Was Judas Iscariot Truly Evil - Or Chosen for a Divine Purpose? An Eastern Orthodox Reflection

So, I have recently been watching Season 5 of "The Chosen" (yes, even Monks watch TV on occasion), and as the series moves closer to the events of Holy Friday and the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, I found myself moved by the way the character of Judas Iscariot is portrayed. There’s a particular scene, quiet, subtle, and heavy with foreshadowing, where Judas looks upon Christ with a mix of admiration, confusion, and inner conflict. It struck me how The Chosen does not present Judas as a caricature of evil, but as a complex, even sympathetic figure, one who believes he is doing something right, yet is tragically misguided.

This scene stirred something in me. I began to reflect more seriously on the person of Judas, not simply as the betrayer of Christ, but as someone who walked with the Lord, heard His voice, and yet chose a path that led to ruin. In doing so, here are some thoughts that emerged as I looked deeper into the mystery of Judas and his actions, guided through the lens of Holy Tradition, the Church Fathers, and the spiritual wisdom of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Human Face of Betrayal
Judas Iscariot was not an abstract villain. He was one of the Twelve, called personally by Jesus Christ, entrusted with the ministry, the mission, and even the communal treasury. He walked with the Lord, heard His teachings, witnessed His miracles. He was not some demonic outsider, he was part of the inner circle. The Orthodox Church, in her hymns during Holy Week, especially on Holy Wednesday and Holy Thursday, places Judas right beside the woman who anointed Christ’s feet. Two sinners, yet two radically different responses.

The betrayal of Judas is not merely historical. It is liturgical and existential. Every Holy Week, we are called to ask: Am I the betrayer? Like Judas, do I follow Christ outwardly but inwardly serve my own desires? The question is not about judging Judas from afar, but about locating his potential within our own hearts.

Evil Incarnate? Or Tragic Freedom?
In the Orthodox understanding, evil is never personified as an equal force to God. There is no "evil incarnate" in the way that Christ is the Incarnation of Goodness and Truth. Evil has no substance of its own; it is a parasite on the good. So to say that Judas was “evil incarnate” would be a theological distortion. He was a man, flawed, perhaps greedy, perhaps disillusioned, but a man nonetheless.

What makes Judas tragic is not his betrayal alone, it is his refusal to believe in the possibility of forgiveness. Unlike Peter, who also betrayed Christ through denial, Judas despaired. In the words of St. John Chrysostom: “Judas sinned, yes, but he could have repented! He could have run to the Cross! But instead, he ran to the noose.”

Orthodoxy emphasizes that no sin, not even betrayal of Christ Himself, is beyond the mercy of God. What damns is not the sin, but the refusal to repent.

A Chosen Instrument?
There is a provocative question that lingers: if Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, and still chose him, then was Judas simply a tool, an unwilling pawn in a divine drama?

This touches on the delicate interplay between divine foreknowledge and human free will. God, in His omniscience, foreknew Judas’ betrayal, but He did not cause it. Judas was not programmed to fail. Christ gave him every opportunity, every warning, every loving outreach.

We see in the Gospel of John (13:26-27) a particularly poignant moment: at the Last Supper, Jesus offers Judas a piece of bread, a gesture of honor and friendship. This act is not manipulation. It is mercy. Yet Scripture tells us: “Satan entered into him.” Even then, the final choice was Judas’ own. The Fathers teach that God’s plan is so sovereign, so mighty, that even our worst decisions can be folded into His redemptive purposes, but that does not strip those decisions of their freedom.

St. Gregory the Theologian puts it beautifully: “God did not will the sin of Judas, but He willed to use it.”

Liturgical Witness: The Bridegroom and the Betrayer
In the Orthodox liturgical cycle of Holy Week, Judas is not ignored or simply reviled. He is remembered with sorrow and as a mirror. On Holy Wednesday, we chant hymns that contrast the “woman who brought myrrh” with Judas who sold the Lord. The hymns ask us directly: whom do we resemble?

Orthodoxy never treats Judas as a monster beyond comprehension. He is treated as a tragic figure, like us, given the possibility of communion with Christ, but lost through greed, disillusionment, and despair.

In the hymnography, he is not demonized; he is mourned. The Church cries out: “The wretched Judas became a traitor from the abundance of silver… Flee from the insatiable desire which made him hang himself.”

Judas was necessary, not because God forced him into sin, but because God, in His love, allows even our broken choices to become part of His saving plan. This is not a justification of sin but a testament to the greatness of God's mercy.

The True Tragedy: Lost Hope
What truly sets Judas apart is not what he did, but how he responded afterward. He tried to return the silver. He confessed his sin: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Yet his confession was empty of hope. He turned not to Christ but to death. Here is the dividing line: Peter wept and was restored; Judas despaired and was lost.

The Church Fathers emphasize that Christ would have forgiven Judas had he come to the Cross. Can you imagine if Judas had fallen at the feet of the crucified Lord? What a Gospel that would be!

But Judas could not believe that mercy was possible. His greatest sin, in the end, was despair, the loss of hope in the love of Christ. And this is a warning to us all.

What Does This Teach Us?

1. We are all capable of betrayal. Judas walked with Christ. So do we, in prayer, in communion, in Scripture. Yet we too betray Him with our greed, pride, or fear.
2. God's mercy is always available. There is no sin too great for Christ to forgive. What condemns is not failure, but refusal to turn back.
3. Despair is the final enemy. The Orthodox Church constantly warns against the deadly sin of despair (acedia). Judas’ tragedy was not just in what he did, but in believing that what he did made him beyond saving.
4. God’s providence includes our freedom. Judas' betrayal did not thwart God's plan, it was foreseen and transformed by it. Yet that does not absolve Judas. Our choices matter, eternally.

Conclusion: Sorrow, Not Hatred
So, was Judas evil incarnate? No. He was a man, fallen, broken, and tragically unrepentant. Was he necessary? In one sense, yes. But only because God, in His sovereignty, wove even betrayal into the tapestry of salvation. The Orthodox Church does not exalt Judas, nor does she condemn him as a monster. She mourns him.

In the end, Judas Iscariot stands as a warning, and as a sorrowful possibility for each of us. The deeper question is not about him, but about us: When we fall—will we repent, or will we despair?

Let us choose repentance. Let us fall not into the noose, but at the feet of Christ, trusting in His endless mercy.

“I will not speak of Thy Mystery to Thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss; but like the thief will I confess Thee: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom.” – Communion Hymn of the Eastern Orthodox Church.