The Unvarnished Jesus: A Lenten Journey

by Brian Zahnd

LENT Day 25 (Saturday) Mark 14:43–46 2nd Station of the Cross: Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested We all know that Jesus was betrayed by a kiss. But why did Judas do it? Why did he betray Jesus? Was it for the money? It’s true Judas was a thief—the treasurer who was also an embezzler. Nevertheless, Judas was more complicated than a petty thief who betrays his rabbi for thirty coins. Judas’ story gets complicated when he betrays Jesus with a kiss. Why the kiss? Why this theatrical embellishment? If Judas is betraying Jesus for money, why not just point him out—that’s the guy!—take the money and run? If we can answer this question, I think we’ll find that we don’t have a simple story of a petty thief but a complicated tragedy, and a story that may leave us rather uncomfortable. What do we know about Judas Iscariot? We know he was a disciple of Jesus. He was chosen by Christ to be one of his Apostles. Judas was to be among the select twelve leading a reimagined twelve tribes of Israel by announcing and enacting the kingdom of God. We know Jesus was aware that Judas would eventually betray him. We also have reason to suspect that prior to his becoming a disciple of Jesus, Judas belonged to a violent insurgency known as the Sicarii. Is Judas Iscariot, Judas the Sicarii-ite? Some scholars think so. The Sicarii (“dagger-men”) were the most extreme faction of the Zealots—an insurgency advocating violent overthrow of the Roman occupation. In the end it may not matter whether or not Jud...