Adonis Diaries

Judas Iscariot (December 11, 2008)

I am not hot religiously but I like good, interesting and coherent stories.  Judas Iscariot is the son of Simon (Iscariot, the leprosy, the Pharisee) whom Jesus cured from leprosy.  Judas is also the brother of Lazarus whom Jesus resurrected from death.  Judas is the brother of Martha and Marie Magdalena (Magdala) who poured a pound of perfume on Jesus’ feet when he visited the family in Bethany, near Jerusalem. 

Simon the Pharisee was a very rich man and living in the best house and he was a highly respected and visible personality in Bethany and Judea.  Simon came from a village called “Kerioth”; it is from this region that Judas Maccabee launched his successful assault on Jerusalem and conquered it from the Syrian monarch Antiochus 4 Epiphane over a century ago; thus this family’s sympathy to the zealot movement (those Jews who were intent on kicking the Romans out of Judea).   Simon didn’t have to join any colony of leprosies as was the custom.  Instead, as an impure by the Pharisee laws, Simon decided to move to Galilee, away from Bethany, in order not to pressure the inhabitants and to save face and he lived there comfortably.

Jesus cured Simon in Galilee and became very attached to his family; Marie Magdalena visited Jesus in her father’s house in Galilee and had cried over his feet and rubbed her hair on Jesus’ feet in repentance.  Simon was curious whether Jesus would realize that Marie was “a sinner” who lived freely from society’s prejudices.  Actually, Marie Magdalena, who had left her husband, a scribe in Jerusalem, and joined a Roman officer to the city of Magdala, was saved from being lapidated simply because she was from a very rich family.

Judas was the purse keeper of the apostles and he was rich and didn’t need any lousy 30 pieces of silver to sell his “Master”.  Judas was a fervent “zealot” Pharisee; he was a vehement and irascible man and he stated his mind.  Judas surely had Jesus’ ears and they discussed at length.  Did Jesus’ plan coincide with Judas’? Not necessarily for the long term and not for the same reasons.

Judas was not happy with the Sanhedrin state of affairs: those priests were very cozy with Pilate; Judas the zealot wanted something to be done.  Jesus, a high priest of the celibate, secluded, white clad and closed community Essenean caste of Qumran, was not happy with the Sanhedrin: he had the harshest words and diatribes against the Pharisee and the Sadducee sects. Jesus chased the merchants out of the temple; Jesus was on a war path when he ascended toward Jerusalem.

Jesus, the knowledgeable legist in the Jewish teaching, planned his entry to Jerusalem to coincide with the prophesies of the coming Messiah. He was welcomed as such by the whole City.  Nicodemus of the Sanhedrin met with Jesus secretly and they talked; something was being prepared.  During the “Cène” or Last Supper (commemorated according to the Essenean sect) Jesus dipped a piece of bread in milk and offered it to Judas (symbol of his closest friendship) saying: “Tonight, one of you will hand me over”. That was the code name for Judas to initiate the plan.

The plan was to incite the Sanhedrin to imprison Jesus and offer an excellent excuse for the Jews to revolt. Jesus knew that the Sanhedrin had no rights to put anyone to death, except Pilate. Judas was the catalyst to convince the Sanhedrin that Jesus has been claiming to be the coming Messiah and if they fail to get hold of him than it would be impossible to stop him once out of Jerusalem. Judas negotiated 30 pieces of silver to give credence to his maneuver and of the seriousness of his claims.  The Sanhedrin didn’t need Judas to lead them to where Jesus was located: the whole city knew where Jesus stayed.  Judas job was to make sure that Jesus was apprehended and then to spread the news for mass revolt.  The Jews in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus as a legislature leader and had no patience with another prophet martyr; they sided with the power to be and let go of their “Messiah”.

Jesus had to fall back on plan B.  He kept total silence with his Jewish captors in order not to be lead into any further mistakes or divulging names.  He spoke to Pilate of a Kingdom not of this world; thus Jesus has no plans to revolt against the Romans.  Pilate knew that Jesus plan was not against the Romans dominion as he has discovered that the Sanhedrin angst is real and serious; the Sanhedrin knew that Jesus revolt was to curb their hegemony over the Jews, to review the over 600 rules and regulations shackling the daily behavior of the Jews,  and thus to weaken and destroy their businesses.  When faced between liberating Barabas the zealot or Jesus Sanhedrin didn’t blink. Pilate also was not happy with a purist Jewish movement: he was very comfortable doing business with this rotten Sanhedrin.  Pilate washed his hands on account of a person called Jesus but not on a Jewish purist internal movement, a revolt that would have given him huge headaches.

Pilate divulged the whole scheme in one sentence: he ordered to write on top of the crucifix “Jesus of Nazareth. King of the Jews” It was known that Nazareth was a hot bed for the Essenean sect that planned to become the dominant sect among the Jews.

Judas did excellent on his first job but the dissemination task failed miserably: the Jews turned against Jesus. Judas felt let down by a meek Jesus who didn’t stand up as a legislature leader such as Moses.  Judas’ earthly dreams vanished; the arrogant and proud Judas returned the 30 lousy silver pieces; the Sanhedrin used that money to purchase a field since it could not recover impure and tainted money. Judas, the fervent zealot, hanged himself to avoid further investigation, retributions, and for not believing in redemption.  

            The Jew, Joseph of Arimathy, a rich friend of Pilate was permitted to handle Jesus body.  Pilate expressed surprise for a strong young man to die so quickly but he cut on any further discussions: Jesus is dead; go home everybody.  That is another interesting story.