THE FINAL BETRAYAL

Written by: Matias Civita

Editors: Lexi Fernandez & Racquel Gluckstern

There are very few figures in history to claim to have nearly as much influence as the prophet of Christianity, Jesus Christ. His teachings continue to be preached worldwide nearly two millennia after his death. Viewed by Christians as the son of God and the ultimate redeemer of humanity’s sins, billions have sworn their devotion to him. Jesus died when he was betrayed by one of his twelve apostles, Judas, and crucified by the Romans occupying his homeland of Judea. Judas would later be excommunicated from the circle of apostles and replaced with Matthias, leaving Judas to be considered the outcast thirteenth apostle.

At the last meal Jesus Christ shared with his apostles during Passover, most scholars agree that an apostle will have to betray him as one of the least contested events to have happened in Jesus’ life. Here, Jesus is said to have predicted this through divine intuition. It is noted by many that Judas Iscariot was the thirteenth guest to arrive at the Last Supper. It added a new meaning to the day of Passover for Christians, while the Jewish understanding of this day was that of commemoration for the day that God had redeemed them from slavery and granted them freedom.

Despite the betrayal of Christianity’s most revered figure other than God himself, Judas’ actions and role in the Bible are crucial to the Christian religion. Judas’ act as the betrayer of Jesus led to his crucifixion, which, in turn, confirmed his divinity when he was resurrected three days later. After being brought back to life, he appeared to each of his apostles, urging them to spread his gospel of forgiveness all around the world.

While all four canonical gospels portray the same story, the Gospel of Matthew gives Judas the motivation of having betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, which he attempted to return out of guilt after Jesus’ death. Such an occurrence furthers an anti-greed and wealth sentiment that is prominent throughout Jesus’ preachings. There are multiple instances within the Bible (most notably in the Gospel of Matthew) where Jesus speaks of rich men having difficulty reaching Heaven and wealth being a master that cannot be worshiped in tandem with God.

Today, Judas’ name is synonymous with infamous traitors such as BruTtus, who assassinated Julius Caesar. The idea of those closest to us betraying us is one that scares most, which is likely the reason Judas has remained in the cultural consciousness so prominently outside of Christianity. But within it, it serves as a crucial lesson on greed and sin.