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In a strange way, the trial, torture and crucifixion of Jesus may be one of the few moments in all of time in which God and Satan were both moving in the same direction. Of course, they each had very different intentions; the apostle Peter wrote that Jesus "was chosen as your ransom long before the creation of the world." (1 Peter 1:20) Nevertheless, as Jesus prayed fervently and urgently in Gethsemane, the most powerful forces of both good and evil worked towards a mutual goal that was set in motion by 30 pieces of silver and a singular kiss.

The very name Judas Iscariot seems innately connected with pure evil. A wealth of controversy surrounds the infamous legacy Judas left for history to remember him by. Generally, believers tend to view him as one of the most wicked men who ever lived — if not the most wicked. Inversely, there are some who believe the character of Judas is entirely misunderstood and that he was actually one of Jesus's oldest, closest and most trusted friends; in the course of trying to help Jesus reach his end goal, a strange and convoluted series of events caused everything to get out of hand, thus permanently cementing Judas's place in history as the ultimate traitor. But what is the truth behind the Bible's most hated character? Here's an in-depth look at Judas Iscariot.

So Close, Yet So Far: The Unfortunate Story of Judas Iscariot

Shortly before his betrayal, Jesus visited the home of Simon the Leper, where Martha and Mary — old friends and devoted followers — were preparing a meal in Jesus's honor after he'd raised Lazarus from the dead. Matthew recounts this dinner in his gospel account (26:6-13), as does John (John 12:1-11); both were present at the table with Jesus, Judas and the other nine disciples. John tells us that Lazarus reclined with them as well and, as Martha served the food, Mary poured a pint of lavishly expensive perfume (likely a family heirloom worth thousands of dollars in today's money) over Jesus's feet and wiped them with her hair.

As the house filled with the fragrance of the perfume, Judas spoke up indignantly. "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? That was a year's worth of wages." According to Matthew's account, the other disciples seemed to agree with him initially, turning to Jesus for his reply (Matthew 26:8) — but Jesus was not so easily deceived by the charitable guise of Judas's intentions. Of the 12 disciples, Judas specifically was chosen as the treasurer of the group, and John 12:6 reveals that he "helped himself to what was in the money bag" quite often.

Jesus was already silently aware of this, of course, and replied, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me." (Matthew 26:10) "Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have poor among you, but you will not always have me." (John 12:7-8)

This reply seemed to be the final straw for Judas, who already had loathing and wicked intentions for the Lord in his heart. Matthew says that he immediately went to the chief priests, asking, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?" They offered 30 pieces of silver, which Judas must have found sufficient, as he then "waited for the opportune moment to hand Jesus over to them." (Matthew 26:14-16)

Only hours later, Judas delivered Jesus in Gethsemane to the Roman guard and chief priests with a kiss on the cheek. It's difficult for any believer to imagine how Judas could be so heartless, greedy and treacherous after spending three years in the Lord's company and witnessing his works and miracles firsthand. The crippling guilt of his choices didn't take long to sink in; before Jesus had even drawn his last breath, Judas hanged himself outside the city walls.

Ultimately, the biggest lesson believers can learn from Judas today is that there is no such thing as "too far gone." Up until the very moment Judas left the Last Supper to summon the priests and the guard, Jesus gave him every opportunity to repent of the malice in his heart. As he washed each of the disciples' feet before the Last Supper, he subtly said, "Not all of you are clean."

The story of Judas didn't have to end in tragedy and pitiful disgrace; the Lord's forgiveness and love for his children would have been more than sufficient to grant Judas a new beginning, if only he could have found it within his own heart to follow the example he'd watched Jesus set over the course of three years. Perhaps the most tragic part of Judas's betrayal in Gethsemane is that he wasn't just betraying his friend and teacher; he was betraying himself and any chance of sharing in the glory and salvation of Christ's resurrection.