THE BIBLE: Double-Agent Judas Iscariot

Floater Judas' betrayal kiss

    
     I am anything but a theologian. I have read through the One Year Bible numerous times, have attended church regularly for over 30 years, and I have watched The Passion of the Christ and other Bible movies.

     As I reflect on Judas Iscariot, a person who walked with Jesus, and daily heard His many teachings... how could he have been so wrong? 

     I see Judas as a double-agent or floater... he is part of two main "camps." He is: 1) a Zealot, and 2) one who associates closely with Jesus as one of His disciples. Jesus clearly fails to meet Judas' expectations; Jesus is supposed to overthrow the Roman government.

     Judas has a distorted lens. He identifies with both Jewish Zealots and Jesus; and, he colludes with High Priest Caiaphas. Maybe he is trying to force Jesus to "play the Kingdom card."

     My teacher husband (also not a theologian) explains to me the beliefs of Calvinism (including pre-destination, see blue below), which differs from our beliefs, and other prominent positions. We turn to Wikipedia for this complex table (too complex for me!):

Prominent Protestant Beliefs on Salvation

Topic	Calvinism	Lutheranism	Arminianism
Human will	Total Depravity without free will permanently due to divine sovereignty	Total Depravity without free will until spiritual regeneration	Depravity does not prevent free will
Election	Unconditional election to salvation with those outside the elect foreordained to damnation (double-predestination)[35]	Unconditional predestination to salvation for the elect	Conditional election in view of foreseen faith or unbelief
Justification	Justification is limited to those predestined to salvation, completed at Christ's death	Justification by faith alone, completed at Christ's death.	Justification made possible for all through Christ's death, but only completed upon choosing faith in Jesus
Conversion	Monergistic, through the inner calling of the Holy Spirit, irresistible	Monergistic, through the means of grace, resistible	Synergistic, resistible due to the common grace of free will
Preservation and apostasy	Perseverance of the saints: the eternally elect in Christ will necessarily persevere in faith	Falling away is possible, but God gives assurance of preservation.	Preservation is conditional upon continued faith in Christ; with the possibility of a final apostasy.

    
      Was Judas pre-destined to be the betrayer? I know he was an independent thinker. He bought into the angry-zealot role rather than Jesus' teachings on the power of love. In his thirst for notoriety, he became a Caiaphas-puppet with a Pinocchio-distorted face protrusion. THE BIBLE's dark, sneaky portrayal is excellent, revealing a short-sighted, striving, selfish treasurer.

     Caution! This paragraph and the next contain deep, speculative ideas that turn "Daisy Downer": I wonder if Judas had a heightened, egocentric, unfulfilled "purpose-thirsty" filter that propelled his notable suicide? Maybe he was crying out...   "I sooo cared!! I was trying to free the Jews!! I was never appreciated!! I will demonstrate my pain, for everyone to see!!!"    ...disillusioned, tunnel-vision statements that scream angry, hopeless...

                                                               I, I, I's.

        My response to Judas is complex sorrow. Complex because of his duplicitous betrayal of Jesus; sorrow because he was an emotionally-tortured soul. Why didn't he instead valiantly die, attempting to save Jesus? Instead, he brazenly chose the theatrical statement of suicide; the ultimate display of control, anger and escape. 

       For those left behind, suicide creates unimaginable and sometimes inextinguishable guilt, grief, as well as so many unanswered questions.