According to Osho, Judas’s “betrayal” was not treachery but the supreme act of friendship: a consented role in Jesus’s deliberate “Christ drama” to be arrested and crucified so his message would be sealed, magnified, and remembered. The cross, more than Jesus, became the carrier of value. This reading urges seekers to question scripture and verify through inner inquiry rather than inherited narratives.
Judas helped Jesus on purpose so the crucifixion would spread Jesus’s message.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Wasn’t he a disciple? He was a disciple, but he was a traitor. He betrayed, deceived, and sold Jesus, and it was because of him that Jesus was crucified. He himself came at night and had him arrested. Jesus was resting for the night and Judas brought the enemy’s soldiers and had Jesus seized. So there is no name filthier than Judas in the history of Christianity. If you want to abuse someone, just call him Judas—there is no greater insult than that. What could be worse than having Jesus crucified?
But Gurdjieff is the first man who said this is a downright lie. Judas is not an enemy; he is Jesus’ friend. And the conspiracy to have him arrested is Jesus’ own, not Judas’. That is, Jesus wants to be caught and hung on the cross. And Judas is his servant—such a great servant that when Jesus tells him, “You get me arrested,” none of the other disciples has the courage to carry out such a task. But Judas is a servant; he says, “As you wish!” Judas gets Jesus arrested. So Gurdjieff was the first to say: from the depths of my inquiry I tell you that Judas is not an enemy, and it is rare to find a friend like Judas who silently bows his head and obeys even the command to have you killed, and goes to do it. Hence... all of Christianity says that Jesus fell…
Matthew 26
47 AND WHILE HE YET SPAKE, LO, JUDAS, ONE OF THE TWELVE, CAME, AND WITH HIM A GREAT MULTITUDE WITH SWORDS AND STAVES, FROM THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE. 48 NOW HE THAT BETRAYED HIM GAVE THEM A SIGN, SAYING: WHOMSOEVER I SHALL KISS, THAT SAME IS HE; HOLD HIM FAST. 49 AND FORTHWITH HE CAME TO JESUS, AND SAID: HAIL, MASTER; AND KISSED HIM. 55 IN THAT SAME HOUR SAID JESUS TO THE MULTITUDES: ARE YE COME OUT AS AGAINST A THIEF WITH SWORDS AND STAVES FOR TO TAKE ME? I SAT DAILY WITH YOU TEACHING IN THE TEMPLE, AND YE LAID NO HOLD ON ME. 56 BUT ALL THIS WAS DONE, THAT THE SCRIPTURES OF THE PROPHETS MIGHT BE FULFILLED. THEN ALL THE DISCIPLES FORSOOK HIM, AND FLED. Matthew 27 1 WHEN THE MORNING WAS COME, ALL THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE…
Beloved Osho, what is the difference between the emptiness of the child before the formation of the ego and the awakened childlikeness of a buddha?
Whether you are for it or against it doesn't matter -- your concern shows where your ego is hanging. And I will include the capitalist in it also: his whole concern is how to gather money, hoard money -- because money has power over matter. You can purchase any material thing through money. You cannot purchase anything spiritual, you cannot purchase anything that has any intrinsic value; you can purchase only things. If you want to purchase love, you cannot purchase; but you can purchase sex. Sex is the material part of love. Through money, matter can be purchased, possessed. Now you will be surprised: I include the communist and the capitalist both in the same category, and they are enemies, just as I include Charvaka and Mahatma Gandhi in the same category, and they are enemies. They are enemies, but their concern is the same. The capitalist is trying…
I am not afraid of anybody. What can anybody do to me? At the most somebody can assassinate me. To me it seems exciting. Death is bound to happen, and assassination is not a bad way, in fact perfectly suitable to a man like me. I will enjoy it. I will thank the man; I will not die before thanking him. And I will ask you that that man not be punished, because to me he has not given any pain, he has simply given me an opportunity to move beyond the body. So don't drag him to the court. Don't force him to be sentenced to death. Make history out of it: be the first people in the whole history whose Master has been assassinated, but you are not against the assassination or against the assassin.
John 13 2 and supper being ended,
5... HE POURETH WATER INTO A BASIN, AND BEGAN TO WASH THE DISCIPLES' FEET, AND TO WIPE THEM WITH THE TOWEL WHEREWITH HE WAS GIRDED. 6 THEN COMETH HE TO SIMON PETER, AND PETER SAITH UNTO HIM: LORD, DOST THOU WASH MY FEET? 7 JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM: WHAT I DO THOU KNOWEST NOT NOW, BUT THOU SHALT KNOW HEREAFTER. 8 PETER SAITH UNTO HIM: THOU SHALT NEVER WASH MY FEET! JESUS ANSWERED HIM: IF I WASH THEE NOT, THOU HAST NO PART WITH ME. 12 SO AFTER HE HAD WASHED THEIR FEET, AND HAD TAKEN HIS GARMENTS, AND WAS SET DOWN AGAIN, HE SAID UNTO THEM: KNOW YE WHAT I HAVE DONE TO YOU? 13 YE CALL ME MASTER AND LORD, AND YE SAY WELL; FOR SO I AM. 14 IF I THEN, YOUR LORD AND MASTER, HAVE WASHED YOUR FEET, YE ALSO OUGHT TO WASH ONE…