Judas Betrayed Jesus—and Also Betrayed Himself
(A Reflection with Scripture)
Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus Himself, is remembered as the one who betrayed the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16). But in betraying Jesus, Judas also betrayed himself. He turned against his identity as a disciple, a follower, and a chosen vessel. He was called to walk with Christ, but he rejected that calling for a fleeting and false promise of power.
In many ways, Judas’s betrayal serves as a warning to us. When we forsake our identity in Christ—when we chase after the world, compromise our calling, or live in ways that contradict the Spirit—we, too, betray who we are in God. Scripture tells us, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7).
Judas was tempted by the devil. The Gospel of Luke tells us that “Satan entered Judas” before he went to the chief priests to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3–4). It seems that Judas may have hoped that his actions would force Jesus to display His power, to reveal Himself as the King of the Jews in a dramatic, public overthrow of Roman rule. But Jesus had not come to conquer political empires—He came to conquer sin and death. He came not as a Lion first, but as the Lamb of God: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Judas’s motives mirror the earlier temptation of Christ in the wilderness. Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, saying, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8–9). But Jesus refused. Judas, however, did not. In essence, Judas gave in to that same temptation—the desire for worldly power, authority, and recognition.
In doing so, Judas denied not only Christ, but his own spiritual inheritance. He exchanged a divine calling for a carnal ambition. He chose silver over salvation. The Bible warns us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
This is the tragedy of Judas. For a mere thirty pieces of silver—a paltry sum—he sold out the Savior, and he sold out his soul. He rejected his divine identity and purpose. Hebrews 12:16–17 speaks of Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal and later found no place for repentance. Judas made a similarly devastating trade.
We must be vigilant not to do the same. The Apostle James reminds us, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (James 1:14–15). When we compromise who we are in Christ to chase what the world offers—power, wealth, status—we risk losing our way entirely.
Jesus calls us to abide in His love and stay true to our calling: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).
Let us not betray our true selves in Christ. We were created on purpose and for a purpose. As Ephesians 2:10 declares, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
When we step outside God’s will to pursue our own desires, we end up walking away from our destiny. Let us remain faithful, holding fast to the truth that our identity, inheritance, and future are found in Christ alone—not in the fleeting promises of the world.
