The story of Judas Iscariot is heartbreaking. You likely recall that Judas betrayed Jesus by turning Him over to the authorities. He is the disciple everyone loves to hate. Why? Perhaps we worry that there may be too much Judas in us.
What happened? Like the others, Judas saw or felt something about Jesus that was so compelling that he walked away from home, family, and career to follow Him. The other followers came to trust Judas enough that they put him in charge of the money.
As we draw closer to the end of our Who dunnit? Series, we’ve discovered that nuance is important. While the verdict that Judas betrayed Jesus is clear, the why is a mystery. Did Judas lose trust in Jesus like many of us have lost trust in some of the institutions we depend on?
Pew Research has tracked public sentiment toward major institutions for over 25 years. Its latest poll, published in 2024, discovered that even trust in traditionally highly trusted institutions is headed in the wrong direction.
Of course, they warn us that trust is highly partisan. Democrats are substantially more trusting of government than Republicans. Nevertheless, most of us agree that we want protection from terrorism, someone watching over our food and medicine, and help recovering from natural disasters. Surprisingly, most of us give the government high marks in these areas.
A few federal agencies, such as the National Park Service, the Postal Service, and NASA, continue to have high favorability ratings. But overall, most people are losing faith in our government and institutions.
Did Judas simply lose faith in Jesus?
It was six days before Passover. Jesus and His followers were staying with friends in the Village of Bethany. It was the home of Lazarus, who you may remember. Jesus restored Lazarus from death. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha.
Luke tells a story about the two sisters fretting over Jesus when He visited. Martha fretted over getting a meal on the table while Mary soaked up every word Jesus said. I mention this because these are all bits of the story.
First, there’s Lazarus. The sisters had sent word that Lazarus was ill and near death. But Jesus didn’t leave right away. Jesus’ followers warned Him not to return to Judea because the last time they were there, the people threatened to stone Him. But Jesus went anyway. When they arrived, Lazarus was already dead. Jesus, however, brought Lazarus back to life, which apparently caught the attention of the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
These details connect to Judas because John tells us that “From that day on, the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus.” And Judas later becomes a part of their plot.
The gospel writers don’t speculate on why he decided to do what he did, only that Judas turned against Jesus and sold Him out to his enemies. But the why remains a mystery. Mark doesn’t venture so much as a guess at why. Matthew says Judas did it for the money but also says Judas gave the money back. Luke and John both say, “The devil made him do it!”
So, we’re left to speculate about what Judas might have been thinking. Our best clue involves Mary, Martha’s sister. This takes us back to Bethany and when Jesus and His followers stayed with them.
As I said earlier, Jesus and His followers stayed in Bethany when Mary poured a whole pint of expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. This story must be important since it appears in all four gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us that the disciples protested the wastefulness of this action. However, John adds a twist to the story that many scholars believe is connected with Judas’ decision to betray Jesus.
John tells us that Judas responded to Mary’s act with, “This perfume could have been sold for a small fortune! Think of all the money we could have given to the poor!” John adds that Judas didn’t really care about the poor. In fact, Judas regularly helped himself to the funds for his own needs. Judas wasn’t thinking about the poor. Judas was thinking about the profit he could have made by selling the perfume.
Maybe John’s telling of this story explains the mystery of Judas’ betrayal. Perhaps Judas decided to betray Jesus when he realized that Jesus didn’t plan to capitalize on His celebrity status. Perhaps Judas had visions of the group building a mega-church.
Perhaps his betrayal really was nothing more than his love for money and power. It’s possible, of course, that Judas betrayed Jesus for a bag of silver.
On the other hand, there is the secret of Judas’ name.
It’s interesting that Judas is referred to as “Judas Iscariot.” We’re not sure what Iscariot means in this case. Some believe the name refers to the town where Judas was from. Others speculate it’s a family name.
However, some scholars believe the name Iscariot points to Judas’ membership in a group of assassins known as the Sicarii.
The Sicari were Jews who used violence in opposition to Roman taxes and the occupation of their land by Roman soldiers. The name Sicari was derived from a weapon called a sica. The sica was a curved dagger they carried in their robes, waiting for a chance to drive it into an enemy’s back. Afterward, they would fade into the crowd undetected.
This leads to the speculation that Judas chose to follow Jesus because he believed Jesus was planning a rebellion against the Romans. It makes sense. A rebellion is precisely what many expected the Messiah would do. Many believed that a Messiah would raise an army, march into Jerusalem, and overthrow the religious leaders who had corrupted the Temple. The Messiah would then drive out the Romans and proclaim himself king.
It’s possible Judas believed that Jesus was this sort of Messiah.
Imagine Judas’s frustration as he watched Jesus wander from one small Galilean village to another rather than heading straight for Jerusalem. It must have been music to his ears when Jesus finally announced that it was time to go to Jerusalem. Imagine his excitement when the people of Jerusalem gathered in large numbers to greet Jesus, waving palm branches. Surely, Jesus is the Messiah who will lead an assault t o retake Jerusalem.
Judas went off and spoke with the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard about how he could betray Jesus to them.
Luke 22:3-6
Judas’ excitement continued when Jesus headed straight for the Temple and started flipping the tables of the moneychangers. “You have made My Father’s house a den of thieves!” Jesus shouted as He drove the thieves out of the Temple.
Finally, the Jesus Judas had been waiting for showed up. What comes next?
It was time for Jesus to urge the crowds to storm the Temple and toss the chief priests out. It was time for the people to take over the city. Jesus would declare Himself King, usher in a new age, and make Judea great again.
But instead of mobilizing the crowds, Jesus became passive. This must have seemed strange to Judas. Just as the city became ripe for violence, Jesus chose to sit in the Temple and tell parables. Instead of forming alliances and drawing up battle plans each evening, Jesus started spending more and more time alone in prayer.
Can’t you imagine how maddening this must have been to Judas? Surely, his patience with Jesus was at an end.
On the other hand, perhaps there was no one moment or act of Jesus that caused Judas to turn away. Perhaps Judas just got tired of being disappointed. Perhaps Judas finally broke down under the weight of too many letdowns and missed opportunities.
Is it possible that Judas rejected Jesus when he discovered that Jesus’ plan for the world didn’t involve anger, vengeance, or violence?
Perhaps we’re not supposed to know Judas’ motives.
What if the story of Judas is a warning? What is Juda is really a mirror for us to reflect on our own lives and motivations?
Perhaps the story of Judas is intended to be a reminder that Jesus’ friends can betray him just as surely as his enemies. Perhaps the story of Judas asks us, “What is our line in the sand?”
In other words, what is our non-negotiable that could trip us up in our faith? Do we have an agenda, our possessions, or is there a piece of ourselves we are so attached to that we would throw Jesus overboard if he tried to take it from us?”
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Pastor Tommy
Our series was inspired by The Reverend Jeremy Peters of Court Street United Methodist Church, Flint, Michigan, in collaboration with several United Methodist Pastors serving the Flint area. Pastor Jeremy wrote some of the content.
Claudia Deane. “Americans’ Deepening Mistrust of Institutions.” © Pew Research, October 17, 2024. Retrieved from: link