The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot Read online

  15. Jesus smiled and aware that he was a devout man, agreed that he could become a disciple.

  16. The young man was overwhelmed, and assured Judas that he was willing to give up everything to follow the Master.

  17. Jesus, on hearing these words, said: Go and sell all that you have, and give it to the poor. Once you have done that, you will have treasure enough in heaven, and come take up the cross and follow me.

  see

  Mark 10:21;

  Matt 19:21;

  Luke 18:22

  18. Judas became distressed, aware that if Jesus hoped to establish himself as the expected Son of David, the Messiah and King of Israel, he could not hope to do so as a wandering prophet who rejected such a generous offer. Worse, he had commanded the rich young man to sell everything he possessed and distribute his wealth among the poor, which was not in keeping with the best traditions of Israel.

  19. Throughout Israel’s history, God’s glory had always been measured by the wealth and success of the nation.

  20. When David was King, the Jews occupied many lands, produced abundant crops and their flocks were ever bountiful. This was only true while the city was ruled over by a powerful king, who was respected and feared by those who lived in the surrounding countries.

  21. Judas had been taught to believe that during that time Israel was in true communion with God. He hoped and expected Jesus would restore that enviable position.

  22. Had not Solomon sung in tribute to a great king:

  Long may he live!

  May gold of Sheba be given to him.

  May prayer be made for him continually,

  and blessings invoked for him all day long.

  May there be an abundance of grain in the land;

  may it wave on the tops of the mountains;

  may its fruits be like Lebanon;

  and may people flourish in the cities

  like the grass in the field.

  May his name endure forever,

  his fame continue as long as the sun.

  May all nations be blessed in him;

  And the whole earth be filled with his glory.

  Psalm 72:15–17

  for Solomon

  23. Judas was in despair as the rich young man walked away.

  24. The rich young man’s only response: You have chosen to follow a dangerous man, who will lead to the fall of many in Israel.

  see

  Luke 2:34

  Chapter 14

  You are people of little faith

  1. As Jesus’ bedraggled band of followers drifted south towards Jericho, Judas warned Peter that the coffers were running low and that the Master should be informed.

  2. Peter refused to pass on such bad news and told Judas to carry out the Master’s bidding without question.

  3. Although Judas was in despair his spirits were raised once again when Jesus was approached by a generous and devout Scribe, skilled in the interpretation of the laws of Israel. He said to Jesus: Master, I will follow you wherever you go.

  4. But Jesus said: Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

  see

  Matt 8:19–20;

  Luke 9:57–58

  5. The Scribe was not able to comprehend what Jesus meant by this reference to the ‘Son of Man’, and departed that place.

  6. Another came to Jesus and said: I wish to follow you, but first I must return to Galilee and bury my father.

  7. Judas was astonished when the Master said: Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.

  see

  Matt 8:21–22

  8. Everyone who heard these words knew that it was a sacred duty for any son of Israel to bury his father, as the family is the centre of Jewish life and the father its head.

  9. The man left Jesus and departed for Galilee.

  10. Judas demanded of Peter: ‘Did not Moses include among the Ten Commandments passed down by God at Sinai: Honour your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land that YHWH your God is giving you?’

  Exo 20:12

  11. But Peter ignored him, and continued to remind his fellow disciples of the true meaning of Jesus’ warning, Get behind me, Satan, which only made Judas more fearful.

  12. Jesus, aware of what was passing through their minds, gathered the disciples together and said: Why are you afraid? You are people of little faith.

  see

  Matt 8:26;

  see

  Mark 4:40–41;

  Luke 8:25

  13. Judas could not understand why Jesus was challenging them in this manner; had they not proved their commitment a thousand-fold? Had they ever questioned his authority?

  14. By the evening of the third day, Jesus and his followers had reached the slopes of Mount Tabor, and were preparing to rest before nightfall.

  [xxiv]

  15. Judas was distributing food and blankets in preparation for the cold night ahead, when he saw Jesus take Peter, James and John to one side.

  see

  Matt 17:1

  16. Without explanation, the four of them began to ascend the long, steep slope up the mountain.

  17. Judas and the other disciples fell asleep, and did not wake again until dawn, when they found Jesus walking among them. He said: Let us rest a little longer, before we set out on the next part of our journey.

  see

  Mark 6:31

  18. Judas observed that Peter, James and John were whispering among themselves.

  19. He approached Peter and said: ‘What took place when you were with Jesus on the mountain?’

  20. Peter was unable to hide his joy, and although the Master had instructed them not to reveal what had happened on the mountain, he hesitated only for a moment:

  I saw a powerful light, and before me appeared figures from Israel’s past, and they spoke to Jesus, and the skies opened and a voice said, ‘This is my beloved Son, listen to his words.’

  21. Peter went on to tell Judas: ‘I understand what awaits us when we travel to Jerusalem, and I now accept that Jesus will rise from the dead.’

  see

  Mark 9:9–13;

  Matt 17:9–13

  22. Judas left him for he was inconsolable. If Jesus was the expected Davidic Messiah, the King of Israel, why would he enter Jerusalem only to be slain, and then to rise again from the dead three days later? There was nothing written or spoken in Jewish tradition that suggested such a happening would take place.

  23. But it was clear to Judas that the thought of Jesus’ death no longer alarmed Peter, James or John, who had clearly been overwhelmed by what they had seen on the mountain during the night.

  24. For the first time, Judas began to doubt that Jesus, in whom he had placed so much faith and commitment, was the Messiah Israel had been waiting for.

  25. Judas withdrew from his fellow disciples and kept his own counsel.

  26. When the sun reached its zenith, Jesus stopped to rest and gathered around him all his followers. He addressed them with these words: The Son of Man will be given into the hands of men, and they will kill him. But God will not abandon him. He will live again with you on the other side of death.

  see

  Mark 9:31;

  Matt 17:22–23;

  Luke 9:44

  [xxv]

  27. Judas loved the Master above all men, and after John the Baptist had commanded: There goes a man of God, follow him, he had become wholly committed to Jesus’ ministry.

  see

  John 1:34–36

  28. But Judas was also a devout son of Israel, who looked to Jesus to fulfil the prophecies of Israel’s sages, and now feared that this Son of Man had no intention of entering Jerusalem with authority to reclaim the Davidic throne of Israel for the Jewish people.

  29. Judas felt a deep pain in his heart while he pondered these matters, aware that if Jesus were to continue on this course, then all would be lost. Once again the Romans must triumph and the very