Sorry for the copy and pastes...I am editing them for length and relevance...hope they help.
Part of an article entitled "
Judas - In Heaven or Hell?" by Gary Amirault. Maybe it will help some with this difficult topic.
http://www.tentmaker.org/Dew/Dew3/D3-JudasIscariot.htmlScriptures pertaining to Judas
John 13:21-31
Matt 26:45-50
John 18:2-9
(INTERESTING EXCERPT FROM THESE PASSAGES -
6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go."
9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me.")
Matt 27:3-10
Acts 1:15-26
Historical, Cultural, and Geographical Material
The 30 pieces of silver was a small sum of money, the value of a slave. (Ex 21:32) If Judas were really covetous and greedy, why didn't he barter for much more?
Jesus chose Judas, not the other way around.
Jesus knew them before He picked them. Prior to the betrayal, Judas' only recorded sin was stealing from the money box. The other 11 apostles had accounts recorded of them of sins which included unbelief, lust for position and power, not being mindful of the things of the spirit but of man, all the disciples left Him, Peter denied Him 3 times in one night, falsely condemning people to fire when Jesus said He came to save, etc., etc..
Judas threw the 30 pieces of silver on the ground in the "naos"(Holy Place) part of the temple. Only a priest could enter that part of the temple. Even Jesus could only enter the courtyard because he was not from the tribe of Levi. This fact is very important.
Judas repented and declared Jesus innocent and confessed his sin. All these things happened to fulfill prophesy that the Creator planned to be fulfilled at this time. Many in the 2nd and 3rd century taught Judas hung himself to get to Hades ahead of Jesus and meet Him there because he knew He (Jesus) had entered His Kingdom through death. (Origin, Theophanes, Theophylact, etc.)
Judas was called "friend" (hetairos) by Jesus. A word for friend indicating partnership, comrade, companion as opposed to "philos" indicating endearment. In other words, there was a partnership of some sort involved in this "betrayal." Matthew 24:24 in the King James Bible reads, "It had been better for that man, if he had not been born." In the KJV and its sisters "that man" refers to Judas. But other translations disagree or present another possibility. The Revised Version of 1881 and the American Standard Version of 1901 put in the margin "Gr. for him if that man." In other words it would have been good for Jesus if Judas had not been born. Martin Luther's translation, Rotherham's, Douay, Wiclif's, Tyndale's, Concordant, and many others read the same way. Rotherham has it, "well would it have been for him, if that man had not been born." Well would it have been for Jesus if that man (Judas) had not been born. Putting It All Together
(MT 16:21)
(MT 16:22,23)
Please note that the text does not say "Satan entered him" as with Judas. Jesus directly called him "Satan," which means adversary. Peter was unwilling for the dark side of the Word to be fulfilled. Death must precede life. Peter was not "mindful of the things of God." Trying to be the nice guy and saving Jesus' life was not the will of the Father. Jesus being betrayed, becoming the Lamb slain, being valued at 30 pieces of silver, and the purchase of the "field of blood" was "being mindful of the things of God." Please get this one point. Peter was directly called "Satan." Satan had to enter Judas in order for him to fulfill the Scriptures. In other words, Judas was not capable of betraying Jesus by himself! He had to be taken over. Peter did not need the help of Satan to not be mindful of the things of God. It was perfectly natural for him. When Satan wanted to "sift" Peter,
Jesus prayed for "Satan" Peter. Why didn't Jesus just pray for Judas? Because Judas had to do what he did to fulfill Scripture that the redemption of the whole world from its bondage to sin might be accomplished! Judas was not a hearer only, as Peter was, but a "doer of the word." Not only was he a doer, but Jesus hastened Judas along to get it done. "What you are doing, do more quickly." (John 13:27) Judas fulfilled his purpose for being born, and when we get to that grand banquet, he will have "returned to his own place." (Acts 1:25) The Creator of the Universe has bound Himself to keeping His own Laws. The Jews saw about 613 laws in the Mosaic system. In the days ahead, we will see these laws with completely new light.
As I mentioned, our Father and His Son are not hypocrites. They live by the laws They set. Under the Mosaic Law, an owner of land and animals is responsible for what happens on that land. If he digs a pit and doesn't cover it and a neighbor's animal falls into it and dies, the owner of the pit is liable. If someone builds a house with a roof and doesn't put up a railing and someone falls off, you must flee to a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest.
The following Sciptures may not seem to fit this article, but they are very important. I cannot go into full explanation of all of this because it would take too much space. I hope the gaps will cause you to study this out for yourselves.
[9]
Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel;
[10] AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER'S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME." The Creator of the Universe must abide by His own Laws. He created Adam, placed him in a place where he could be deceived by a Serpent which the Creator also created. Adam and all his offspring fell into a pit and all died. In Adam all died, including you. According to the Mosaic Law, the Creator was responsible for Adam's death and must make restitution. Satan has deceived mankind time and time again. According to the Law, the owner of a beast that has been known to gore in the past, must die along with the beast. However, if a ransom price has been placed upon that man, he may be redeemed. The value the Priest of Israel placed upon Jesus was 30 pieces of silver, which Judas put into the temple. Lawfully, Jesus, who the Father gave all things to, and who all things are of, to, and through (Rom.11:36), must die because of allowing Satan to kill Adam and his offspring, but Jesus was redeemed with the 30 pieces of silver. Not only that, but the 30 pieces of silver purchased the Potter's field, which became the "Field of Blood," which became a proper burial place in the land of Israel for foreigner, gentiles, that is non-Israelites. This "field of blood" was located in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, known as "Gehenna" to the Greeks and better known as "hell" in many misleading Bible translations including the King James Bible. For those of you who want to translate Gehenna as "hell," you should know that Judas purchased that field called "hell" which the Potter's field is in. I tell you now that the Great Potter of the Universe is taking those broken pieces thrown into that pit as called worthless by most of the church, and He is remaking them, all of them, just like He is remaking you. He is also remaking those miriads of vessels buried in the "dump of humanity" and they will come forth glorious.
Our Father and His Son will take complete responsibility for all the unjustices that have ever been committed on the planet earth, whether they be from Satan, Adam, bulls or goats, or you and me. He created us and He will restore, correct, balance, make good, reconcile, redeem, etc., etc., until every tear that has ever been shed in this world of sin is wiped away and every person who has been hurt, marred, or killed will be restored until the glory of the latter house be much greater than the glory of the former house. One day, the true story of Adam will be told and we will see that our Father wasn't as stupid, or calloused, or powerless as the modern church makes Him out to be in the "Great Fall of Adam Story." No, our Father allowed Adam to "fall" for very good reasons, much better reasons than we have been taught in the past. What we have just looked at, we have just skimmed. We will have to put meat on these bones another time. For now, I hope your appetite has been wet for further light on the above.
Conclusion
...Another example is found where Mark says, "Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely." (Notice the word "safely") "And as soon as He had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, 'Rabbi, Rabbi!' and kissed Him." (Mark 14:44,45) John gives a different account. "Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priest and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'whom do you seek?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (John 18:3-6) Mark has Judas immediately kiss Jesus to identify Him and John has Jesus come forward to declare Himself as the "I Am" and knocked them all down. I think with that kind of introduction, they knew who He was. No need for a Judas kiss after that happened twice. Quite a different story between the two. To summarize, be careful where you place Judas. He did the will of the Father and fulfilled the Scriptures. Peter, who we all love, tried to prevent Jesus' crucifixion and was called "Satan" by our Lord. Peter, who was not mindful of the will of God, was restored. Was it not Jesus who said, ""For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50) Be careful about placing Jesus's brother, Judas, in Christendom's "hell." One day you may have to look up to Judas, instead of looking down on him. Peter denied him three times in one night while Judas declared Jesus innocent in front of the High Priesthood. Judas had a very important job in the Kingdom of God. For three and one half years, as a Priest he inspected the Lamb of God as an unbiased man. He was not "one of them" a Galilean. He was the outsider. He did his job perfectly. If Judas really wanted to mess things up, he could have agreed with the High Priesthood and called Him a "blasphemer" who claimed to be the Son of God when He really wasn't. But Judas declared the Lamb spotless and unblemished, the Perfect Passover. You may not like how Judas got that money, but you should rejoice in what it did for you.
