The lesson is to always turn to Jesus, even if we feel we are too gone. Nobody is ever too far gone, including Judas.
Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’s original twelve disciples. He walked with Jesus during His earthly life, listened to the Lord’s words, and took part in the Last Supper. Despite doing all of these things with Jesus, Judas betrayed the Lord (Luke 22). While many of us are familiar with Judas’s betrayal, not many of us have stopped to ponder what happened to Judas after he took his own life (Matthew 27).
The Bible never tells us directly that Judas placed faith in Jesus; however, it does not tell us that he didn’t either. Many people believe that he may have believed in Jesus, but there is no biblical evidence to prove this theory. Even though the Bible does not tell us directly, we can observe many things from the Bible to ascertain where Judas’s final destination likely is.
As many individuals know from reading the Bible, Judas committed suicide. As a disclaimer, it needs to be noted here that if someone takes their own life, it does not mean they are just like Judas. This has been a common belief among Christians that needs to be put to rest. Judas took his life because of deep remorse and regret over betraying Jesus. Individuals who take their own life or try to take their own life are struggling with severe depression or other mental health issues. Do not try to measure someone to Judas if they struggle with thoughts of suicide.
Judas’s Decision to Betray the Lord
The Bible tells us that Judas is the "son of perdition" (John 17:12). While many people have different views concerning this, Judas is the man who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 41:9, 109:8). Everyone has free will, and with this free will, Judas chose to betray Jesus. Some could argue that without Judas’s betrayal salvation would not have happened, but this is an argument that questions God.
Salvation was God’s ultimate plan to bring His children back to Him. If it wasn’t Judas, there would have been someone else to betray Jesus. The betrayal of Jesus had to occur in order for prophecy to be fulfilled as well as for Jesus to be handed over to the authorities despite not having done anything to warrant criminal charges. Judas had a choice, but he chose to betray Jesus.
Judas could have chosen the Lord, but he didn’t make this decision. He valued money over the Lord. In fact, Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty silver coins. In today’s money, this would equal three hundred and forty dollars. As one can see, Jesus was betrayed for a very small amount of money. This adds to the intensity of Judas’s betrayal. He didn’t betray Jesus for a large amount of money; rather, he betrayed the Lord for barely any money at all.
Would There Have Been Redemption from the Lord?
If Judas had turned back to Jesus even after his betrayal, the Lord would have reinstated him. Just as Peter was reinstated by Jesus, Jesus would have welcomed Judas with open arms. Unfortunately, Judas did not make the decision to return to Jesus. This would cause many of us to believe that Judas did not place faith in Jesus, which would argue that he is not in heaven.
However, we do not know what Judas’s thought process was as he was about to take his life. He may have placed faith in Jesus, but the likelihoods are small. If Judas trusted in Jesus and knew that the Lord would have forgiven him, he would have run to the Lord instead of taking his own life. Judas is a person just like all of us, which is why many of us hope he placed faith in Jesus at some point before his death, but there is nothing to support this idea.
In fact, later in Acts, there is a key statement about Judas, “Then they prayed, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs’” (Acts 1:24-25). As the disciples say in this passage, Judas left the apostolic ministry to go "where he belongs," which would entail that Judas went to hell due to not placing faith in Jesus.
Judas’s sin of betraying Jesus was terrible, but it was not what sent him to hell. Rather, his greatest sin was not placing faith in Jesus. If Judas had placed faith in Jesus, he would have been reinstated as well as given forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life. However, he chose to take matters into his own hands and followed his own decision instead of turning to Jesus.
While we may never know why Judas didn’t return to Jesus, it could have been pride or disbelief. On one hand, Judas may have not wanted to return to Jesus because he was too prideful to ask the Lord for forgiveness. On the other hand, it could be Judas’s lack of faith in Jesus and his pure disbelief caused him to not return to Jesus. It seems Judas didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah even though he would have seen all of Jesus’ miracles as well as known about His resurrection.
The Need to Turn to Jesus
Although the account of Judas’s actions is not pleasant, it does teach us an important lesson. The lesson is to always turn to Jesus, even if we feel we are too gone. Nobody is ever too far gone, including Judas. If Judas would have turned back to Jesus, the Lord would have accepted Him. In our own lives, we need to take this to heart and always turn to Jesus.
Even if we think we have done something terrible, we need to know that Jesus will always welcome us home. No sin is too big for Jesus to forgive. Turn to the Lord with all of your sins, mistakes, and shame. The Lord will carry all of these burdens for you, and He will forgive all of your sins. Choose to place faith in Jesus today and know that you have eternal life through Him (John 3:16-17).
You are also given forgiveness and redemption through placing faith in Jesus. If you already know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, start sharing the gospel with others. There are millions of people who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior. Similar to Judas, if they never place faith in Jesus and continue to live in disbelief, their fate will also be hell.
There are only two places a person can go after they pass away, heaven or hell. If a person places faith in Jesus, they will go to heaven. However, if a person does not place faith in Jesus during their earthly life, they will go to hell. God does not send them to hell, but rather, they send themselves due to not placing faith in Jesus. This is something that all of us need to keep in our hearts and allow to motivate us to help others come to know Jesus.
Knowing Jesus is by far the greatest blessing. It is only right to share this truth with others. As believers, we are to take part in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). We will not be able to do this if we never share the truth of Jesus with others. Start sharing the gospel with others today and help snatch unbelievers from the fire (Jude 1:23). While you cannot save anyone, you can help them know Jesus and His amazing grace.
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