This question derives from a narrative which portrays Jesus as an incompetent savior. Not everyone accepts that narrative.
Judas trespassed against Jesus when he made a covenant to deliver him to the chief priests, after the devil put it into his heart.
Here is something Jesus did not teach: If a brother trespasses against you, wait for him to ask you for forgiveness. If he asks you for forgiveness, forgive him. Then, and only then, you will gain your brother.
Here is something Jesus did teach: If a brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he shall hear you, then you will gain your brother.
Therefore, Judas did not need to ask Jesus for forgiveness, but Jesus needed to go to Judas and tell him his fault between him and Judas alone.
And that is exactly what Jesus did when he washed the feet of his disciples, his first act of the last day, the day he was to raise up the lost again.
Speaking directly to Peter, Jesus told Judas indirectly that he was not clean—that he needed his feet washed. Why?
Because his heel was lifted up against him.
Jesus told Judas his fault by paraphrasing Psalms 41:9.
And he told him his fault after he had already shown him his forgiveness for the trespass, after he had already cleansed him so that he was then clean, no longer needing even to wash his feet.
Therefore, the narrative of the incompetent savior is promoted by those who call unclean that which God has cleansed. Blind leaders of the blind.
Note: Jesus did not respond to the trespass against him by telling his disciples that one of them would betray him. What Jesus did tell them was that one of them would hand him over, his words conveyed not even a hint of treachery; else, none of them would have asked him, “Is it I?”
The promoters of the incompetent savior slander them of his family, saying their words, “Is it I?," betray doubts they had about their loyalty to him.
B.S.
They were, as they said, men who would die with him. Their loyalty to him was the quality within them which Jesus required that they deny in order to be his followers. His orchestration of their scattering was an offense to them. Jesus himself denied them the honor of dying with him, and he did it for the cause that none of them should be lost.
The word betray does not belong in any of the Four Gospels.
And Judas was not alone in not having to ask for forgiveness. Neither did Peter.
Not only did Jesus orchestrate the scattering, he also orchestrated the denials by Peter.
Peter became a follower of Jesus (the last of The Twelve to do so) by his three denials. That was the cross he had to bear because he persisted so long in not denying that quality within himself which was his loyalty to Jesus.
Peter’s fault was in thinking his persistence in not denying his loyalty to Jesus was because he had a greater love for Jesus than the others. That is the fault which Jesus would later tell Peter about, not the imaginary fault of denials.
They argue from silence who say that Judas did not repent. Regret is not repentance, but regret does not preclude it. Scripture does not say Judas did not repent.
They argue from silence who say that Peter asked for forgiveness.
The promoters of the incompetent savior have no need to question the statement that Judas went and hanged himself. But that statement has been questioned.
Idiomatically, the literal words “hanged himself” mean “was choked.”
Here is a translation which I suggest:
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, withdrew himself, and departed choked up with grief.
Matthew’s final depiction of Judas portrays only the woe he suffered, not his death. That’s true of his depiction in Acts, too.
Finally, Judas did not betray Jesus.
Judas initiated (started) an act of betrayal.
Jesus aborted (ended) the act of betrayal which Judas initiated.
In the end, Judas served Jesus when he handed him over to those who took him.
Judas glorified Jesus as Jesus glorified his Father.
Jesus is not the incompetent savior worshiped by those who say that Judas is in hell.
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