Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Him, was the only non-Galilean among the apostles. His name is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Judah,” an honorable Jewish name for centuries. The name Iscariot is not entirely clear. Some have suggested it derives from the zealot sect know as the Sicarii, the dagger bearing assassins who stalked Roman victims. Others argue that it came from the word saqar, the liar. But the most probable meaning is that it designates the town Judas came from, Kerioth, in Judea.
Judas had such outstanding promise that Jesus selected him to be one of the Twelve. His fellow disciples elected him to handle the funds from the common purse.
His motive for betraying Jesus was more than money. The forces of evil are also blamed for Judas’ betrayal. Scholars have suggested yet another motivation: disillusionment. Jesus had failed to become the leader of an insurrection against Rome, as many perhaps including Judas, expected.
Judas coolly attended the Last Supper and left only when Jesus identified him as the betrayer. Only Jesus and Judas knew what was about to happen. In John 15:27 Jesus says to Judas “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Some among the disciples thought Jesus was asking Judas, as the treasurer, to buy more for the feast or give alms to the poor. They did not think it odd that Judas immediately left the room.
This reminds me of an experience in my life. I was working in a K-Mart eatery. My boss was really funny about the handling of money and made my life miserable. I left the job. Sometime later that woman was taken out of K-Mart in handcuffs. She had embezzled a large sum of money, but not enough to be worth her job. I never suspected this!
Ruthie Charlton
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