So... My Christian friends...Where would you be if Judas hadn't betrayed Jesus?

Question

Seems kinda mean to damn a cosmic patsy...

(((kallan)))

(((birthday squirrel)))

Answer 1

(gasp) No salvation! Christians would all be burning in hell.
.

Answer 2

There are so many "what if" questions we can tie in here.

What if the Sanhedrin had not cooperated with persecuting Jesus (another supposed conspiracy of cooperation)?

What if John the Baptist had lived (the Johnsian Conspiracy)? Many of Jesus' followers were from his leaderless congregation looking for a new Messiah to follow.

What if the Judas and the other rebels had WON the Roman Jewish wars? There would not have been such a powerful need for a peaceful Messiah, and a warrior Prophet more like David could have stepped up instead (maybe Barabbas, the violent rebel that the people chose to free instead of Jesus).

Answer 3

Jesus would have found a way. He could leave notes with the authorities, put up signs around the area: "This way to the blasphemer." And there could have been other opportunities. Everyone was after him. He could have choked on a matzoh ball provided by a Pharisee at the annual synagogue picnic. At the very least he could have found himself walking down the road, "tripped" and accidentally thrown himself under the chariot wheels of a cruel Roman oppressor. Church decorations would look a bit different but the redemption would be the same. Judas has no excuse.

Answer 4

It was all a part of the plan.

The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel.

The document is not claimed to have been written by apostle Judas Iscariot himself, but rather by Gnostic followers of Jesus Christ. It exists in an early fourth century Coptic text, though it has been proposed, but not proven, that the text is a translation of an earlier Greek version. The Gospel of Judas is probably from no earlier than the second century, since it contains theology that is not represented before the second half of the second century, and since its introduction and epilogue assume the reader is familiar with the canonical Gospels.

According to the canonical Gospels of the New Testament, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Judas betrayed Jesus to Jerusalem's Great Sanhedrin, which officiated over the crucifixion of Jesus with the endorsement of representatives of the occupying power, the Roman Empire. The Gospel of Judas, on the other hand, portrays Judas in a very different perspective than do the Gospels of the New Testament, according to a preliminary translation made in early 2006 by the National Geographic Society: the Gospel of Judas appears to interpret Judas's act not as betrayal, but rather as an act of obedience to the instructions of Jesus. This assumption is taken on the basis that Jesus required a second agent to set in motion a course of events which he had preplanned in advance. In that sense Judas acted as a catalyst and it is almost certainly true that he did not know the full consequences in advance himself. The action of Judas, then, was a pivotal point which interconnected a series of simultaneous pre-orchestrated events. He would perhaps only have known of the construction of Jesus' scheme, and knew that he acted as a creator and instigator. This portrayal seems to conform to a notion, current in some forms of Gnosticism, that the human form is a spiritual prison, and that Judas thus served Christ by helping to release Christ's spirit from its physical constraints. Christ played to certain rules which he had to stay in tune with at a personal level. The action of Judas allowed him to do that which he could not do directly.

The Gospel of Judas does not claim that the other disciples knew gnostic teachings. On the contrary, it asserts that the disciples had not learned the true Gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot.

Answer 5

Good point.

To tell the truth - I'm not sure he was a patsy. He could just have easily been acting under Jesus' orders. After all, that "betrayal" was an integral part of the plan.

Answer 6

GOD created reality...example: drop a piece of iron in a bucket of water, it will sink. Jump off a couch, you will fall to the floor. GOD knew this: the redemption of the human race, would only be possible if someone---who is innocent, blameless & perfect would accept punishment for everyones sins---past, present & future. When the Creator became man, people then did accept GOD's sacrifice. People now do not accept GOD's sacrifice....there was & is no shortage of betrayers. If not Judas, then choose any of those who wanted Barnabas released.

Answer 7

We'd be a NASCAR race track I guess... :D

Yeah, I haven't done a lot of meditating on Judas yet. Maybe I will. It does seem unfair. Kind of like when God hardened Pharaoh against Moses. Makes you wonder if they will be compensated.

It fits my view on how God perceives our reality but that is outside the scope of this question.

Answer 8

First Church of Judas and the Holy Goat

Answer 9

I don't get your question. It would have been better maybe
if Judas had behaved himself. I'm sure Jesus was very
disappointed in him as the twelve had all been so close.
But, it's just like today's events.....there may be one in your
group, family, or church that rebels and does the wrong thing
and the rest are disappointed in that one. We have free will
to do the things we want....too bad many head the wrong
direction and troubles take over their life then.

Answer 10

They'd be thanking Doubting Thomas for taking over in a pinch.

Answer 11

You got it all wrong! Judas had free will! It's Pilate that we gotta thank!