Judas Iscariot
One of the Twelve, he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and betrayed him with a kiss.
New Testament · 1st century · Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts · Also known as Judas, One of the Twelve
About Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. He kept the common money bag, and John says he stole from it. He went to the chief priests and asked, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" They agreed on thirty pieces of silver. At the Last Supper Jesus said one of them would betray him; Judas went out, "and it was night." In Gethsemane he led an armed crowd to Jesus and kissed him as the signal. Jesus called him "Friend." When Jesus was condemned, Judas was seized with remorse, returned the silver, and died. Matthias was chosen to take his place.
This guide speaks about Judas, not as him, out of care. "Iscariot" may mean "man of Kerioth," a town in Judea. Matthew and Acts describe his death differently, and readers explain the two accounts in different ways. The Gospels set his betrayal alongside Peter’s denial: both failed Jesus, but their endings differ.
The story
Thirty pieces of silver
Judas went to the chief priests: "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him."
Matthew 26:14-16
And it was night
At supper Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." Each asked, "Lord, is it I?" Judas said, "Master, is it I?" Jesus answered, "Thou hast said." John records that Judas took the morsel Jesus gave him, "went immediately out: and it was night."
Matthew 26:20-25; John 13:21-30
Betrayed with a kiss
In Gethsemane Judas came with a crowd armed with swords and staves. "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast." "Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come?" Luke records Jesus asking, "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?"
Matthew 26:47-50; Luke 22:47-48
Key moments
- Chosen as one of the Twelve: "Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him." (Mark 3:19)
- Agrees a price: Thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:15)
- Leaves the supper: "And it was night." (John 13:30)
- Betrays with a kiss: "Friend, wherefore art thou come?" (Matthew 26:49-50)
- Returns the silver: "I have betrayed the innocent blood." (Matthew 27:4)
Questions about Judas Iscariot
Why did Judas betray Jesus?
The Gospels give pieces, not a full explanation. Matthew records his question, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" and the price, thirty pieces of silver. John says he "was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." Luke and John say Satan entered into him. Beyond money and that dark influence, his inner motives aren’t stated, and readers have proposed many theories.
Did Jesus know Judas would betray him?
John says, "Jesus knew from the beginning… who should betray him." At the supper Jesus said, "one of you shall betray me," and identified him to John by giving him the morsel. Yet he washed Judas’s feet with the others, and in the garden greeted him as "Friend."
Connected people
- Jesus: Betrayed him
- Peter: Also failed Jesus that night
- Mary of Bethany: Objected to her gift
- Caiaphas: The high priest’s circle paid him
Read it yourself
Start with Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50; 27:3-5.