Meaning of the name Judas
The name Judas is the Greek version of “Judah” in Hebrew which roughly means “Praise” or “Praise be to God.” However, the origin of “Iscariot” is not as clear. It is widely accepted that the Greek iskariotes comes from Hebrew ishq'riyoth, meaning "man from Kerioth", a city in Palestine. So in this case, a name like Judas Iscariot would be similar to calling someone "Bob from Los Angeles" or "Jenny the Bostonian."
Historical context: the world around Judas Iscariot
Judas lived near the beginning of the first century AD. If the speculations about the meaning of "Iscariot" were true, he would have originated from Southern Judah, which also means he would have been the only one among the 12 followers of Judea; the others came from Galilee. Although we do not really know where he grew up, he joined Jesus during his three-year ministry, placing him permanently in Israel towards 30 years.
At the time, Israel was occupied by Rome, which had just transformed from a republic into a massive empire of rapid conquest. In Israel, the Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious leaders of Israel and the great temple in Jerusalem, but they were subject in questions temporal under the authority of kings or governors appointed by the Romans.
Israel was already a fractured country where Samarians, Jews and other local groups fought over each other, but with the Roman occupation, Israel had become a hotbed of unrest policy, rebellion and oppression, making it an unstable place to live, especially for those following a leader like Jesus who has attracted so much attention and controversy.
First signs of problems
Judas was one of the 12 disciples, Jesus' closest companions. Although a specific scene of Judas calling Jesus is not included in the Gospels, as is the case for other people such as Philippe, Nathaniel and Peter, he is included in the list of 12 from the start (eg. Marc 3: 19).
Although Judas is not mentioned as much in Jesus' ministry as others, such as Peter, Jacques and John, the Bible records that he was the treasurer of the disciples (Jean 12: 6; Jean 13: 29). However, the Bible also reveals that Judas used this position for personal gain. Jean 12: 6 states, “He was a thief; as keeper of the bag of money, he used to use what was put there. »
The Bible offers another interesting element: a scene in which Judas protests the actions of Jesus. Jean 12 opens with a dinner scene. There, the Bible reports that Mary's friend Mary took a large quantity of expensive perfume, poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped it with her hair as an act ofworship.
Judas objected. “Why was this perfume not sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's salary ”(Jean 12: 5).
Although his intentions seemed pure, Jean 12: 6 "He didn't say that because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief." He fully intended to minimize the cash bag's financial resources.
Rather than exposing Judas, Jesus responded to the alleged concern, while poignantly addressing his own impending death, which would of course be partially brought about by Judas. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was planned that she would save this perfume for the day of my funeral. You will always have poor people among you, but you will not always have me'” (Jean 12: 7-8).
Judas betrays Jesus
This seems to have been a turning point for Judas. After telling thehistory perfume (which is included in the four Gospels), Matthew and Mark immediately follows this scene with that of the agreement made between Judas and those who wanted to kill Jesus. Matthew checked in,
"One of the Twelve, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked them, 'What will you give me if I hand it over to you? ". They counted for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on, Judas sought the opportunity to deliver him.(Matthew 26: 14-16)
In Gospels, Jesus repeatedly predicted that he would be betrayed (e.g., Jean 6: 70-71). However, this betrayal culminated on the night of the Last Supper, Jesus' last meal with his disciples before he was taken away and crucified.
During this scene, Jean 13: 2 Records that the devil had already incited Judas to betray Jesus. The Bible does not say why Judas did what he did. His habits with the piggy bank might suggest gluttony, but it is also entirely possible that he was troubled by Jesus' insistence on his death. Many were looking for a leader policy strong in a messieand Jesus was not what they expected. The Bible also explicitly states that Satan was involved in Judas' actions, but not to what extent.
At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that he would be betrayed. When asked by whom, he replied:
“He's the one I'll give this piece of bread to when I dip it in the dish. Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
"Then Jesus said to him:" What you are going to do, do quickly. " (Jean 13: 26-28)
Judas left immediately.
He is then seen entering the garden later that night where Jesus is praying. Knowing the location, Judas led a detachment of soldiers and officials to Jesus. Judas said to men, “He whom I kiss is man. stop it” (Matthew 26: 48). He then approached Jesus and kissed him in greeting. After this, Jesus was arrested.
Matthew 27 records the disappearance of Judas. When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned to death, he was "seized with remorse" (Matthew 27: 3) and returned the 30 pieces to the chief priests and elders. When they ignored him, he threw the money in the temple, he left, he left and hanged himself.
What we can learn from Judas
L'history of Judas' life is tragic, but it points to God in a powerful way.
Multiple prophecies, hundreds of years before the birth of Judas, predicted his betrayal. Zechariah predicted that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zacharie 11: 12-14). Psalm 41: 9 predicts that the traitor of Jesus would share his bread, to which Jesus directly referred in Jean 13: 18 and acted in Jean 13: 26-28.
Thus, God was aware of this “disastrous” turn of events long before it happened. God was not blinded by this betrayal. In fact, it was part of his plan. According to the Bible, to save the world from peach, Jesus had to die. Therefore, God used Judas' betrayal to contribute to the salvation of his people.
Satan may have thought he was thwarting the God's plan by Judas, but the results show how impossible this is. Judas reminds us that God is always in control. Judas’ very name, “Praise be to God,” is a reminder that even the worst situations can be used by God in powerful ways.
To know more:
"Judas Iscariot"BibleStudyTools.org
"Judas"Bible.org
Alyssa Roat is a literary agent at Cyle, an independent writer,and a publisher with Sherpa Publishing Services. Over a hundred of his works have appeared in various publications, ranging from The Christian communicator à Keys for children. When she's not writing, she usually spends way too much time researching thehistory ancient and pre-medieval. Learn more about her hereand on social networks @alyssawrote.
Photo Credit: GettyImages / kirisa99
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