Who was Judas Iscariot?

Meaning of the name Judas

The name Judas is the Greek version of “Judah” in Hebrew which roughly means “Praise” or “May God be praised”. 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 start of the first century A.D. If speculation about the meaning of “Iscariot” were true, he would have been from southern Judah, which also means he would have been alone among the 12 disciples from Judea; the others came from Galilee. Although we’re not sure where he grew up, he joined Jesus during his three-year ministry, placing him permanently in Israel around age 30.

At the time, Israel was occupied by Rome, which had just passed from Republic to 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 temporal matters under the authority of kings or Roman-appointed governors.

Israel was already a fractured country with feuding Samarians, Jews, and other local groups, but with Roman occupation, Israel had become a hotbed of political unrest, rebellion, and oppression, making it a 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 gospelsas is the case with other people such as Philippe, Nathaniel and Peter, he is included in the list of 12 from the beginning (e.g. Mark 3:19).

Although Judas is not mentioned as much in Jesus’ ministry as others, such as Peter, James, and John, the Bible records that he was the disciples’ treasurer (John 12:6; John 13:29). However, the Bible also reveals that Judas used this position for personal gain. John 12:6 states: “he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he was in the habit of helping himself to what was put in it. »

The Bible offers another interesting element: a scene in which Judas protests the actions of Jesus. John 12 opens on a dinner scene. There, the Bible records 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 of worship.

Judas objected. “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s salary” (John 12:5).

Although his intentions seemed pure, John 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 money 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’” (John 12:7-8).

Judas betrays Jesus

This seems to have been a turning point for Judas. After telling the story of perfume (which is included in the four gospels), Matthew and Mark immediately follow this scene with that of the agreement made between Judas and those who wanted to kill Jesus. Matthew records,

“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 out thirty pieces of silver for him. From that time on, Judas looked for an opportunity to betray him.(Matthew 26:14-16)

In the gospelsJesus repeatedly predicted that he would be betrayed (e.g., John 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, John 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 strong political leader in a Messiahand 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 is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped 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. » (John 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 coins to the chief priests and elders. When they ignored him, he threw the money into the temple, left, left and hanged himself.

What we can learn from Judas

The story of Judas’ life is tragic, but it points to God in a powerful way.

Multiple prophecies, hundreds of years before Judas’ birth, predicted his betrayal. Zechariah predicted that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-14). Psalm 41:9 predicted that Jesus’ betrayer would share his bread, which Jesus directly referred to in John 13:18 and acted in John 13:26-28.

So, God knew about 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 sin, 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 far this is impossible. 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 CYL, an independent writer,and an editor with Sherpa Editing Services. More than a hundred of his works have appeared in various publications, ranging from The Christian Communicator has Keys for children. When she’s not writing, she has a habit of spending far too much time researching ancient and pre-medieval history. Learn more about her hereand on social networks @alyssawrote.

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