We hear a lot about certain disciples. Simon Peter is the rock given the task of feeding Jesus' followers. There are the sons of Zebedee who want to sit at Jesus' right and left hand in the coming kingdom. Paul, late to the party but afforded a full serving of grace. And, of course, Mary Magdalene, one of the most widely attested and most historically ignored by the Church of those closest to Jesus.
Another frequently if narrowly discussed disciple is Judas. Judas the betrayer. The keeper of the purse who turned Jesus over to the temple leaders. The one who betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
It reminds me of the song by the Killers, Mr. Brightside (well, at least parts of the song):
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Because it wasn't only a kiss. In their culture, the kiss was shared between family members. So Judas' use of this sign to betray Jesus is particularly meaningful. Not only is Judas handing over his teacher and friend, he does it with a sign of love and family.
According to most common takes on Judas, this is but further evidence that Judas is the Wormtail of the story. One of the Twelve, those handpicked by Christ, one of his closest followers who in the end betrays him. There are all kinds of potential hints as to why.
Some attribute Judas' betrayal to greed. He was the keeper of the purse. Perhaps he skimmed a bit off the top now and then to pad his own lifestyle. Maybe he wanted a little more and the price offered by the priests was too good to pass up.
Others have suggested he had become disillusioned. Maybe he was one that wanted to see freedom from Roman rule, and he was disappointed that Jesus was not turning out to be the type of revolutionary leader that he was hoping the messiah would be. Some have even suggested that Judas was part of a society of assassins and terrorists that were pushing for Judean independence (this is dependent on the derivation of Iscariot). *Speaking of fun word derivations, you should really look up the etymology of assassin sometime.
Or in a related way, perhaps Judas was jealous of Jesus and all the attention he got. Why should this teacher who showed no signs of leading a revolt against the Romans be getting all the adulation? If this is the case, maybe the chorus of the song from the Killers above is fitting here as well:
I just can't look its killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
But as I walked through Lent this year, I started to wonder if maybe the common takes on Judas were all wrong. What if Judas wasn't Wormtail? What if he was more of a Snape to Jesus' Dumbledore?
There are many possible reasons to see Judas in this light. First we must consider that he is one of the Twelve, one of the ones chosen and trusted by Jesus. This is the same Jesus that knew where his ministry would lead, the same Jesus that knew at their final meal together what was to come, the same Jesus that prayed in Gethsemane for there to be another way. This Jesus was "betrayed"? If you know who and what and when, is this a betrayal? Of course, he picked the rest of the Twelve, too, and every one of them shared the bread with him that evening, every one of them eventually deserted him.
On the other hand, it makes a certain amount of sense for Jesus to arrange his own capture. He knew where his ministry would lead. He could also sense the undercurrent of violence that was surely building. If he had continued as he had been, how much more likely was the government to start violently reacting to the masses of people following him around? His capture was the one thing that could potentially quell violent reprisals from the governor.
Now perhaps he could merely have strolled into the closest precinct and turned himself in. But he was always looking for a teaching moment. And he was after all fully human, so he was still hoping a way out would present itself. That would certainly be a reason to enlist someone he could trust, someone else to help ease the burden. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. But by arranging things through Judas, Jesus would not have to worry about giving in to fear at the last moment. He would have no choice but to surrender.
And of course, since none of the others could have known what was going on, how could they ever accept Judas back into the fold? No wonder he found it so hard to go on afterward. Not only had he handed over his teacher and friend, but his other closest friends would no longer accept him.
Maybe.
We only have the words of others left to us. Maybe Judas was a Wormtail, a pathetic creature more afraid of his own self than anyone else.
Or maybe he was a truly tragic character, who could never tell the truth or be believed if he did.