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The Real Reason Judas Betrayed Jesus
The Gospel of Judas gives us a different picture than the traditional story
Judas Iscariot is a name synonymous with the word “traitor,” and for good reason. He is the one who betrayed Jesus, and that led directly to Jesus’s arrest and execution.
But not so fast, my friend.
Try to see it from Judas’s point of view. There are always two sides to the story.
Judas was most likely associated with a group of radical Jews who wanted to overthrow the yoke of Rome and restore the nation of Israel. Judas was one of the 12 chosen by Jesus himself to be part of his team.
We know from other Bible verses that Judas kept the money bag and helped himself to it when he felt it necessary.
He may have been a sincere follower of Jesus, but he had his own agenda. He had his mind set on what the Messiah was supposed to do, which was to overthrow Rome. He knew God could do that and thought Jesus was the Earthly vessel to lead the charge.
Things were not moving along fast enough, though, and Judas took matters into his own hands.
Some things don’t add up in the Bible story. But when Judas is understood as a political zealot, it fits together much better. This does not mean the…
