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Quick Summary
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and the disciple who betrayed him. He kept the common purse for the disciples, and John's Gospel says he stole from it (John 12:6). Shortly before Passover, Judas agreed with the chief priests to hand Jesus over, and Matthew says he was paid thirty pieces of silver. On the night of Jesus' arrest, Judas led a crowd to the Mount of Olives and identified Jesus with a kiss. Afterward, Matthew reports that Judas was seized with remorse, threw the silver into the temple, and hanged himself. Acts describes his death differently, and the money bought a field known as the Field of Blood. The Gospels never give a single motive for the betrayal. They point to greed, to Satan's influence, and to the fulfillment of Scripture, while holding Judas responsible for his choice. His place among the Twelve went to Matthias (Acts 1:15-26).
Who Was Judas Iscariot?
When we hear the name Judas Iscariot, it immediately brings to mind betrayal, treachery, and heartbreak. Yet Judas was one of Jesus' twelve disciples: chosen, called, and present throughout Jesus' ministry. Jesus picked him after a night of prayer on the mountain (Luke 6:12-16). He heard the Sermon on the Plain, watched the healings, and was sent out with the others to proclaim the kingdom (Luke 9:1-6).
In every list of the apostles, Judas comes last, and the Gospel writers always attach a note to his name. Matthew and Mark call him the one "who betrayed him." Luke writes "Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor" (Luke 6:16). That phrase "who became" matters. Jesus chose a disciple, and Judas became a traitor.
John's Gospel names his father as Simon Iscariot (John 6:71; 13:26). We know nothing else about his family.
What Does "Iscariot" Mean?
No one knows for certain, but several explanations have been proposed:
"Man of Kerioth." The most common view reads Iscariot as the Hebrew ish Qeriyyot, "man from Kerioth." Kerioth was a town in southern Judah (Joshua 15:25). If this is right, Judas may have been the only one of the Twelve from Judea rather than Galilee. Because John calls his father "Simon Iscariot," the name seems to describe the family's hometown.
"Dagger man." Some have linked Iscariot to the Latin sicarius, the name for Jewish assassins who carried short daggers in the decades before the war with Rome. Most scholars find this unlikely, since the sicarii appear later than Jesus' ministry.
"The false one." A few have suggested an Aramaic word meaning "liar" or "false one," a name given after the betrayal. There is little evidence for it.
Like Judas Thaddeus, the other apostle named Judas, he needed a second name to distinguish him. John's Gospel calls that apostle "Judas (not Iscariot)" (John 14:22) to make sure readers never confused them.
Judas the Treasurer
According to John 12:6 and 13:29, Judas kept the common purse for Jesus and the disciples. John says plainly that "he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it."
That comment comes in the story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus with costly perfume. Judas objects: "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (John 12:5). It sounds generous, but John says Judas cared more about the money than the poor. In Matthew and Mark, the betrayal deal follows right after the anointing, as if the extravagant gift pushed Judas over the edge.
The Betrayal: Thirty Pieces of Silver
Luke tells the turning point bluntly: "Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them" (Luke 22:3-4). The religious leaders were glad and agreed to give him money. From then on, Judas looked for an opportunity when no crowd was present.
Matthew alone names the price: thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). That amount carried meaning.
The price of a slave. Exodus 21:32 sets thirty shekels of silver as the compensation owed when an ox gores a slave to death. It was the price of a servant's life.
Zechariah's wages. In Zechariah 11:12-13, the prophet acts as a shepherd for God's people and asks for his wages. They weigh out thirty shekels of silver, and the Lord tells him to throw that "lordly price" into the temple treasury. The KJV reads "cast it unto the potter." Matthew sees this sign-act fulfilled when the priests use Judas' returned silver to buy a potter's field (Matthew 27:9-10).
Matthew attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah, combining Zechariah's words with Jeremiah's purchase of a field (Jeremiah 32:6-15) and his visit to the potter's house (Jeremiah 18-19). For background, see who wrote Zechariah.
Judas at the Last Supper
At the Passover meal, Jesus announces that one of the Twelve will betray him. In Luke's account, he says, "But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table" (Luke 22:21). The disciples begin asking one another which of them it could be.
John adds more detail. Jesus quotes Psalm 41:9, "The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me" (John 13:18). When the beloved disciple asks who it is, Jesus says it is the one to whom he gives a piece of bread after dipping it in the dish. He gives it to Judas. "After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him," and Jesus tells him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Judas goes out immediately, and John adds four words: "And it was night" (John 13:27-30).
Did Judas take part in the Lord's Supper? Luke's order suggests he was still at the table when Jesus shared the bread and cup, since the warning about the betrayer's hand comes right after. John's account has him leave earlier. Christians have debated the point for centuries.
How Did Judas Betray Jesus?
After the meal, Jesus went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives to pray. Judas knew the place. While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd arrived, "and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them" (Luke 22:47).
Judas had arranged a signal: the one he kissed would be the man to arrest (Mark 14:44). A kiss was the ordinary greeting between a disciple and his teacher, a sign of respect and affection. Judas turned it into a weapon.
Jesus' response in Luke is a single, piercing question: "Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?" (Luke 22:48). In Matthew, Jesus says, "Friend, do what you are here to do" (Matthew 26:50). Even at that moment, Jesus calls him friend.
This act of betrayal by one who had been so close was devastating. Jesus had chosen Judas, fed him, taught him, and loved him. Yet Judas handed him over to be condemned. The Greek verb for "betray," paradidōmi, means "to hand over." It is the same word used when Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified, and Paul uses it when he writes that God "did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us" (Romans 8:32). What Judas meant as betrayal, God used as the gift of salvation. For the timeline of these events, see when the crucifixion happened.
| Event | Passage |
|---|---|
| Chosen as one of the Twelve | Luke 6:12-16 |
| "One of you is a devil" | John 6:70-71 |
| Objects to Mary's anointing; called a thief | John 12:4-6 |
| Agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver | Matthew 26:14-16; Luke 22:3-6 |
| Named as betrayer at the Last Supper | Luke 22:21-23; John 13:21-30 |
| Betrays Jesus with a kiss | Matthew 26:47-50; Luke 22:47-48 |
| Returns the silver and dies | Matthew 27:3-10 |
| The Field of Blood (Hakeldama) | Acts 1:18-19 |
| Matthias chosen to replace him | Acts 1:15-26 |
What Happened to Judas After the Betrayal?
The New Testament gives two accounts of Judas' end.
Matthew 27:3-10. When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he "repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.'" The leaders answered, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." Judas threw the silver into the temple, left, and hanged himself. The priests would not put blood money into the treasury, so they used it to buy a potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. It became known as the Field of Blood.
Acts 1:18-19. In Peter's speech before the choosing of Matthias, Luke adds that Judas "acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out." The field became known in Aramaic as Hakeldama, "Field of Blood."
How do the accounts fit together? Since ancient times, some readers have suggested that both describe the same death: the body fell after the hanging. Others think the two writers preserved different traditions about how Judas died. Both agree on what matters most to them: Judas died soon after the betrayal, the money was tied to a field, and the place was remembered as the Field of Blood. Matthew emphasizes that even the priests knew the money was tainted. Luke emphasizes that Judas forfeited his place among the apostles.
Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?
This question has puzzled Christians and scholars for centuries. The Bible gives no single answer, but it points in several directions:
Greed. Judas asked the priests, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" (Matthew 26:15), and John says he stole from the common purse.
Satanic influence. Both Luke (22:3) and John (13:27) say that Satan entered Judas. Earlier, Jesus said, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil" (John 6:60-71).
Disillusionment. Some scholars suggest Judas expected a political Messiah who would overthrow Rome and turned against Jesus when it became clear that his kingdom would come through suffering. The Gospels never say this directly, though it fits the disappointment many felt.
Forcing Jesus' hand. A popular modern theory proposes that Judas meant to provoke Jesus into revealing his power. The Gospels offer no support for it.
The Gospel writers hold two truths together. The betrayal fulfilled Scripture and was part of God's purpose, and Judas was fully responsible for his choice. Jesus said, "For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22).
Judas and Peter: Remorse and Repentance
On the same night, two of Jesus' closest friends failed him. Judas betrayed him, and Peter denied him three times. Both men wept or grieved over what they had done. The difference lies in what happened next.
Matthew uses a particular word for Judas' change of heart. The NRSV says Judas "repented" (Matthew 27:3), but Matthew avoids metanoeō, the usual word for repentance that turns a life around. Instead he uses metamelomai, "felt regret" or "was seized with remorse." Judas took his remorse to the chief priests, who had nothing to give him, and then he took it to his own death.
Peter took his failure back to Jesus. After the resurrection, the risen Christ met him by a charcoal fire and asked him three times, "Do you love me?" Peter's story shows what Judas never received: forgiveness, restoration, and a future.
The lesson of Judas, as I read it, is that remorse alone cannot save us. No sin is too big for God. Only the one we have wronged can forgive, and Judas went everywhere except to Jesus.
Was Judas Saved?
Christians have long disagreed about Judas' final destiny, and Scripture speaks with sobering words. Jesus said, "It would have been better for that one not to have been born" (Matthew 26:24). In his prayer in John 17:12, Jesus calls Judas "the one destined to be lost." Most of Christian tradition has read these words as a final judgment. Some theologians, holding to the hope of God's mercy, have been more reluctant to say what God alone can know. What the New Testament makes clear is that Judas' end is a warning, and that his place among the apostles was given to another.
Who Replaced Judas Iscariot?
After the ascension, the eleven apostles gathered in Jerusalem with about 120 believers. Peter explained that the Scripture had to be fulfilled, quoting Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8: "Let another take his position of overseer" (Acts 1:20). The group proposed two men who had been with Jesus from his baptism to his ascension: Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. They prayed, cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, who "was added to the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:26). The Twelve were complete again before the Spirit came at Pentecost.
The Gospel of Judas
In 2006, the National Geographic Society published a newly restored ancient text called the Gospel of Judas. It is a Gnostic writing, likely composed in the second century and known to the church father Irenaeus around AD 180. The surviving copy is in Coptic and dates to the third or fourth century. It portrays Judas as the only disciple who truly understood Jesus and claims that Jesus asked Judas to hand him over.
The Gospel of Judas tells us a great deal about the beliefs of a second-century Gnostic group. It offers no reliable history about Judas himself, since it was written roughly a century after his death and reflects ideas foreign to the New Testament.
Judas in Christian Art and Literature
Judas became one of the most painted figures in Christian art. Giotto's The Kiss of Judas (around 1305), in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, shows Judas wrapping his golden cloak around Jesus as they meet face to face, while Peter raises a knife at the left. Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ (1602) captures the arrest in stark light and shadow, with soldiers in polished armor seizing Jesus as Judas presses forward to kiss him. In Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper , Judas sits in shadow, clutching a small bag, at the moment Jesus announces that one of them will betray him.
Dante placed Judas at the very bottom of hell in the Inferno, alongside Brutus and Cassius, the betrayers of Julius Caesar. For Dante, betraying a friend and benefactor was the deepest of all sins. You can explore more of these works in my FAITH IN ART PAGE series.
Judas Iscariot at a Glance
Name: Judas Iscariot, son of Simon Iscariot
Role: One of the twelve apostles; treasurer of the group
Hometown: Possibly Kerioth in Judea
Known for: Betraying Jesus with a kiss for thirty pieces of silver
Key passages: Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50; 27:3-10; Luke 22:3-6, 47-48; John 12:4-6; 13:21-30; Acts 1:15-26
Death: Shortly after the betrayal (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18)
Replaced by: Matthias (Acts 1:26)
What Does Judas' Story Mean for Us Today?
The story of Judas Iscariot challenges us to look honestly at our own faithfulness. Judas walked with Jesus for years, heard every sermon, and saw every miracle, and his heart still drifted. Are there ways we too might betray what we believe for comfort, fear, or gain? Are there moments we choose self-interest over loyalty? I explored that question in the sermon Hey Judas Iscariot, Who's in the Driver's Seat Now?
But Judas' story also points us toward Jesus' mercy. Jesus washed Judas' feet. He shared bread with him. He called him "friend" in the garden. Jesus willingly accepted betrayal and suffering out of love for the world, and even in Judas' failure, God's redemptive plan was unfolding.
Judas' story is a stark warning about despair. Remorse that turns inward has nowhere to go. Remorse that turns toward Jesus finds grace. If you are carrying guilt that feels too heavy to bear, take it where Peter took his. These Bible verses about despair and Bible verses about grace are a good place to start. And if you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, please reach out for help right away. In the United States, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Judas Iscariot? Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and the disciple who betrayed him to the chief priests. He served as treasurer for the disciples.
Why did Judas betray Jesus? The Gospels point to greed (Matthew 26:15; John 12:6) and to Satan's influence (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). They do not give a single complete explanation, and they hold Judas responsible for his choice.
How much was Judas paid to betray Jesus? Thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), the price set for a slave in Exodus 21:32 and the wages mentioned in Zechariah 11:12-13.
How did Judas betray Jesus? He led a crowd sent by the chief priests to the Mount of Olives and identified Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48; Mark 14:44).
How did Judas Iscariot die? Matthew 27:5 says he hanged himself. Acts 1:18 says he fell headlong and his body burst open. Some readers harmonize the two, and others see two traditions.
Who replaced Judas Iscariot? Matthias was chosen by lot to take Judas' place among the Twelve (Acts 1:15-26).
What does Iscariot mean? Most likely "man of Kerioth," a town in Judea, which would make Judas the only apostle from Judea. Other theories link it to the Latin sicarius, "dagger man."
Was Judas' betrayal predestined? Scripture says the betrayal fulfilled God's purpose (Luke 22:22; Acts 1:16) and also holds Judas responsible for it. The Bible holds both truths together.
Is Judas Iscariot the same as Judas Thaddeus? No. Judas Thaddeus, also called Judas son of James, was a different apostle. John calls him "Judas (not Iscariot)."
What is the Gospel of Judas? A second-century Gnostic text, rediscovered and published in 2006, that portrays Judas favorably. It is not a historical source for the life of Judas.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Works Consulted
Raymond E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV (Anchor Bible)
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (New International Commentary on the New Testament)
William Klassen, Judas: Betrayer or Friend of Jesus?
Sean McDowell, The Fate of the Apostles
