The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot (3 page)

1.
Jesus, accompanied by his disciples, left Nazareth to return to Capernaum.

2.
As he entered the lakeside town, vast crowds gathered around him, despite having told his followers not to talk about his good deeds.

3.
Jesus set foot in the Synagogue where he had cured the man possessed of demons, and found another large gathering awaiting him.

4.
The building became so crowded with people who wanted to hear Jesus speak that he could hardly move. Many believed that simply by touching him, they would be cured of their ills, even forgiven their sins.

5.
One such group, hoping to bring a sick friend to see Jesus, could not even find a way into the building because of the number of people who wanted to put their requests to Jesus.

6.
Judas was made aware of the problem they were facing. He advised them to clamber upon to the roof and attempt to lower their pallet down into the Synagogue. He even helped them remove some of the tiles that covered the roof so that they could carry out their purpose.

7.
The sight of the paralysed man descending through the roof caused the startled onlookers to draw back.

8.
Jesus walked towards the sick man, and on this occasion did not touch him. He simply said:
My son, your sins are forgiven
.

Mark 2:5;
Matt 9:2;
Luke 5:20

9.
One or two of the Elders standing among the crowd were outraged by such blasphemy, and whispered among themselves that Jesus could not be a holy man because:
Only God can forgive sins
.

Mark 2:7;
Luke 5:21
[xii]

10.
When Judas heard these words, he was unable to control his feelings, and shouted above the noise of the crowd, ‘You do not have the courage to say these things in his presence; I say that it is you who are blasphemers.'

11.
Jesus ignored the commotion caused by Judas' outburst, and turning to the paralysed man said:
Take up your bed and go home
.

Mark 2:11;
Matt 9:6;
Luke 5:24

12.
The man stretched out his bent limbs and eased himself off the pallet. He then picked it up and walked away, as Jesus had commanded.

13.
The silent crowd stood aside to allow the healed man to walk out of the Synagogue and return to his home.

14.
As he departed, Jesus said to the astonished onlookers:
It is easier to say your sins are forgiven, but God has given me authority to heal and forgive
.

see
Mark 2:10;
Matt 9:5;
Luke 5:23

15.
Most people who had witnessed the miracle were amazed and remained silent, but several of the Elders walked out of the Synagogue in disgust. They had been angered by Jesus' words, because what he had done went against their traditional beliefs.

[xiii]

16.
After Jesus and his disciples had left the Synagogue, they started out on the road to Bethesda.

17.
When they entered that town, they came across a man seated in the tax office.

18.
He was gathering revenues on behalf of the Romans from those who had come from the Decapolis

[xiv]

19.
Judas watched the man carefully and observed that he was not only taxing the visitors but also exacting an extra levy for himself.

20.
Judas lost his temper with the man and shouted: ‘How can you
take with one hand from your fellow citizens and then pass it on to the Romans with the other?'

21.
The man made no attempt to defend himself and Judas walked away in disgust.

22.
Jesus stopped and smiled at the tax collector, who lowered his head, embarrassed by his presence.

Matt 9:9;
Mark 2:14

23.
Jesus walked towards him and said:
Follow me
.

24.
Matthew immediately departed from the custom house and joined the other disciples.

25.
Many ordinary citizens, seeing that Jesus was willing to include among his number fishermen, craftsmen in leather and iron, workers from the fields and now a tax collector, began to believe that they too could become followers of Jesus.

26.
Judas could not understand and certainly did not approve of his Master mixing with such people. After all, it was not the way for a traditional holy man to conduct himself.

27.
It was about that time that Judas was approached by a group of Pharisees, who observed that he was distressed by Jesus' actions.

see
Matt 9:11;
Mark 2:16;
Luke 5:30

28.
One of them said:
Why does your Master break bread with tax collectors and sinners?

29.
Jesus overheard what was being asked of his troubled disciple and immediately responded by saying:
Those of you who are satisfied that you are healthy have no need of a physician, but those of you in need of assistance should seek out the one person who can help you. I have not come to call those who are self-righteous, but those who are aware of the healing goodness of God
.

see
Matt 9:12–13;
Mark 2:17;
Luke 5:31–32

30.
The wisdom of Jesus' words caused Judas to reflect on his own shortcomings.

31.
He turned his back on the Pharisees, even more determined
to become closer to this man who was able to accept that, although he was a sinner, he could still be one of his followers.

32.
The Scribes and the Pharisees were not pleased that Judas had rejected them, for they were becoming more and more fearful of Jesus and the influence he was having among the people.

33.
At that time, the Pharisees only muttered among themselves, but it was not long before they approached Judas a second time, in the hope that they might convince him to join them and even turn one or two of the other disciples against Jesus.

34.
Once again, Judas rejected them.

1.
On the following Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking by a field of corn, when one of the group, who had not eaten that day, plucked a ripe head of corn from the crop, rubbed the seed between his fingers and began to eat the sweet flour; soon the other disciples followed his example.

2.
A group of Pharisees, who had been watching Jesus closely in the hope of finding some reason to reproach him for not abiding by the strict teaching of the Torah, said:
Why do you allow your disciples to carry out an unlawful deed on the Sabbath? Six days shall you labour, but on the seventh you must rest
.

see
Exod 20:8–11

3.
Judas remembered these words, because it was the first time a Pharisee had questioned Jesus directly on his observance of religious law.

4.
Jesus was not deceived by the Pharisees' attempt to turn this harmless act by one of his disciples to their advantage with such a narrow interpretation of the law. His reply was to the point:
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath
.

Mark 2:27

5.
Judas and the other disciples were amazed that Jesus was able to silence these rigid guardians of the law with such simple wisdom and common sense.

6.
Although the Pharisees were unwilling to come out publicly against Jesus, they were unable to hide their anger whenever they
heard him speak, as his teachings continued to undermine their authority.

7.
They remained close by, in the hope that they might trap Jesus should one of his disciples break another tenet of the law. They did not have long to wait.

8.
The Scribes and the Pharisees strictly adhered to the tradition of fasting and the Prophet Daniel had even risked his life to abide by the law.

see
Tobit 12:8,
Judith 4:9;
Daniel 1:1–16

9.
So when the disciples ignored the laws of fasting, the Pharisees took this as another opportunity to reproach Jesus.

10.
They asked:
Why do you condone the actions of your disciples when they forsake the fine tradition of fasting that Daniel and John the Baptist always obeyed?

See
Dan 1:1–16;
Mark 1:6;
Matt 3:4

11.
Jesus did not hesitate with his reply:
Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast
.

Mark 2:19;
Matt 9:15;
Luke 5:34

12.
Judas was aware that the prophets, as well as the poets, had throughout Israel's history, often described Israel as a bride, waiting for the coming of the bridegroom.

see
Hos 2:19–20;
Song of Solomon

13.
On hearing these words, Judas, along with Simon, Andrew, Philip and Nathanael, began to believe that Jesus might be the God-given Messiah, who had come to take possession of his bride, Israel.

see
John 3:29

14.
They did not voice this view openly as they knew it would further anger the Pharisees and might even place Jesus' life in danger.

15.
The Pharisees continued to let it be known that they considered Jesus to be a sinner, a blasphemer and a man who broke the laws of the Torah. After all, had he not ignored the fine tradition of fasting, and now he seemed to be adding to his sins by claiming that he was the messianic bridegroom.

16.
The Pharisees hung on Jesus' every word in the hope that they could find another example of his flouting the laws of the Torah.

17.
The following Sabbath, when Jesus was in Capernaum, a man with a withered hand entered the Synagogue in search of him.

18.
The Pharisees watched closely, hoping that Jesus would attempt to heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they could chastise him for a further breach of the sacred laws.

19.
On seeing the man, Jesus approached him and said:
Stretch out your hand
.

Mark 3:5;
Matt 12:13;
Luke 6:10

20.
The man did so, and his hand was restored
.

21.
This was all the proof the Pharisees needed to show that Jesus was a sinner and a blasphemer, willing to abuse the law, even in the Synagogue on the Sabbath.

22.
Judas observed that many of those who had gathered to hear Jesus preach did not share the misgivings of the Elders, for they had come to hope that Jesus might be the expected Messiah, as promised by Isaiah.

see
Isaiah 35:3–5

1.
The Scribes and the Pharisees became so despondent about Jesus' growing popularity with the people that they agreed among themselves the time had come to take extreme measures.

2.
Thus it was that the Pharisees, who held fast to the laws of Israel, joined forces with the Herodians, local Jews who carried out such orders that were decreed by their political masters in Rome.

see
Mark 3:6

3.
Although the two groups despised each other, they were united in one common purpose: to rid themselves of Jesus.

4.
Judas had friends in Capernaum who warned him that the Pharisees and Herodians were secretly working together to plot the downfall of Jesus.

5.
Judas dismissed these claims, as everyone knew that they were sworn enemies, until he came across two of them whispering in the Synagogue. They parted the moment they saw him.

6.
Judas warned Simon of his fears, and he in turn advised the Master to leave Capernaum until such ill feelings had withered away.

7.
Jesus took Simon's counsel, and departed that day on the long journey for Nazareth, with only those disciples he had first called – Simon, Andrew, James, John, Judas, Philip, Nathanael and Matthew.

8.
After they had travelled a short distance, Judas became aware that others were following them.

9.
Some simply wished to remain in the presence of Jesus, while
others hoped they might witness a new miracle.

10.
As Jesus made his way from village to village, the crowds grew larger and larger.

11.
Whenever he appeared in a town, he would enter the Synagogue and teach those who had assembled to hear him preach.

12.
Jesus would proclaim the good news, preparing them for the forthcoming reign of God in Israel.

13.
He also touched those who were sick, curing them of their infirmities.

14.
Jesus was aware of the injustices the local people were suffering at the hands of a foreign power.

15.
Every town and village was administered by a group of corrupt Jewish leaders who were becoming wealthier by the day, while the Romans remained their paymasters.

16.
Jesus told his disciples that
the vast crowds were like sheep without a shepherd
.

see
Mark 6:34;
Matt 9:36

17.
When Judas heard these words, he reminded Simon of the prophecy of Ezekiel:
God would raise up a shepherd king, to restore the kingdom of the first shepherd king, King David
.

see
Ezek 34:23–24

18.
On hearing this, Simon responded with the words of the Prophet Isaiah:
He took our infirmities, he bore our diseases
.

Isa 53:4

19.
Simon and Judas were among the first followers of Jesus to believe that the promises of Isaiah were being fulfilled.

20.
After Jesus had finished preaching in the Synagogue, he and his followers departed from that town and made their way up into the hills north of the Sea of Galilee and like a flock of sheep, the crowd continued to follow the shepherd.

21.
When Jesus reached the top of the hill, the disciples needed to rest, and one or two of them were so tired that they fell asleep.

22.
Judas sat on the ground and watched as his Master withdrew a short distance.

23.
Jesus fell on his knees and began to pray.

24.
As the sun disappeared behind the mountain, Judas also slept.

25.
When Judas eventually woke, he looked up to find his Master still deep in prayer. It appeared as if his whole mind and body were committed to solitary worship.

26.
As dawn broke, Jesus rose from his knees. He once again joined his followers, and began to walk among them.

27.
Jesus stood on the side of the mountain and addressed those who had waited all through the night to hear his words.

28.
He warned them not to gather simply in the hope of witnessing another miracle, and after leading them in prayer, advised them to return home to their families.

29.
Jesus waited for the crowd to disperse before he gathered around him a small group whom he charged to remain with him while he continued his ministry.

30.
Jesus selected twelve men to be by his side. They were: Simon, whose name he changed to Peter, Andrew his brother, and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John; Philip and Nathanael as well as Thomas, who like Judas had been a follower of John the Baptist. Also added to the number were Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon of Canaan, and finally Judas Iscariot
.

see
Matt 10:1–4;
Mark 3:13–19;
Luke 6:12–16
[xv]

31.
Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter, to emphasize to all his followers that he had been chosen to lead the other disciples.

32.
The name Peter comes from the Greek
petros
, which translated means ‘rock'.

33.
Judas often recalled his Master praising Peter for his wisdom and insight, and on one occasion describing him as
the rock upon which he would build his church
.

Matt 16:18

34.
Judas was also one of the favoured disciples, and on several occasions it was he who pressed Jesus for a fuller explanation of his teaching and, when it proved necessary, was willing to take bold actions on behalf of his master.

35.
Having selected his disciples, Jesus told them that from that moment, they would be invested with powers that would allow them
to preach in his name, cure the sick and cast out demons
.

see
Mark 3:13–15;
Matt 10:1;
Luke 9:1–2

36.
As well as these twelve men, Jesus also gathered around him a group of women who had been loyal to him from the beginning of his ministry.

37.
They had also sacrificed everything to follow him.

38.
Among these women were Mary, from the village of Magdala, who came to be known as Mary Magdalene; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward whom she left to serve Jesus, and several others who were willing to support the purpose they all believed in.

see
Luke 8:1–3

39.
They gave both of their time and money
.

40.
From that moment, until the tragic end of Jesus' life, the twelve disciples and the faithful women accompanied him everywhere as he went about his wandering ministry among the people.