Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus. Today we hear the word Judas and the first thought that comes to mind is betrayer. Judas loved money and expected Jesus to establish His Kingdom on earth. The people of Israel were under the rule of the Romans, and they were looking for an earthly king to overthrow Rome and reestablish their nation. We don’t for sure why Judas betrayed Jesus, but some scholars speculate that Judas did not understand that Jesus did not come as a political savior but a spiritual one. Judas’ betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane was known by Jesus from the beginning. Yet Jesus doesn’t call him traitor, He calls him friend. In Matthew 26:50 (NLT), Jesus says, “‘My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.’ Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.” How can Jesus call Judas His friend? Jesus understood that the root of Judas’ betrayal was because he did not love like Jesus loves and did not understand the true mission of His coming. Jesus was faithful to His Father God. In the darkest night Jesus demonstrated the unbelievable radiance of God’s love. God will always love us just the way we are.