Judas' Name

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.  John 12:4-6

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.  John 13:2

Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.  John 18:2-3

So much has been and can be said about Judas.  We think of him as the ultimate betrayer.  The chief sinner.  We wonder how he could do such an awful, horrible thing. 

We think ourselves different from him.
We think we would never do what he did.

Judas allowed Satan to gain a foothold in his life, exploiting his frustration and impatience.  Scholars believe Judas was a Zealot, one of four sects of Judaism, this one created as a political movement in the first century.  Zealots sought to incite the people to action, by force if necessary, to rebel against Rome and other aggressors.  According to wikipedia, they are considered the first terrorists.

According to thenazareneway.com:  "Though motivated primarily by socio-economic and political factors, the Zealots also had prophetic ideas driving them. They believed that if they turned Israel back to God and incited war against the Romans, the Messiah would arise to lead them and establish His Kingdom. This "understanding"resulted from misinterpreting many prophecies concerning Christ's teachings. In short, the Zealots ignored many of the prophecies regarding His first coming and completely mis-timed those about the second."

I heard a sermon on the radio once that Judas, in a misguided play to force Jesus into the role of the conquering hero of the Jews, betrayed him to simply force his hand.  Judas was sure that once the Roman soldiers came to take Jesus, he would call up his mighty angelic forces and conquer the enemy, once and for all.

This pastor thought this was true because of Judas' ultimate end.  He went back to the church elders, tried to give back the money he had received for betraying Jesus, and ended up committing suicide out of his intense grief and shame.

So we can look at Judas as the ultimate bad guy.  But . . . have you ever tried to force God's hand?  Have you ever allowed yourself to think, if I just do this and this, God will have to do that.

I hope you are saying yes.  Because it's something we've all tried, and hopefully learned from!  Judas did it in an ultimate way, but we can all see ourselves in him.  We can also remember that ALL of the disciples, except John, betrayed Jesus by their inaction and denials.

Did you know that Judas' name means "praise"? 

Think about that one for a minute! 

Did Judas ever have an intimate relationship with God?  As a Jew, did he ever live up to his name?  Did he live a life of praise?

We may never know.  My bible study had an interesting discussion recently - is there a chance that Judas is in heaven?  Is there a chance that we may get to meet him someday, to experience his story, to hear about how God's grace forgave him?

I would love to hear that story.

Judas' role, his very life, was accepted by God.  God knit Judas together in his mother's womb, just like he did each one of us.  Only a God of ultimate love and sacrifice could create a person who could choose to betray him.

Oh.  Wait a minute.
He created each one of us with the ability to make the same choice.