Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Jeff Neville (LDS): The Betrayal of Judas by Jesus was not a Necessity but a Contingency

Commenting on whether Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was predestined or a necessity and not a contingency, Jeff Neville (LDS) wrote that:

 

We should note that Judas had not acted in ignorance. His was an act of open rebellion. Judas ignored multiple warnings from the Savior, including the one given that night during the supper. During the meal the Savior had warned, “Woe unto that man whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). Some have suggested that the Savior needed Judas to betray Him and that it was predestined. Judas always had a choice; he always had his agency. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked. Had Judas made the choice not to betray the Savior, another way would have been opened up for Jesus to be arrested and crucified. “The works and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (D&C 3:1). The Savior’s atoning sacrifice would occur with or without Judas’ involvement.

 

The Joseph Smith Translation in Mark 14 adds an interesting insight into the betrayal: “And he said unto Judas Iscariot . . . what thou doest, do quickly: But beware of innocent blood. Nevertheless Judas . . . went unto the chief priests to betray Jesus unto them; for he turned away from him and was offended because of his [Jesus’] words” (see JST Mark 14:10 and the complete inspired version of Mark 14:28; emphasis added). In this verse, the Savior gives Judas an additional warning. He was betraying innocent blood. We also learn that one of the reasons Judas turned away from Jesus was because he was offended because of Jesus’ words. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, “Judas was rebuked, and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of His enemies, because Satan entered into him” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 67). Apparently chastised by Jesus for something he had said or done, the defensive young Apostle rejected the correction, and refused to confess his error and repent.

 

His prideful reaction lead to his demise. Is there a lesson in this for us? It is a choice to be offended; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. We determine how we will act, how we will respond. One sign of true humility is to learn to accept correction and to accept it cheerfully. (Jeff Neville, His Final Days and Triumph [Springville, Utah: CFI, 2022], 16-17)

 

With respect to the JST, here is New Testament Manuscript 2, Folio 2, p. 40

 



 

And Jesus sai[th]<d> unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it <is> written, I will smite the Shepperd and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I

will go before you into Gallilee. And he sai[th]<d> unto Judas Iscariot, what thou doest, do quickl[y]<y>; but beware of in<n>ocint blood. Neverthe=less, Judas Iscariot, <even> one of the twelve, went unto the cheif Priests to betray Jesus unto them; for he turned away from him, and was offended because of his words.