"And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present." (Luke 22: 4-6)

Even someone with a casual knowledge of the Bible will recognize the name Judas Iscariot. Well known as the disciple who betrayed Jesus, the Messiah, with a kiss, Judas has become synonymous with betrayal and deception. The most infamous of the apostles, Judas goes from true follower to a turncoat who seemingly sacrifices the cause for personal benefit. Not surprisingly, the names of the disciples will appear in birth registries around the world except for Judas, whose name is still associated with suspicion and even fear.

It goes without saying that Judas is an interesting character in the development of the salvation history. His person, his act of betrayal, and even his replacement were predicted by the Old Testament prophets, which some biblical scholars take as evidence that Judas was doomed from the beginning to be the betrayer and had no choice. But by taking a closer look at the history, the listener will see several points along the way, even up to the moment of the final kiss, in which Jesus gave Judas the opportunity to repent. God's plan was going to be fulfilled, and God was going to use an individual to bring about the betrayal of Jesus, but at the same time Judas made several conscious choices along the way to reject the Messiah and turn Jesus over to the Roman authorities.