If you made a list of “Bible characters I’d invite to dinner,” Judas probably wouldn’t be on it. His name is shorthand for betrayal. We don’t name our sons after him. We’d rather skip his part of the story entirely.
And yet… Judas was one of the Twelve.
He wasn’t a stranger who appeared in the garden. He was in the group. He walked the same roads, saw the same miracles, and heard the same words of life as the others. He was trusted with the group’s money. He was sent out with them to heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom.
And still, he sold Jesus out.
Judas’s story is heartbreaking because it’s so close to ours. We’ve all had moments when we’ve turned away from Jesus, maybe not for thirty pieces of silver, but for comfort, convenience, or pride. His life is a sobering reminder that being near to Jesus physically is not the same as truly following Him in our hearts.
And then there’s the part we rarely talk about: forgiveness.
Jesus knew exactly what Judas was about to do. And still, He broke bread with him. He washed his feet. He called him “friend” in the very moment of betrayal. If Jesus could forgive the one who handed Him over to die, how can I justify holding grudges over far smaller wrongs?
I didn’t include Judas in Where He Walked, They Followed because I admire him. I included him because his story matters. It warns us. It humbles us. And it magnifies grace. If Jesus could love Judas to the very end, then His love truly has no limits.
Read the book: Where He Walked, They Followed