Mark 14:21 "For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him..."

"For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born" (Mark 14:21).
 

Question:

This scripture has always disturbed me. It has never been perfectly clear why Judas betrayed Jesus. Only Judas and God would really know. There is speculation that he was more politically minded and was trying to force Jesus' hand to proclaim his kingdom for Jewish domination. Whatever the reason, it is such a harsh statement and one I find difficult coming from Christ. After all, he forgave the Roman guards who crucified him and told his disciples to forgive endlessly. He doesn't outright condemn Judas with this statement, but it isn't placing his future in a particularly bright light, either. Any help would be appreciated.

Comment:

As you say, there is no clarity—and a lot of intriguing theories—as to why Judas did what he did. But Jesus here is not specifically focused on Judas—he's stating a general spiritual rule. Metaphysically we understand "the Son of man" to represent the Christ in human expression (whereas "the Son of God" is the Christ in the fullness of spiritual expression). So Jesus is stating, basically, that 'choices have consequences.' Charles Fillmore defines "Son of man" as "that within us which discerns the difference between Truth and error," so if, given that internal discernment, we nonetheless choose to believe and act on the error thought, the consequences will be severe. If we consistently do that, we will be negating the entire purpose of being in human form, which is to bring the kingdom of heaven into expression by consistently choosing for Truth. So, since we're not accomplishing our spiritual purpose, it could indeed be said that we might as well not have been born.   As for Judas, there's another intriguing possibility that occurs to me when I read this statement. It is often surmised that Jesus not only knew what Judas was doing, but was encouraging him to do it, in order to bring his ministry to fulfillment through his greatest demonstration. If that were the case, then "betrayal" might mean that Judas is beginning to have second thoughts. Jesus might be subtly warning him that he will "betray the Son of man" if he fails to carry out the plan. Just another possibility—and the kind of thing that keeps the Bible so alive and challenging.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed