Let’s look at Judas not as a caricature of evil, but as a human being.
This places us in an uncomfortable paradox. Did Judas have a choice? Theologians argue this endlessly. If Jesus had to die for the sins of the world, then someone had to betray him. Judas was playing the role written for him since Genesis. But if he was just an actor reading a script, can we condemn him for eternity? Let’s look at Judas not as a caricature
If the Prodigal Son gets a robe and a ring, and Peter gets the keys to the kingdom, what happens to the man who hung himself in a field of blood? Did Jesus, descending into Hades during the three days, walk past the corpse of Judas and whisper, "Friend, do what you came for... and follow me still"? Theologians argue this endlessly
That is the question that keeps Judas alive. Not as a villain to be hated, but as a mirror to be feared—and a tragedy to be mourned. But if he was just an actor reading
Dante, in his Inferno , places Judas in the lowest circle of Hell, frozen in Satan’s mouth, chewed for eternity. But I wonder if Mercy reaches lower than Hell.