Judas Iscariot Essay

However, Iscariot and not Judas give the clue to the region of this scandalous disciple 2. This had given rise to two schools of thoughts each trying to decipher and tie the figure of Judas Iscariot to his background and the life he led before he came to meet Jesus and meet the other apostles with whom they were to accompany in the ministry. In the first instance, Iscariot is associated with Kerioth. Kerioth was a region described in the book of Amos and that of Jeremiah to refer to a Hebrew town. In Amos 2. Sicari was an outlawed gang of Jewish zealots whose main goal was vengeful murder. They were organized on the idea of removing the Roman rule in their land by executing those officials they could ambush or lay their hands on.

This association of Judas either out the Sicari or the region of Kerioth gives probable causes for his attraction to Jesus4. The agenda of Jesus was largely misunderstood by the apostles until his death and resurrection. They followed a ruler whose surprised them by not fighting the Roman Empire. To some, he was a pretender who later betrayed the ministry, and to other, he was destined to betray Jesus hence his count among the twelve. However, Luke destroys this argument. In his mention of the Judas, Luke gives a clue to his original life. He mentions Judas who also becomes the traitor. This shows that Judas was attuned to the ministry of Jesus just like the others. This distinction comes from the way in which Jesus illustrated his treacherous life and unholy presence despite being among the twelve.

In the gospel of John, he Jesus says," Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?'7 In this, he refers to the one who would go behind his back to the authorities. In other instances, like the last supper, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to them saying that the one who was about to partake it would be his betrayer. These allegorical depictions not only enabled the disciples understands with an illustrative finality the teachings and methods of Jesus but also raised lessons on his kingdom. It is expected that one who is to fight an enemy would barely surround himself with traitors with his knowledge. This betrayal is also marketed significantly by a kiss which Judas used to identify Jesus among the disciples.

Traits Avaricious Judas had an uncharacterized penchant for money. This was despite the depiction of the ministry and life of Jesus as detached from material wealth. He used to hold the purse of the ministry as described by the tradition and his wish to sell the symbolic oil used for the anointing of Jesus' feet shows this love for money9. It is with thirty silver pieces that he betrayed Jesus which further gives away his attachment to money. The official then used the money to buy a field in which he was buried10. In a separate depiction in the book of acts, Judas used the money to buy the potter filed. Accidentally, he fell on a rock, and his guts were strewn all over the field as a price of his betrayal11.