Jesus Loved Judas Too
We don’t like to talk about Judas. Peter, we can handle. He denied Jesus three times, yes, but he wept bitterly, and we love that part of the story. We admire his comeback in John 21, when the risen Christ restores him by asking three times, “Do you love Me?” We celebrate Peter’s failure because it ends in redemption.
But Judas? We write him off. Traitor. Betrayer. Done. Yet if we’re honest, Judas’ story is one of the clearest mirrors of our own humanity. And if we’re not careful, we’ll miss the staggering grace Jesus extended to himeven to the very end.
When Judas arrived in the garden with soldiers, betraying Jesus with a kiss, Jesus didn’t call him an enemy. He didn’t spit words of condemnation. He looked at him and said, “Friend, do what you came for.” (Matthew 26:50). That word matters. Judas was not friendly at that moment, but Jesus’ love did not fracture. He loved Judas to the end, and He named him “friend” while betrayal was still fresh on his lips.
We often stop Judas’ story with his death. He threw the silver back into the temple, overcome with guilt, and went out and ended his life. And we nod sadly, as if it were inevitable. But it didn’t have to end there. Judas could have returned. He could have fallen at Jesus’ feet the way Peter did, weeping bitterly, and he would have been forgiven. That’s the part we forget: Jesus would have forgiven Judas, too.
The blood shed at Calvary was not “all but Judas.” It was for the world. Every sin, every betrayal, every denial, every failure. His mercy was wide enough for Peter, wide enough for the thief on the cross, wide enough for you and me, wide enough for Judas too.
The difference between Peter and Judas was not the depth of their sin but the direction of their sorrow. Both were broken. Both felt the weight of their failure. Peter wept toward Jesus. Judas wept away from Him. And that’s where the story split.
And maybe this matters most when tragedy hits, when heartbreak is real, when the world shakes, when our nation grieves. The Bible doesn’t tell us to dismiss pain with quick phrases or shallow comfort. It tells us plainly: “Mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Jesus Himself wept at Lazarus’ tomb, even knowing resurrection was coming. Real love doesn’t rush people past their grief; it enters in and sits with them there.
And what about enemies? The Bible doesn’t let us off the hook there either. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). That’s not easy, and it’s certainly not natural. But it is exactly what Jesus did, even with Judas. He called him a friend. He loved him to the end. That same radical love is what He calls us to embody when tragedy, betrayal, or hatred hits close to home.
It’s easy for us to side with Peter and distance ourselves from Judas, but if we’re honest, we’ve all had Judas moments. Times we’ve sold Jesus out for lesser loves. Times we’ve betrayed Him with lips that honor Him but lives that don’t. And we’ve all had Peter moments too, times we’ve denied Him when it felt too costly, times when fear made us small. The good news is the same for both: Jesus’ love doesn’t quit.
This isn’t cheap grace. Jesus didn’t ignore sin; He carried it. He didn’t excuse betrayal; He absorbed it. He didn’t dismiss denial; He forgave it. The grace of Jesus is not weak; it’s bold enough to call Judas “friend” and strong enough to restore Peter after three denials. And if it was enough for them, it is enough for us.
So maybe today you feel more like Judas than Peter. You’ve betrayed trust. You’ve turned your back. You wonder if your story is already over. Hear me: it’s not too late. If Judas could have come back, and he could have
So can you. The same Jesus who restored Peter would restore you. The same Jesus who called Judas a friend calls you beloved. The scars in His hands are proof that your failure, however deep, is not final.
Judas’ story could have ended differently. Peter did. And yours still can. Because the defining factor is never the failures, it is always the Savior. And His grace, His forgiveness, His love? Still strong enough. Still wide enough. Still deep enough. Even for Judas. Even for you.
