The Real Reason Judas Betrayed Jesus

The readings for this homily

We often imagine Judas Iscariot as a monster from the start, a man whose heart was black with evil from the moment he joined the Twelve. But the Gospel of John reveals a far more terrifying truth: Judas was indistinguishable from the other disciples until the very end. As Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, explains, the betrayal was not a sudden explosion of malice, but a slow, silent erosion of the soul. It was the story of a man who followed Jesus only for what he could get, and when the transaction seemed to become unprofitable, he sold his Master for 30 pieces of silver.

hen we compare Judas to Mary of Bethany, the contrast is stark. While Mary lavished expensive oil on Jesus’ feet out of pure love, Judas complained about the “waste,” masking his greed with a feigned concern for the poor. He was not acting out of a desire to serve; he was acting out of a desire for gain. Father Chris identifies this as the root of the sin: the question, “What’s in it for me?” Judas wanted a conquering hero, a political Messiah who would overthrow Rome and secure him a place of power. When Jesus chose the path of humility and the Cross, Judas felt cheated. His anger turned into betrayal.

This is the danger that lurks in every one of us. We do not become like Judas overnight. We become like him through the “frog in the pot” effect. We neglect small duties, skip prayer, ignore our families, and justify our petty grievances. As St. Thomas Aquinas taught, virtue and vice are formed by habit. Every choice moves us slightly toward God or slightly away from Him. If we watch our thoughts, our words, and our actions, we see that the path to hell is paved with small compromises. We trade our spiritual birthright for fleeting pleasures, comfort, and pride.

Father Chris warns that when we commit mortal sin, we are effectively casting Jesus out of our souls. We are bargaining with the devil, saying, “If I hand over the Son of God, give me pleasure, money, or power.” Just as Judas lost everything for 30 pieces of silver, so too do we risk losing eternity for a moment of worldly satisfaction. The tragedy of Judas is not just that he betrayed Jesus, but that he believed Jesus had nothing to offer him except suffering. He could not see that the Cross was the only path to true glory.

How do we avoid this fate? We must shift our prayer from “Lord, what can You give me?” to “Lord, how can I serve You?” We must learn to love God for who He is, not for what He can do for us. This is the highest level of the spiritual life: the unitive way, where we seek only to give God glory. If we catch ourselves asking, “What’s in it for me?” we must stop and repent. We must remember that Jesus is not a means to an end; He is the End.

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