by By Eric Kathenya
Judas Iscariot is a hate figure in Christianity. He is the guy who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish leaders who in turn pushed for his killing by the Romans. He is the image of a traitor in the Christian world.
Many people have tried to explain what would have made a man who Jesus chose as one of his apostles betray the Saviour. Judas was a witness to the miracles Jesus had worked. He was not only specially chosen, he was also the apostle in charge of money. He was the Minister for Finance, which is practically the second most powerful office in any government after the head of government.
So why did a man who Jesus trusted so much betray him? The answer is simple.When Jesus was born, Jews were colonized by the Romans the same way Britain had colonized Kenya. The Jewish prophets had foretold about the coming of a Messiah.
In those circumstances, the Jews were waiting for a political Messiah who would liberate them from the Roman rule. There were many people who called themselves messiahs, and they all gathered followers. Some of these ‘messiahs’ were quite violent. Barabbas, the bandit the Jews chose to be released instead of Jesus by Pontius Pilate, was a self-styled political fighter.
Jesus, too, got his followers. He had a few fishermen from his home town, like Peter and his brother Andrew. He had relatives among his band like James and John. Then, there were the learned men like Matthew and Judas.
It could be argued that the apostles followed Jesus because they were politically ambitious. They too were looking for a Messiah and their bet was Jesus was going to run the Romans out of town and become a king like David, but with an everlasting earthly kingdom.
But Jesus had been going around Palestine for three years and with his apostles preaching about God’s kingdom. But he was taking too long in his preparations to become a king, and the apostles were getting impatient.
His cousins James and John secretly approached Jesus and asked him whether they would sit on his left and right in his kingdom. Their mum too asked Jesus the same question on their behalf as if not understanding that this was not an earthly kingdom.
When the apostles learnt what the two had done, they became very angry with them because they had gone behind their backs to ask for senior political offices.He time and again explained to them that he would go to Jerusalem to be handed over to the authorities who would kill him but for some reason this understanding was kept from the apostles.
I argue that the idea of a spiritual Messiah was far from the apostles’ minds. Earlier on when Jesus had asked them, “Who do you say I am?”, Simon Peter had replied: “You are Christ, the Messiah.” Jesus replied to Peter: “It is not flesh and blood that has revealed that to you.”
As the Jewish feast of Passover approached and Jesus and his disciples made their way to Jerusalem, Jesus began to talk more and more about his death and resurrection. At one instance, Thomas asks him, “Where are you going Master?”
Matthew 16: 21-23 captures this disconnect between Jesus and his apostles. “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.””
Judas had closely followed Jesus but it’s clear he did not see him as the Christ, the son of the living God or he would not have betrayed him. Being a practical man, he realized Jesus will never be a political king. He started stealing from the kitty and blaming Jesus for being wasteful.
Judas knew the Jews religious leaders were looking for an opportunity to arrest Jesus. He must have seen this as the opportunity to make some money as Project Jesus was going nowhere. That moved him to approach the Jews in secret and ask for money in exchange for betraying Jesus. It was a practical business and political decision. Judas realized that Jesus would never deliver Canaan and shook hands with the Jewish religious leaders.
Of course it was ordained that one who shared Jesus’ table and broke bread with him would betray him. Judas just happened to be the one destined as the son of perdition.”The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Matthew 26:24
A good understanding of the motives that lend Judas to betray Jesus would help Christians live their faith better so that they don’t follow Jesus and remain with unchanged hearts, like Judas. Also, temptations are part of the Christian life. Many Christians who make the effort to stay true to their faith face dilemmas in life and at the moment are tempted to ‘put the Bible down’ and follow the money in a business dealing, the power in a political decision, or the pleasure in a sexual escapade. We betray Jesus when we opt not to follow his Way. We are closer to Judas than we imagine. But we change this when we repent and go back to the way, the truth, and the life. When we go back to Jesus.
Eric Kathenya is an education manager and social entrepreneur based in Nairobi.
