Judas from the eyes of Iscariot BY: WILLIAM WOOD
“If it were up to me I’d kill you right now and sell your organs to a pig farmer,” the guard
said, eliciting a nervous laugh from his less-than-intimidating partner. The speaker was a confident man, about four cubits high with broad shoulders and a high chest. His eyes were dark and intense, underneath furrowed bushy eyebrows. His features were hard and sharp- the ideal Roman soldier, while his partner looked no older than sixteen. The boy’s nervous smile and darting eyes were painted on a clean, round face, evidence of pampering in his youth and inexperience as a soldier. He likely was raised in a military family, perhaps with older brothers who were already commanders because of their father ’s reputation. Once the boy was old enough to wear armor, he was practicing stances and sitting at the men’s table during feasts. What a waste of effort and money, I thought to myself. Why invest in another child when you could use the money to increase your prosperity?
“But unfortunately,” the square-jawed guard continued, “I’ve been asked to deliver you
unharmed to the Pharisees.” As he said this, he stepped closer and planted his booted heel on my exposed sandaled foot, twisting to leave bruises and scratches that would make the average man cower. I hardly felt the pain. I looked at him evenly, waiting for him to step off. His face contorted in confused anger, then he backed off and shoved me past, already looking toward his next victim. I had that effect on people. I possessed a certain unwavering confidence that stemmed from my certainty that I was intellectually brighter than every man in the room. My father ’s words came back to me. “Never flinch,” he would say as he crushed my fingers in his grip or cut skin from my arms with his favorite shaving knife. “Never show weakness, always have a plan, and never do anything unless it is for money.” Ever since I was seven, he would impart this loving wisdom upon me every week on Sabbath. As a result, I could unblinkingly stare a man dead in the eyes like a statue of Emperor Tiberius. Now there was a man I could respect. Before he was emperor, he allegedly sold his two sisters and younger brother to bribe a Roman general into arresting a new competitor that had stolen a few customers. Yes, that was a man I could respect.
