Who was Judas Iscariot?
Incarnation of Evil or Ordinary Sinner?
Judas Iscariot is forever remembered as the betrayer of Jesus resulting in His death at the hands of the Romans and the Jews. But, who was this man? Was he the embodiment of extraordinary evil? Why did he betray Jesus? What was his character? The Bible gives scant information but I believe there is enough to give us insight into this man and the reasons for his actions. This study will also give us insight into millions of people today who would have done the same deed had they lived at that time.
All the Gospels depict Judas Iscariot as the betrayer; however, John’s Gospel gives us an excellent snapshot of this man’s character. His father was Simon, an average name in Judah at that time. His title, Iscariot is actually a contraction describing where he came from to differentiate him from an other Apostle also named Judas. The Hebrew word, ish, means man while Cariot {Hebrew Kerioth} is the village where he either lived or was born. This is used of Jesus several times in the Gospels; i.e., Jesus of Nazareth describing where Jesus lived. First, let us look at the names of Jesus and Judas to glean additional information.
Names give essential insight into
the character of the person
However, in order to study the meaning of their names we must use their actual Hebrew names. The names in the New Testament are Hellenized which obfuscates the name’s meanings. The translation into our vernacular language further obscures the meanings until people think the names are merely abstract handles arbitrarily assigned to people; like we name children today. The above graphic depicts their Hebrew names and meanings. Jesus {Gk} is Yeshua {Heb} meaning “Yahweh saves”(Lk 1:31-33). Judas {Gk} is Yehuda {Heb} meaning “Praise Yahweh” (Ge 29:35). You would better recognize Judas name in the Old Testament as Judah and Jesus as Joshua. Jesus’ name describes His mission. He is here to pay the price for sin, as sin, to procure salvation for those called of God. Judas’ name describes the purpose of man, to praise God for His life and mercy. The stark contrast between these two persons is that Yeshua came to die for men while Yehuda kills God for lucre {money}.
John tells us that Yehuda was a petty thief, stealing from the Apostles’ money bag for his own pleasure (Jo 12:4-6). From this we can gain some insight into his character. He was ruled by covetousness, the basis for all sin. The lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh are the avenues by which covetousness expresses tempts the person (1Jo 2:15-16). These verses also tell us that Yehuda did not love Yeshua but loved the transitory pleasures he gained from his opportunistic petty thievery. This is confirmed by Yeshua who earlier said that one of His Apostles was a devil (Jo 6:64-70). The fact he was a petty thief showed that he had little ambition or long-term planning skills. Since he betrayed Yeshua for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, reinforces the smallness of his ambition (Ze 11:12-13; Mt 27:9-10). Yehuda was not evil by man’s standards; i.e., he was not a Hitler nor a Stalin. What kind of man was he?
Yehuda’s Character is Revealed by
Looking at his spiritual father – Lucifer
Yeshua told the Pharisees while in the Temple that their father was the Devil; i.e., Lucifer {Satan} (Jo 8:44). In so doing He also told them the foundational sin of Lucifer: Liar and Murderer. Thus, all who are born in sin, which is everyone, exhibits these traits in varying degrees; thus, this applies to Yehuda as well since Christ has already identified Yehuda as a devil. The Bible graphically depicts the similarity between Lucifer and those who are not saved. Lucifer is depicted as the Dragon or Serpent while those who enter the Lake of Fire as designated as Worms (Re 12:3-4, 7-11; 20:1-3). In fact, Christ, depicted as a Worm while on the Stauros {Tree}, became sin to receive God’s wrath to secure salvation for His people (Ps 22:6-8; Mk 9:43-48). Yehuda exhibits the character of all sinners: small-minded, liars, opportunists with small ambitions for momentary gain. What makes a person great, as man counts greatness? It is the spiritual influence of Lucifer at work just as in Yehuda. Lucifer entered him giving him the courage to close the transaction for thirty pieces of silver and lead the force to arrest Christ. Then, Lucifer left him once his usefulness had ended (Jo 13:27). When Yehuda learned that his actions led to the execution of an innocent man, Christ, he was filled with remorse; however, remorse is not repentance nor did he seek forgiveness. Instead, he traded a life for a life; his life for Christ’s life. In effect he was offering himself as a sacrifice to atone for his betrayal. Was his action acceptable?
Comparison of Two Cursed Deaths
One Acceptable to God; One was not
Yeshua was hanged on a stauros {Tree} and thereby showing He was cursed of God; i.e., He was sin, a worm as previously mentioned. Yehuda hanged himself on a tree also showing himself cursed; i.e., sinful before God. Yeshua was taken down before sundown in accordance with the Law; however, Yehuda remained on the tree probably for several days until his bloated body decomposed enough allowing the neck to separate and his body to fall to the ground bursting open (De 21:22-23; Ac 1:15-19). Christ curse ended when He paid the penalty for sin: “It is finished!” This was confirmed by His resurrection from the dead. Yehuda’s death was not acceptable because he remained on the tree and was not resurrected. Why? Because no one can pay for their own sin let alone atone for the death they caused others {murderer} since only a sinless, innocent sacrifice is acceptable to God. In effect, Yehuda embodied the Goat of Azazel of Yom Kipper (Le 16:7-10).
On Yom Kipper the High Priest would cast lots and one goat {picture of sinner} would be selected as a sin sacrifice while the other goat would ceremoniously receive the sins of the people and be sent into the wilderness. Mistakenly translated as scapegoat in English it should actually read: Banished Goat. Christ was the sin goat sacrificed for sin. Judas was the Banished Goat; the sinner who bares his own sin and wanders away into the wilderness {lost for eternity}. Just as Jesus was the First Fruit of all who are saved so also was Judas the first fruit of all unbelievers who reject die in their sin.
Judas {Yehuda} was meant to praise God but betrayed God. He is the quintessential every person, the very face of equality of man. He was all of us. The only difference between the lost and the Christian is an act of God of being born from above; if left to our own devices we would remain lost. The equality movement today is nothing more than another device to legitimize the sin of man against the truth of God which man has rejected (Ro 1:18-32). Today, one finds people more interested in frivolous pursuits, opportunistic small-minded plans of self-gratification and little thought to the future. Today’s people are a representation of Judas blundering through life. It is only the influence of Lucifer that works through some people to accomplish deeds that men define as great or evil depending on the results. But in God’s eyes all are wicked regardless of the depth of expression of one’s sinfulness. The Christian is simply a sinner saved solely by God yet retaining the sinful flesh which wars against the indwelling Spirit of God. However, I fear that many who sit in churches today are infected with the same sinful pettiness of Judas; i.e., they are not saved but only believe themselves saved based on a past deed {The Prayer} rather than on current behaviors. Beware! These will fall away and be rejected by Christ (Mt 7:21-23). Do not be like those who died in the Wilderness because they did not have faith in God’s word and obey (He 3:7-14). Do not be the Goat of Azazel!