Judas Iscariot has always been condemned as the traitor who betrayed Jesus Christ. But there are some questions that need to be answered about Judas Iscariot. First of all, isn't that what Jesus was sent to Earth for - to die on the cross. Wasn't Judas just doing his bit in the divine plan? Remember in Matthew 16:21-23 where Peter tries to discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem and Jesus says unto Peter, "Get thee behind me Satan."
Why would Jesus call Peter 'Satan' if he really did not want to die? Even in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus asks God if he could somehow have "this cup pass over" him, but in the end says "Not my will, but thy will be done" it is obvious that even though Jesus was afraid of dying, it was essential to his mission that he die. So Judas actually played an important part in the mission of Jesus.
Judas also committed suicide after he accepted the thirty coins of silver. This could only mean that he was deeply distressed by the fact that he was the one who had to identify Jesus to the Jewish temple soldiers. Remember that if Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Jesus - not once but three times that same night!
While I am not trying to put down Peter in any way. I am simply saying that maybe Judas was not such a creep after all. Maybe he has been demonized wrongly by the church throughout the history of Christendom. Maybe it is time to take a fresh look at the Gospel of Judas and the other Nag Hammadi scrolls. Why should knowledge of any kind be harmful if the so-called "truth" is so infallible? Why should the Gnostics be demonized and ridiculed if the church is so confident that it knows and professes the absolute truth. As a great man called Paramahansa Yogananda once said and said very well -- 'Truth is never afraid of questions.'
