The tragic story of Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot. A man who usually strikes fear into the hearts of both Christians and Jews. But who really is this praised man of Kerioth? He betrayed our Lord for 30 shekels of silver. Yet, there MUST be SOMETHING good in him, otherwise, why would Jesus choose him? I will inform you about Judas' possible motives, the thoughts that may have crossed his mind before and after the fact, his guilt and the state of his soul. Most people believe that the only reason Judas betrayed Jesus before the Sanhedrin was greed. Others say he may simply be trying to convince Jesus to confound his enemies, not to be condemned. I think the latter is more correct. First of all, 30 shekels of silver is not a lot, about $6.48. He could have easily betrayed him for much more, so why did he settle for just 30 shekels of silver? We cannot use Zechariah 12:10 because that would be circular reasoning. Maybe because he would give the money to the poor? Remember John 12:5-6? My theory is that Judas valued Christ, so he wouldn't declare him useless by giving him away for free. He betrayed Christ to allow Him to establish His Kingdom. During the Last Supper, Jesus tells the Disciples that one of them will betray him. Everyone says, "Is it I, Lord?" But when our friend Judas comes and asks Jesus, Jesus replies, “Yes, it is you.” (Matthew 26:25). Exactly how would you feel if you were declared a betrayer of the Lord? Personally, I would feel shocked, rejected, lonely, angry, scared, sad, upset, etc. Furthermore, our dear friend Mark (Mark 14:20) did not do very well in illustrating this tragic event. I think it went more or less like this: When Jesus speaks to the disciples, Judas looks into the eyes of Jesus, he doesn't pay... in the middle of the paper... he resolves his sins and baptizes him and chrisms him in the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Imagine it! He could have become as great a saint as Peter if he had only asked for forgiveness. Jesus cursed those who denied him before men, but Peter repented and was forgiven. Judas could have been a famous missionary, apostle and martyr!!! And about Judas' other sins: Stealing from the piggy bank was relatively minor compared to the lust and unbelief of the other disciples. Judas did not betray Jesus, we ALL did, through our sins. The tragic story of Judas Iscariot should remind us that we have all betrayed Jesus, we all do evil, even if we have good intentions, and that repentance can be offered to anyone, no matter who says otherwise. We have ALL betrayed Christ, not just Judas.