God, I think, had predestined Judas’ path from the foundation of the world. Afterward, he hung himself. Why is he called a traitor? How else would Jesus have died on the cross for our sins? This is hard to digest. Help.
Sincerely,
Flummoxed
Dear Flummoxed,
There is a difference between knowing what someone will do and making them do it. If you see a baseball player hit a ball high into the air, you know that it will eventually come down – and you might even be able to predict fairly accurately where it will land. Wisdom and experience allow us to predict quite a few things… now imagine how accurately God can predict things (Pr 2:6)!
Judas had a choice just like all of us do (Deu 30:19). Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (Jhn 3:16) – even Judas could have taken advantage of it. Jesus warned Judas of the consequences of betraying Him at the Last Supper (Matt 26:24-25). Even as Judas betrayed Jesus to the mob, Jesus pleaded with him (Lk 22:48). If Judas had no choice, then Jesus’ admonitions make no sense.
If Judas hadn’t betrayed Christ, God would have still caused His plan to come together… just like Mordecai said in Esther 4:14, “Deliverance would have arisen from another place”. If Judas had done the right thing, God’s plan wouldn’t have been stopped.
