Why did Judas betray Jesus? Foretold in the Old Testament?

Question

Jesus told His disciples during The Last Supper that He would die - by crucifixion - and that this was a main reason for His coming. Judas thought Jesus was a false Messiah because Jesus' references to the Kingdom contradicted Judas own ideas of it. http://www.tuitionplaza.com/tutoring/question.asp?FID=178
Hmmm.. what do you think?

Answer 1

1. Judas' ideas are not known.
2. The so-called "Gospel of Judas" was PSEUDOPIGRAPHA, that is, Judas DIDN'T write it so we cannot ascribe those thoughts to him.
3. Judas WAS a thief who stole money given to Jesus and the apostles. It is certain that this was known to Jesus and potentially to some of the other apostles, but it was not brought up by Jesus who also knew what his future held.

pugwashjw refers to the nwt, the Jehovah's Witness's false translation of the Bible. It erroneously renders the Greek word "stauros" as "torture stake." The following should be understood about the nwt and this word:


The meaning of stauros in the New Testament is not questioned, except by the jw's false "translation." The ONLY member of the "translation committee" to have studied Greek had completed coursework ONLY IN CLASSICAL Greek, where stauros DID refer to a stake. In Palestine in New Testament times, the format for crucifixion had changed and the traditional form of the cross was quite certainly the form used. The common use of 200+ years before Christ was not implied by the NT writers' use of this word. This is indicated by the attachment of a sign indicating the "charges" as indicated in Matthew 27:37 "ABOVE HIS HEAD they placed the written charge against him. It read, THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS." The traditional form allowed the easy placement of charges "above the head," other forms of "crosses" or stakes do not allow this.

Answer 2

Pure speculation, obviously, but one motivation might have been simple greed. According to the Gospels, Judas was a thief and he betrayed Jesus for money. Some have suggested that Judas, having seen Jesus save so many, may have assumed Jesus would save himself. When it became obvious that Jesus wasn't going to perform a miracle on his own behalf, Judas was overcome by remorse and committed a rather gruesome (and confusing) form of suicide..

One must be careful, however, when assuming that a New Testament story acts as a fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. There's no reason to believe that the New Testament author couldn't simply invent and insert the relevant details to fit the older Scriptures.

Answer 3

We were not given the details so one can only speculate on this. But one can intelligently speculate. Judas and the other followers of Jesus thought that Jesus came to establish an earthly Kingdom. Judas may have thought he was hastening the coming of this earthly Kingdom. Besides this the Holy spirit moved him to do so. It was a necessary part of God's Plan. Rather .Judas was lost or not we are not told. However we do know that he repented of what he had done. Repentance is a requirement for salvation. Like I said we can only speculate. I pray that I may have given you a basis to continue pondering this from. God Bless

Answer 4

Well one thing is clear he was paid to do it. But he did come to realize Christ into was the Messiah and killed himself. Talk about feeling guilty for what you did. Funny, Christ had to know it was coming, had to know who it was. I've always wondered why he did not pull Judas aside and give him a little one-on-one. I guess the answer is prophecy had to be fulfilled.

Answer 5

I guess it may have been written in the New Testament somewhere before it happened. Not sure if it was mentioned in the Old Testament. I could be wrong about this. Reading the New Testament one may be inclined to think it was supposed to happen, as if part of the overall plan or something.

Answer 6

I believe that Jesus told Judas what to do, and Judas did as Jesus asked. He knew he was fulfilling his part of the prophesy.

Answer 7

It was a dirty job and if you read up on Judas, as the apostle who carried the money, he always was in the till

Answer 8

He was paid to betray Jesus. Jesus already knew it would happen, just as Jesus knew why He was there. It was no surprise to Him that he would be crucified. His whole life as a (hu)man led to that moment.

Answer 9

I think that he didn't. Jesus didn't die on the cross. It was an elobarate plan that saved Jesus' life....

I'm not joking.

edit:

And before some of you go and get offended. Were you there? No. Was I there? No. So no one really knows. Each idea is just a theory, when it comes down to it.

Answer 10

Old Testament prophecy:

Zec 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give [me] my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty [pieces] of silver.


Zec 11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty [pieces] of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

New Testament fulfillment:

Mat 26:15 And said [unto them], What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

Mat 27:3 ¶ Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,


Mat 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What [is that] to us? see thou [to that].


Mat 27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.


Mat 27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.


Mat 27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.


Mat 27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.