If the Prodigal Son gets a robe and a ring, and Peter gets the keys to the kingdom, what happens to the man who hung himself in a field of blood? Did Jesus, descending into Hades during the three days, walk past the corpse of Judas and whisper, "Friend, do what you came for... and follow me still"?
In the Gospel narrative, Judas is the engine of salvation. He is the spark that lights the fuse of Easter morning. If the Prodigal Son gets a robe and
We’ve all sold something precious for something worthless. We’ve all greeted a loved one with a kiss while our heart was far away. We’ve all tried to force God into our political agenda. Judas is the patron saint of the disappointed disciple—the one who followed Jesus for two years, then decided that the Messiah wasn't moving fast enough or acting tough enough. In the Gospel narrative, Judas is the engine of salvation
We know his name as shorthand for treachery. To call someone a "Judas" is the ultimate insult—a kiss that kills, a friend who sells you out for pocket change. For two thousand years, Judas Iscariot has been the villain of the Passion narrative, the necessary foil to Jesus’s divine innocence. We’ve all greeted a loved one with a
Many scholars believe Judas may have been a sicarius (a dagger-wielding Zealot) who wanted a political Messiah. He wanted Jesus to overthrow Rome. But Jesus kept talking about turning the other cheek and dying for sins. Imagine the frustration. "If I force a confrontation in the Garden of Gethsemane," Judas might have reasoned, "the Lion of Judah will finally have to roar. He’ll call down the angels. He’ll have to fight."
Jesus Himself seems to hint at this horror. He says, "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).
