The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot (5 page)

1.
While the disciples rested in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked Peter:
Who do people say that I am?

Mark 8:27,
Matt 16:13;
Luke 9:18

2.
Peter was not sure how he should respond. Many of the disciples considered Jesus to be the Messiah, although not all of them had reached that point of conviction.

3.
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and the many other signs they had witnessed were proof enough for some that Jesus had already fulfilled the hopes of those who had chosen to follow him.

4.
However, Peter reminded the other disciples that Jesus always insisted they should not think of him as the Messiah, so they remained uncertain how Peter should reply to Jesus' question, especially given the political significance of being in Caesarea Philippi at that time.

[xx]

5.
Judas offered his counsel, suggesting that when Peter answered Jesus' question: ‘Who do people say that I am?', he should say:
Some say that you are John the Baptist, while others claim that you are Elijah, who must be sent before the coming of the Messiah. Many believe that you are a prophet that Moses promised to us long ago
.

see
Mark 8:28;
Matt 16:14;
Luke 9:19

6.
Judas reminded Peter that a close link between John the Baptist and the figure of Elijah had already been accepted by most Jews. John dressed, ate and lived like Elijah, and therefore Jesus could simply be
fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi:
Behold, I will send a prophet, Elijah, before the great and terrible day of the Lord
.

see
Mal 4:5

7.
The other disciples agreed that this was the response Peter should give to Jesus when he asked:
Who do people say that I am?
, as none of them believed that either John the Baptist or Elijah was the Messiah.

8.
Judas also reminded them of the promise of the Torah:
I will raise up a prophet from among you
.

Deut 18:18

9.
Although many disciples already believed that Jesus was the expected one, the Messiah, there were still those in Galilee, especially among the Elders, who refused even to accept that Jesus was a prophet.

10.
The Scribes and the Pharisees were still encouraging their followers to reject everything Jesus stood for, and had lately joined with the Herodians to plot his downfall.

11.
Despite the many miracles Jesus had performed, and his following among the people, even in his own ranks there were those who were still unwilling to believe that the humble son of a carpenter from Nazareth could possibly be the Messiah.

12.
Some continued to ask:
Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

John 1:46

13.
While others were heard to say:
Search the scriptures and you will not find a prophet who will arise from Galilee
.

John 7:52

14.
Even more discouraging was that some of the Elders were circulating rumours that Jesus had been conceived in sin.

15.
The Pharisees, as well as the religious leaders of Israel, held to their traditional belief:
We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, God alone
.

John 8:41

16.
Once Peter had answered the question:
Who do people say that I am?
, Jesus immediately asked:
Who do you say that I am?

17.
Peter, a blunt and at times impatient man, could no longer
hide his feelings, and responded with the words:
We believe you are the Messiah
.

18.
Do not express those beliefs
,
Jesus warned his disciples,
even among yourselves
.

Mark 8:29–30
Matt 16:15–20;
Luke 9:20–21

19.
Judas was saddened by these words, but clung to the fact that Jesus did not deny that he was not the Messiah.

20.
However, none of them was prepared for Jesus' next revelation:
The Son of Man must suffer many things before he will finally be rejected by the Elders, the Pharisees and the High Priests
.

see
Mark 8:31;
Matt 16:21–22;
Luke 9:22

21.
Judas could not understand why Jesus referred to himself as the ‘Son of Man'. He could not recall ever hearing the Master use these words when describing himself and it went against everything he had been brought up to believe.

22.
Judas then asked the other disciples if they had ever heard Jesus refer to himself as the ‘Son of Man'. Both Peter and James confirmed that he had used this term earlier in his ministry whenever he performed miracles, or
when he explained with what power he forgave sins, and his authority over the Sabbath
.

see
Mark 2:10, 28
[xxi]

23.
Judas wrestled with the dilemma for some time before recalling the words of the Prophet Ezekiel, who had used the expression ‘Son of Man' to emphasize the difference between the mortal prophet and God, who always makes allowance for the weakness of human beings.

24.
Judas decided that the Master must have been alluding to Ezekiel, who had maintained that the God of Israel had chosen him, a mere mortal, to bring about His reign on earth.

25.
And such was Judas' knowledge of the scriptures that he was able to remind his fellow disciples of another relevant passage from the book of the Prophet Daniel.

26.
Daniel had had a dream in which many monsters came out of
the sea, bent on a path of destruction. This, Judas was convinced, symbolized the Roman Empire destroying the lives, the faith and the religious traditions of Israel.

27.
Judas recalled that the symbolic monsters had later been summoned to the court of God, which Daniel described as
the ancient of days
, before they were finally vanquished and destroyed.

28.
Judas repeated word for word the relevant passage from Daniel:
I saw the night visions, and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds from heaven, and was presented before him. To him was given dominion, glory and kingship, and all people, all nations and languages would serve him. His domain would be everlasting, and will not pass away. His kingship is one that will not be destroyed
.

Dan 7:13–14

29.
Although Judas now felt he understood why Jesus had used the expression ‘Son of Man', he was further perplexed when the Master later warned the disciples:
The Son of Man will be put to death in Jerusalem, but on the third day he will rise again from the dead
.

see
Mark 8:31;
Matt 16:21;
Luke 9:22

30.
When Peter first heard these words, he said firmly: ‘Master, we have no desire to accompany you to Jerusalem if it may only result in your death.'

31.
Many others have written about what happened next, but Judas could never forget Jesus' words and he fully understood their meaning.

32.
Jesus did not bless Peter in the manner earlier gospels have reported when he said:
Get behind me, Satan; you are not on the side of God, but on the side of mankind
.

33.
Jesus' words,
Get behind me
, were used simply to remind his disciples of their calling. When he had first come into their lives, he had said:
Follow me
,
which Judas understood to mean to walk behind him, for he was their Master.

34.
Jesus was telling his disciples to follow him without question,
wherever he believed that path lay; this, despite the fact that he must have known they could not begin to understand his reason for giving such a command.

35.
Judas also understood exactly what Jesus had meant to convey when he uttered the word
Satan
in their presence.

36.
In the Aramaic that Jesus spoke when addressing his followers, the word
Satana
means ‘stumbling block', or someone who opposes the ways of God.

[xxii]

37.
So when Jesus said:
Get behind me, Satan
,
Judas understood his words to mean:
You are stumbling blocks in my path, preventing me from carrying out God's holy will, because your wishes only fulfil the desires of mankind and you fail to understand the ways of God
.

see
Mark 8:33;
Matt 16:17–23

38.
All through the night, the disciples debated the true meaning of Jesus' words; in particular, his prophecy of a forthcoming journey to Jerusalem, where he would suffer and die, but three days later rise again from the dead, confirming the resurrection of the Son of Man.

39.
Search as he might, Judas could not find any passage in the Torah that made an association between suffering, death and the fulfilment of the messianic hopes of Israel. He was greatly disturbed by Jesus' words.

40.
When the morning light broke, Jesus called the disciples together.

41.
He addressed them solemnly, saying:
My time is approaching. Let us set our faces for Jerusalem
.

see
Luke 9:51

42.
Without another word passing between them, the disciples rose as one, and followed Jesus as he began his descent down the slopes of Mount Hermon and on towards the plain that would lead them to Jerusalem.

43.
All the disciples knew that the Messiah would have to enter the
Holy City if he were to lay claim to the throne of David. But they remained fearful.

44.
If Jesus had not warned them that he was going to suffer and die, they would have happily joined him on that journey with joy in their hearts.

45.
At that time, Judas still wanted to believe they were setting out on a journey that would result in Jesus' messianic enthronement, and if it meant sacrificing his own life, he would have done so willingly.

1.
Before setting out on the journey to Jerusalem, Peter allocated tasks among his fellow disciples.

2.
Following the role Judas had played in the feeding of the five thousand, he was put in charge of the common purse.

3.
It became his responsibility to see that Jesus, the rest of the disciples and the women followers had something to eat, clothes to wear and shelter for the night.

4.
It would be a long and arduous journey from Mount Hermon to Jerusalem, taking several days. Despite living simply, Judas knew that they would still need considerable assistance along the way if they were to arrive in the Holy City properly prepared for the Master to assume his rightful role as the expected Messiah, the Royal King of Israel.

5.
Judas was also aware that during the long walk from Galilee to Jerusalem, they would pass through hazardous terrain, especially when they travelled into Samaria,
for the Samaritans would never share anything with a Jew
.

see
John 4:9

6.
This would change if the Master was willing to impose his authority on those people who were proving to be stumbling blocks in his way.

7.
Judas also had to consider the possibility of being attacked by bandits while they were on the road to Jerusalem.

8.
These were desperate gangs of men who could no longer afford to pay the crippling taxes imposed on them by the Roman authorities. They had deserted their towns and villages and fled to the mountains, where they lived in caves and preyed on passing strangers, even killing them.

9.
Judas feared that the Master would want to avoid any such confrontation, and take the longer, safer route, by crossing the river Jordan and entering Judea from the south.

10.
However, once they set out, it quickly became clear that Jesus favoured the more direct journey, which filled Judas' heart with hope.

11.
He assumed that this decision implied that Jesus wished to gather a large army on the way, so that when he entered the Holy City he could immediately stamp his authority on any non-believers.

12.
As they approached the borders of Samaria, James and his brother John were sent ahead to proclaim the coming of Jesus.

13.
However, the two brothers were disappointed to discover that the inhabitants of the first village they entered showed little interest in welcoming Jesus into their midst.

14.
The Samaritans had no desire to alert the Romans to Jesus' presence, and then have their village razed to the ground for harbouring a false prophet and his followers.

15.
James and John returned to Jesus and asked him to punish the Samaritans for their lack of faith.
Lord, do you want fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?

see
Luke 9:54

16.
Jesus disappointed them with his response:
The Son of Man has not come to destroy lives, but to save them
,
and so they departed for another place.

see
Luke 9:55–56

17.
Judas agreed with James and John's judgement, and became ever more fearful of what might take place when they entered Jerusalem.

18.
The other disciples carried out the Master's orders without question, and skirted the Samaritan village, thus avoiding any confrontation with its inhabitants.

19.
A small band of followers came out of the village to join Jesus, but they numbered only a few.

20.
That evening, while others ate and rested, Jesus stole away and with calm intensity immersed himself in prayer.

21.
When Judas knelt near his Master, he heard Jesus utter the word
Abba
.

[xxiii]

22.
This gave Judas renewed confidence that Jesus truly was the son of God, though he still could not understand why the Master continued to call himself the
Son of Man
.

23.
Why was Jesus prophesying that he would die soon after he entered Jerusalem and then three days later rise from the dead, finally to be restored to his followers, before taking his place on the right hand of God?

24.
Judas continued to pray that God would give Jesus the means to overthrow his enemies when they entered Jerusalem, and establish him as the Davidic King in Israel.