by Michael Brown

Created on: March 22, 2010   Last Updated: April 03, 2012

It would be a great injustice to send Judas Iscariot to hell. Ultimately, he was simply fulfilling the prophesy set forth by God himself. The thirty pieces of silver he received for his damning display of affection on the cheek of the Christ, were simply a by-product of the actions that he was already seemingly destined to carry out.

Jesus had to be betrayed. He simply had to be turned over to the authorities. This was his sole purpose (soul – unintentional pun) for becoming man incarnate. He was to be put to death as a sacrifice for all our sins. The demonization of Judas Iscariot is nothing more than a lack of foresight. Are we too to condemn Pontius Pilate and cast him into the flames of hell? Even though he washed his hands of the affair? And what about the Roman centurion who pierced his side with the head of his spear? Is his archaic Nuremburg defence to fall upon deaf ears as the hordes raise him above their heads and march him towards the gates of the fiery furnace?

One could argue, quite convincingly, that because Judas Iscariot had the free will that God so graciously gave human beings in the Old Testament, he should be held accountable for his actions. However, if Judas Iscariot had resisted the temptation, would another of the disciples have taken the bait? Had another disciple been approached first, would they have accepted the bribe? Would the modern expression be the “Bartholomew Kiss?”

This puts the very notion of free will into question. Was Judas framed? He was destined from the outset to be the one who betrayed Jesus. Surely if he had free-will, he could have resisted the thirty pieces of silver, stood upon his high horse and turned down his benefactors? But then wouldn't this have falsified the word of God, and his son incarnate, Jesus? Which one is worse?

The concept of free-will is always a complicated one, and one with a myriad of offshoots that couldn't possibly be contained within an article of this size. However, if one is to suggest that Judas should be punished for his actions, it may be illuminating to examine another biblical character.

Eve. Perpetrator of our original, ancestral transgression, and arguably the downfall of mankind. Eve's disobedience was borne of her free will; free will that she was given by God. She was cast out of the Garden of Eden into a world of toil and hardship. Judas, in an indirect way, actually obeyed God's will. He satisfied God's prophesy by being instrumental in Jesus' capture, death and eventual glorious ascent into heaven.

One act, perpetrated by free-will and punishable by eternal torment, suddenly becomes twinned with an act that was part of an omnipotent creator God's grand design to absolve the sins of all humanity. How can these two acts with their apparent opposites in motivation and eventual outcome receive the same damnation?

Where is the justice there?

Learn more about this author, Michael Brown.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.