Answer:
It`s become popular inside and outside Christian circles to speculate on Judas` motives and even to see him as the misunderstood hero of the story. In fact, this started early on with the 2nd century Gnostics treating Judas like the hero of the crucifixion story because he is the only one who knows Jesus must be liberated from his flesh to fuflfill his destiny. Thus he must be killed and in the gospel of Judas (written very late, around 180 AD at the earliest) Judas betrayal is seen as performing a service. More recently in Jesus Christ Superstar and other modern retellings, Judas is alternatively the "brains" of the disciples operation, or the brooding loyal Jew and anti-Roman who wishes to push Jesus into action. Outsiders may also wonder why Christians would vilify the man when we believe so passionately that what came from his betrayal was the best thing to happen to the human race.
All these retellings of Judas have one small problem. They do not draw on the earliest and best sources for support and therefore they lack real credibility or are too speculative to take seriously. That`s why I still do call Judas evil and a coward even given the great good that I believe came out of his betrayal. Do I think he was MORE evil than the next guy? No - but like Pharaoh generations before him, his particular bent toward selfishness happened to run smack dab into the middle of a cosmic plan God was working out which put it on vivid display. Thus the evil consequences were greater than for most - greater than all perhaps (Mark 14:21 - this verse, a comment Jesus makes about his betrayer, answers for me the question `where he is now`).
If I believe moral wrong is based in violations of a holy God`s character, then wrong is always wrong , EVEN IF what might come of that wrong is sometimes good. The Bible says, "...some claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved." Rom 3:8.
That`s the best we can say about Judas, if we speculate as some do that Judas intended good to come out of his lies. But the Bible gives us no reason to believe Judas had high integrity, that he alone saw Jesus mission clearly, and that he alone had the guts to force Jesus hand, and force him to establish his Kingship against the forces of Rome and take his rightful place. Even if this theory about the purity of his motives is true, he obviously misundertood Jesus true mission as his plan backfired and Jesus is killed instead of Kinged.
Even to speculate on his good intentions or fundamental loyalty seems to fly in the face of what little we DO know about him from Scripture. There we read his motive is solely based in his greed (he did do this for money don`t forget! Matt 26:14-15), not in high ideals and a high view of Jesus. We get no indication in the gospels that he was attached to Jesus for any noble reason at all (John 12:6). When the Apostle`s mention him, they always note his betrayal (Matt 10:4, Mark 3:19) and that he was the treasurer of the group (John 13:29). So with all the people clamoring for Jesus head, it`s most likely that Judas, who loved money, spied a chance to make some dough. It`s likely as simple and as ugly as that.
Therefore, any good that came out of lies, trechery, greed and betrayal is a testament to God`s awesome power, not Judas` courage. God can use the worst of human actions and turn them into the best results - the credit for all the good that follows Judas`s sin belongs to God, therefore, not to Judas.
Matt 26:53 shows that Jesus inaction was completely intentional and strategic. And Luke 22:41-44 shows that what Jesus went through was excruitating to the enth degree. Christians believe he was facing down the terrible spiritual cost of forgiveness in that moment for all the rebellion of the human race.... can any suffering be compared to it? What cost did Judas bear? He betrayed a friend for 30 pieces of silver, then rather than deal with his betrayal with Christ directly, whom we might assume would forgive him as he forgave Peter, he instead kills himself. Again we have no indication that he betrayed because he thought he would force Jesus hand - let alone that he had some insight into making the substitutionary death of the Son of God actually happen. No disciple had a clue about that... when Jesus predicted his own death, they were all ignorant or resistant. (Matt 16:21-22)
So while i won`t say Judas was MORE evil than the rest of us, I can`t agree that he A) knew what he was doing - IE causing the event that was the redemption of the human race B) was doing it for noble reasons or C) that he was more courageous or proactive than Jesus during that whole episode. Jesus outranks him in character, in suffering, in patience and in love (while Judas betrays with a kiss, Jesus still calls him `friend`). And if we presume for a second that Judas WAS trying to force a great victory, we can then also contrast his means of doing it with Jesus`. Judas was about control, anger, lying, violence, betrayal; Jesus was about calm trust in his Father, holy surrender to a terrible duty, and concern for others (even his enemies) while under unimaginable duress. Before we say Jesus was completely "inactive", consider this: he heals a man, cares for his mother, rebukes the violent, saves a criminal, forgives his executioners - all during his last hours as he bore the spiritual weight of our entire race.
