THE CURIOUS CASE OF JUDAS ISCARIOT

Judas Iscariot is the only one of the apostles not recognized as a saint... a sad case for one of the original twelve.

Anyone born of the Christian faith, or who is currently a follower of the Christian religion will probably roll their eye when the name Judas Iscariot is mentioned. The man who betrayed our Lord, Jesus Christ. It will therefore be such a travesty to think of rationalizing the actions of a man who played a prominent role in birthing the largest religion in the world as a simple seed of avarice.

Very little is known about Judas’ history or family, nor do we have a full privy to what he did before he became a disciple of Jesus Christ. We, however, do know his last name was not ‘Iscariot’ but ‘Simeon’. Iscariot, which means Murderer or assassin in Hebrew, was adopted after the betrayal of Christ to differentiate him from the other Judas that was also a disciple. So, our story begins from the moment Judas became the disciple of Jesus Christ.

In a team of 12, which includes a former tax collector, Judas was chosen to be the group’s treasurer. It is worth noting that Judas Iscariot was the only disciple who had a position amongst the 12. While the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew, and even the Book of Acts seem to condemn Judas Iscariot as one with avarice rooted in his heart, lots of earlier religious texts described him differently. In some texts, Judas was seen as the closest friend of Jesus, the only one who truly understood the message of Jesus Christ. It was therefore no surprise that Jesus shared the secret knowledge of God and creation of man with him. One thing we can be sure of is, Jesus seemed to value this young man, he might have even named him the greatest of the apostles and most likely had a conversation with him on the need to report him to the Pharisees and Sadducees.

One can only presume that as the treasurer of the group, the onus of ensuring everyone was catered for as Jesus Christ moved from town to town fell on Judas Iscariot. He was described to have a money bag in which he placed all monies received by the apostles and Christ.

And as the ministry of Jesus Christ grew, the Pharisees were determined to hurt it and would most likely have proscribed the movement of Jesus Christ as illegal. This proscription will see donations to the movement monitored as people will be careful not to be accused of being a follower of Jesus Christ and lose all they had. The ministry of Jesus Christ didn’t have the grand standing it has today 2000 years ago, so it stands to reason that people will be careful of publicly affiliating with his movement.

Judas Iscariot being the treasurer would have been under more pressure to ensure the ministry thrived without having to worry about finances drawing it back; meticulously accounting for every penny and silver spent. One can thus understand his frustration at Mary, the sister of Lazarus who purchased a beautiful perfume ointment and used it to wash the feet of Jesus Christ. Though some accounts in the Gospel claim this outburst was borne from the place of greed but this is an inference that can be drawn easily based on the legacy he gave himself as his life came to an end.

Like all workaholics, I personally believe Judas let his position as the treasurer get in the way of his duty as an apostle. It can thus be inferred he was more concerned with raising funds for the ministry and was looking at every alternative to bring in finances for the movement of Jesus. So, it can be assumed, he, like everyone else, heard of the great reward the Pharisees were willing to pay to have Jesus Christ arrested and thought it might be a good way to bring in funds for the ministry.

Judas Iscariot had been with Jesus Christ since the beginning of his ministry. He was a Gospel preacher, and like the other disciples, he had the gift of healing and casting out demons. He had seen Jesus Christ walk on water, heal the sick and do so many impossible things. It is only logical he didn’t believe a bunch of Pharisees and Sadducees can hold Jesus Christ a prisoner.

Judas Iscariot was also a Jew and like all Jews, they awaited the Messiah. Judas knows and believes Jesus Christ is the Messiah and would have thought any attack on Jesus Christ will lead to an uprising and the end of those who held the Jews captive. It would have been the fulfilment of the prophecies as foretold by the prophets.

So, he thought to himself, the money being offered by the Pharisees was an easy way to enrich the purse of the ministry. It was a win-win from his vantage point and the only losers here would be the Pharisees and Sadducees.

With that thought in his mind, Judas Iscariot went to the Pharisees to agree to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (quite a fortune). This singular act is described by theologians as the moment Judas Iscariot became a willing tool in the hands of Satan. It is thus understandable that Judas was so consumed by his plans that he failed to listen to Jesus Christ as he warned him at the last supper. He was so sure of the mastery of his plans, which he believes will further impress the master and ensure no one is as treasured as he is amongst the 12.

When the D-day came, Jesus Christ wasn’t alone, which was a good sign for Judas Iscariot as it made sure the Pharisees won’t risk an uprising just to arrest Jesus Christ. So, when Judas proceeded to kiss Jesus Christ, he already ensured he had the 30 pieces of silver firmly tucked in his money bag.

At this point, is where all the plans Judas Iscariot thought he had carefully plotted came unravelling.

Judas had proceeded to hatch out a plan to make the ministry richer without considering the goal of the ministry. He had lost sight of the ministry of Jesus Christ and failed to listen appropriately. This fatal flaw proved to be his undoing.

If he had been attentive, he would have known Jesus Christ already prophesied the coming days leading to his death and he would have distanced himself from the Pharisees and Sadducees; and rejected Satan and all his pomp. Except of course, the version of history where Jesus told him it was of utmost importance for him to report Christ to the Pharisees and Sadducees is very accurate.

Judas Iscariot watched in horror as Jesus Christ- the one he called teacher and master, was arrested and taken away like a common criminal, despite the initial struggle they had been coursed through together. Judas Iscariot was broken and ashamed. He had betrayed his master and teacher, and he went back to the Pharisees to return the money he had collected as it had no more use; the purpose for which he obtained the money was already defeated. The ministry is dead without Jesus Christ, he assumed. Another big failure on his part as it only shows Judas Iscariot wasn’t listening to Jesus Christ properly.

Judas Iscariot returned the money and ultimately took his own life for the part he played in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Again, this shows he failed to listen as Jesus Christ mentioned he was praying for him and had already forgiven him. So, it’s no surprise, one account of his death says God refused to let him die and the rope snapped but Judas Iscariot being a determined man plunged headwards into a well and killed himself with his intestines spilling out. A sad and pathetic end to the only man who had a position among the chosen 12.

One thing we can all learn from Judas Iscariot is the evil of assumption. Judas Iscariot fell to his own death due to the fact he failed to listen but rather, he acted based on the assumptions he conjured in his head. More often than not, we most times make assumption on peoples’ intents and end up being wrong. Rather than take responsibilities for our actions and seek corrective measures, we plunge ourselves head-long into the well and sometimes die a metaphorical death.

Judas Iscariot was described to be the closest to Jesus Christ. Some accounts even mentioned that after the last supper, Jesus Christ called him aside to explain why he must carry the mantle of being the betrayer. He was made to understand the ministry of Jesus Christ will not reach the height it has without that singular act. So, why then did he still not see things the way he ought to have seen it? This is mainly because he assumed the ministry of Jesus Christ is a physical one rather than a spiritual one, hence he anticipated a physical manifestation of Jesus Christ’s power when he was arrested. The disappointment when this didn’t happen, coupled with the pain of betrayal ultimately led to his death.

2000 years after, we still vilify the man on whose sacrifice the ministry of Jesus Christ was built. Judas Iscariot is the only one of the apostles not recognized as a saint. Judas of Simon, now known as Judas Iscariot, was just a simple man like all disciples who was diligent in his duty and loved his master and teacher. One can only feel pity for the one who his death was rejected but guilt and shame took over him and he still chose death over life.

NOTABLE READING: THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS, THE COPTIC BIBLE, THE GNOSTIC BIBLE