Why did Judas betray Jesus? Was it financial gain? For thirty pieces of silver was he prepared to lose his place in the Messianic kingdom and to deliver to death One whom he knew to be innocent?

Judas was the only one of the 'twelve' who was not a Galilean. 'Judas Iscariot' is the Greek form of his Hebrew name, "Judah of Kerioth", in south-east Judea. He may have looked down on his Galilean brethren. In joining the band of disciples he must have been sincere or Jesus would not have chosen him. It was later that he conceived the plan with such terrible results.

Little is known of Judas as a disciple. Only once did he take a prominent role and that was to his discredit. When Mary broke her alabaster container of perfume in the house of Simon (John 12.1-8) Judas protested at the waste and said that its value should have been given to the poor. John said that he was a thief and stole what had been contributed to the needs of the disciples. Matthew and Mark credit the same comment to "his disciples" and to "some" who were at the meal (Mk.14.3-9; Matt.26.6-13). It would seem that Judas spoke on behalf of several of the disciples who were critical of Mary's action.

Why did Judas become a thief of their slender financial resources? Their needs were few and simple; they lived plainly. If the motive was to get rich, surely there were plenty of other ways to do so for a man like Judas. Was he, the treasurer, setting aside money, for another purpose?

The price paid, "thirty pieces of silver" (an argurion or shekel) was a relatively small amount. This was the price apparently paid in Israel for a slave, and was the compensation fixed by Moses for the death of a slave (Ex.21.32). It is strange that Judas bartered so valuable a 'prize' for the traditional price of an ordinary servant. The priests were keen to secure Jesus and Judas might have expected considerably more. He knew how to assess the value of the perfume at 300 denarii, a considerable amount even today.

It would appear that Judas was not of the same spiritual calibre as the others. Although slow of heart to grasp the meaning of Christ's life and death, they were prepared to follow their Master wherever He led them, from this world to the world of the spirit. Judas saw nothing beyond earthly things and an earthly kingdom. His idea of Messiah was the popular belief of a mighty King who would crush their enemies. He pictured Israel restored and himself as a leader in it.

While the other disciples were learning, however imperfectly, from Jesus' teachings and were being prepared for a great change in understanding at Pentecost, Judas was wrapped up in dreams of future power and glory. Nevertheless, he believed that Jesus was Messiah. He saw His miracles. He saw Him feed thousands with food, miraculously. He knew the power at Jesus' command. He knew that Jesus possessed the power to avoid arrest or to deliver Himself should He be arrested. Judas must have seen that power when men tried to take Jesus, and could not. So did Judas ever expect the betrayal to result in the death of his Master?

The authorities had never seriously interfered with Jesus' teaching. When the people of Nazareth tried to throw Him over the cliff He passed through them. (Luke 4. 23-30). Officers failed to arrest Him. He expelled the traders from the Temple and none stopped Him. When He rode into Jerusalem five days before His crucifixion, the heart of Judas like many others must have beaten fast.

The moment passed and Jesus now spoke of imminent death. Perhaps for the first time, Judas began to be seriously alarmed respecting his hopes. Could he precipitate the crisis? Could he force Jesus' hand? So the temptation came to Judas to plot Jesus' arrest while he was in a frame of mind that would permit arrest. Surely, Jesus would assert His power to overthrow His adversaries.

Why did the priests pay good money to Judas for pointing out a man whom they knew perfectly well? Why at Passover, when a week or so later the trial could proceed quietly? Why did Judas say "When you have him, hold him fast"? Did the priests rely on Judas to indicate the critical moment when Jesus would not resist arrest?

Why the kiss of betrayal? He had recently seen Jesus. Was the display of affection meant to convey his motive for betraying Him, and that he was furthering the cause of the Kingdom? Did he hope that Jesus would look upon his action as one of apparently misdirected zeal that He would afterwards understand?

Some time during the long hours of that night or the following morning, when Jesus was being taken back and forth between the Sanhedrin, Pilate and Herod, Judas received the terrible shock that unhinged his brain and drove him to suicide in a frenzy of remorse.

Jesus was not going to save Himself! Too late, Judas realised that something had gone terribly wrong with his plans, and that Jesus had no intention of using His powers in order to escape His enemies. He intended to accept the sentence they passed upon Him. Perhaps, at last, some dim understanding of words so far ignored penetrated the dark recesses of Judas' mind. Perhaps he recalled the words of the prophets about 'a despised and rejected One, led as a lamb to the slaughter'. Demented at his crime, he rushed to the priests with his frantic cry "I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood". He returned the money, as though that could undo the work of the past few hours. There is a vivid contrast between the awful remorse of Judas and the callous disregard of the priests.

In despair he saw no escape from Divine punishment for one who had killed the Messiah. Israel had waited long centuries for the promised Deliverer and now he had caused Messiah's death and frustrated the purposes of God. How could he expect mercy or forgiveness for so great a sin?

Paradoxical as it may appear, Judas was probably the only one of the twelve who never lost faith that Jesus was the Messiah of prophecy. The others abandoned their belief temporarily when the crisis came. Judas failed because his was an intellectual belief and not of the heart. His belief was built upon certain Old Testament histories and prophecies and he never saw the light that Jesus revealed.

DN.

The above is based on an article "The Tragedy of Judas' that appeared more than 40 years ago in this journal. It is interesting to read various authors who have been fascinated by this subject. John Ruskin wrote "How many of our present money-seekers …would have the grace to hang themselves whoever was killed."

Dr E.H.Fairbairn wrote "Surely, Jesus included Judas in His prayer, 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do?'" and from the YBSM, May 1951 ‑ "May we not betray our Lord by our attitude towards our brethren; and should any offend us, may we forgive and treat them according to our Lord's example."