This is a really interesting topic.

Jesus knew before hand that Judas would "betray" him. So, could they have been in it together? Just like someone said above. Jesus put judas up to it? Possibly. Just think though, if Jesus knew what Judas would do...ahead of time.....BEFORE HE DID IT....and Jesus created Judas in the first place...because Jesus is God according to the Bible.....then Judas had his fate sealed long before he was even born. He could not have had a choice. Therefore he was condemned by God to serve eternity in hell. His life was scripted.

I like the whole Jesus and Judas were in it together scenerio better than the pre-determination scenerio of everything provided by christians.

So....no-matter what the wording in the bible says...Jesus definitly had a hand in his own death. He made others suffer for it too.....

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Simple, Lady, it had to be done, Christ had to die, and so He did. Now, you question why it happened the way it happened. Want to know why you question they way it happened? Because it did not happen another way! Had that happened,

No, I don't really question why it happened that way. I do not understand how someone dying does anything to forgive sin, how does a death help someone else be forgiven. What I was referring to above, is that it's not correct that people hate Judas. It was planned that way. Someone had to betray him in order for the plan to be carried out...so it's more like he was a pawn in a plot, than a trader.

I find this sort of discussion very difficult to understand, when nobody even knows for certain that any of these people ever existed.

Certainly there is no more evidence of their having lived than any number of other fictional literary characters.

This is definitely an interesting question. From what I have read from other replies, the only possibility is that (from a Christian perspective of course) God gave everyone free will. Knowing that someone would have to betray him, and knowing that Judas would chose to do it (using his free will), he selected Judas as one of the apostles. And the rest is history (or scriptural or whatever you want to call it).

Originally posted by Ravenna
This is definitely an interesting question. From what I have read from other replies, the only possibility is that (from a Christian perspective of course) God gave everyone free will. Knowing that someone would have to betray him, and knowing that Judas would chose to do it (using his free will), he selected Judas as one of the apostles. And the rest is history (or scriptural or whatever you want to call it).

Don't forget something. If God knows everything, then Judas was born to do it, and Jesus was born to select him to do it. Neither of them had a choice.....since it was already scripted. Wait a minute....doesn't that mean that we really can't choose?????!!!! Hmmmm...something smells funny here....i think....i think its coming from that bible........