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[Surfing Charlie]

Why do Christians generally view Judas in such a negative light if the effect of his decisions (the death of Jesus) constituted the whole point of Jesus' existence on Earth?

While there is the obvious issue of betrayal, Christ's crucifixion by means of Judas' actions would seem to make Judas merely an unwitting but necessary instrument of salvation. A believer could even argue that salvation itself would not have been possible without Judas. How do Christians reconcile this with Judas' reputation?

[jimwalton]

Great question. Even though the effect of Judas's betrayal was Jesus' crucifixion, he was still a cad. He acted, as far as we can tell, from an attitude of non-faith, self-interest, and greed. That doesn't put him in a positive light. The fact that he sold Jesus for 30 silver coins (about $20 in US dollars, the normal price for a common slave) shows contempt for Jesus on the part of both the Sanhedrin and Judas. That doesn't put Judas in a positive light, either. Jesus had even washed his feet before the Last Supper, where Judas was seated at the position of honor. What Judas did was a despicable breach of honor in their culture.

But I'm guessing that your question is more to the theological angle: Didn't what Judas did constitute the whole point of Jesus' existence on earth? I would say that Judas was not a necessary instrument of salvation. While it was prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed by an insider, what makes salvation efficacious is Jesus' death as an innocent man. Betrayal is not necessary to make the salvation package possible. The betrayal was one part of the story to show how Jesus was made the lowest of the low: betrayed by a friend, deserted by his follows, treated like a common criminal, and humiliated beyond reason. Judas plays a part in the whole Passion scene, but he is not necessary to make salvation possible.