When we hear the name Judas, we recoil—he’s the villain, the betrayer, the one we’re sure we’d never be like. But that reaction exposes something in us: we instinctively place ourselves on the “good” side of every story. We judge others’ failures while assuming we’d never fall the same way. Whether it’s addiction, immorality, pride, or bad theology, we often see ourselves as morally superior; we even do it in sports—some of you insisted Tom Brady was evil for years. But today’s passage confronts that self‑righteous instinct and reminds us of our own desperation and our deep need for Jesus to intervene in our choices. Judas isn’t just a villain to condemn—he’s a mirror we’d rather avoid. As Jesus predicts Judas’ betrayal, we’re forced to face the sobering truth that all of us are capable of the same thing unless God steps in with grace.
