What does Matthew 26:24 mean?
Jesus has announced to the Twelve that one of them will betray Him (Matthew 26:20–23). Referring to Himself as the Son of Man, Jesus again notes that what happens to Him is part of prophecy. What comes in the following hours is what He has been expecting (Matthew 16:21–23). It is the reason He has come to earth. He is ready for it. Ultimately, that fate leads to resurrection and glory (John 17:1–5).It is a much different outcome, though, for the one who is betraying Christ. Jesus declares "woe" or judgment for that man. He adds that it would have been better for that man if he had never been born. Only Jesus knows that He is speaking of Judas (Matthew 26:14–17), one of the twelve men who has travelled with Him for much of the previous three years. Judas will suffer greatly for his betrayal.
This statement raises many important issues. Judas will suffer because He is not a true believer in Christ, despite his earlier actions (Matthew 7:21–23). Judas will not lose prior salvation (John 10:28), he will prove by his actions that he never had it (John 14:15). The idea that Judas would have been "better off" unborn also hints at the reality of an eternal hell (Mark 9:48). If Judas' fate is worse than never existing, it implies something other than nonexistence (Matthew 25:41, 46).
