence, the question says the crucifixion was caused by Judas. If such was the case, then "the son of perdition" should be Eve, not Judas since "it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner" (1 Tim 2:14) and caused Adam to sin and "death entered the world through [Adam]" (Romans 5:"12) and God "reconciled us with the death of His son" (Romans 5:9). In other words, we can logically say Eve caused Adam to sin which caused death to reign which caused God to kill His son and the net result is the crucifixion of Christ. This logic, of course, is ridiculous. Neither Eve, nor Judas, nor any man caused the crucifixion of Christ (Romans 5:15). Rather the crucifixion was caused ONLY by Christ, who chose and offered it willingly.

Thirdly, Judas did not have to betray Jesus. No one had to betray Christ for our reconciliation. Christ is capable to grant us the gift of reconciliation through the Cross by any means. Salvation is not contingent upon the evil actions of one man. In fact, Jesus went out of his way to warn his disciples of this evil. He even predicted and told his disciples ahead of time, giving any of them the opportunity to repent and come to their senses. If God relied on Judas' betrayal to effect salvation, he would have kept it a secret to make sure Judas didn't change his mind.

God only operates by goodness and love, not evil and destruction. Read the Church fathers' writings. He takes the evil we do and makes it good for all mankind because He is the lover of mankind. Just like Jacob's 10 sons' betrayal led to salvation for all Egypt, all Jacob's house and the entire world, so God takes the sin of Judas (and everyone else) and makes it an instrument of goodness. The Cross is now a sign of victory, not an abomination. Before the Cross, death reigned over all men (Rom 5:12), no exceptions. Now death lost it power (1 Cor 15) and the Cross brought justification that the law couldn't bring, as well as abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness. (Rom 5:16,17)

Did this answer the question?

George_Mina_Awad

[quote author=Andrew link=topic=12611.msg148066#msg148066 date=1322502199]
[quote=Matthew 18:7, NKJV]Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!


And even more directly,

"The Son of Man indeed goes 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

That being said, if it had not been for Judas, I'm sure the Lord's arrest/crucifixion would have occurred some other way. And let's not forget, Judas was a sort of "villain" before the betrayal:

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” -John 12:1-8

Joshuaa

  Jesus Christ is an example for our lives once again in that just like Judas, we betray the ones we love, even when love was supposed to be the object of what we were doing.  Judas  followed him, but his belief, loyality and love was not enough and he took the wrong direction. Maybe his faith wasn't strong enough. But Jesus quoted the prophets numerous times concerning himself and still Judas didn't understand. Is he a villian? I think he honestly thought they were going to be leanient on Jesus.

   

binC

Thanks God, I learned a lot from this question.

God bless you all!

Tzegemariam

Thanks all for the answers, i learned a lot as well.

Thanks be to God