Thoughts About Judas

[this was supposed to post yesterday.  sorry.]

Good Friday.  Today's the day.  The day the ultimate sacrifice was made for all mankind.

Several people died that day with Jesus.  The two thieves, on either side of him.  And Judas.  (And yes, I'm sure lots of people died on that day, too.)

We know that two people went to paradise that day - we know that for sure!  Jesus told the penitent thief, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."  The unrepentant thief, based on his actions on the cross, is evidently not there.

Where is Judas?

And why does it matter?

I put the question out on Facebook, and on this blog, wanting to know your thoughts about Judas.  Before I get into my thoughts, let me tell you why I think considering Judas is even important.  A couple of months ago, I preached a sermon where I shared my testimony.  I became a Christian as a teenager, but in my 20's, I walked away.  I went to church every week, looked God in the face, and turned to sin anyway. 

Do you see why I think Judas is important?  Because he was with God, everyday, looking him right in the face, and he turned to sin anyway. 

We consider Judas, and we think, how could he do something so horrific?  How could he betray Jesus?  How could he?  We forget that we do the same thing every time we sin.  We betray him, his love for us, and his sacrifice for us.

I asked you all the question, do you think Judas was born - created - with the purpose of betraying Christ?  In other words, did God create a human in order for him to sin, and ultimately be condemned for eternity?

I don't know a God like that.  We were all fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in our mothers' wombs.  I don't see anything biblically that says there are any exceptions to that.  But because of Adam's sin, we are each born with a sinful nature.  We can choose right or wrong.  And we all know, that left to our own devices, we'll often choose wrong.

Was Judas born to die?  Yes and no.  Yes, in that we all are.  No, in that he chose his path.  Just like we all do.

Now, here's where I may blow your mind.  This is simply my opinion.  I think it's entirely possible that Judas is in heaven.  Here is why:   he obviously was remorseful.  In Matthew 27, the Bible says that Judas was "seized" with remorse.  He tried to undo what he had done, but it was too late.  And while I know he committed suicide, there's no way to know what happened between him and God in those last moments of his life.

So why is it important?  Maybe it's not.  But sometimes we view this side of Easter as if we had nothing to do with it, and if it weren't for Judas, Jesus wouldn't have been sacrificed.  We forget that Peter denied him, the disciples abandoned him, and every single time we choose sin over him, we are doing the same thing.

Maybe you don't understand what I'm saying.  Maybe you've never been . . . bad.  Because of my choices in my past, I can identify with Judas.  I really hope he's in heaven, because what a story of redemption he will tell!  And when I'm done listening to his story, I want to tell him mine.