The following is a reprint from The Cast of the Crucifixion..

Judas Iscariot…Satan’s Servant or Unwitting Scapegoat?

I have traveled road after dusty road, following this teacher from Galilee …and what has it gotten me….Just dirty feet, blisters and a few coins of little value. And what’s the matter with the rest of the inner circle? We have watched Jesus heal the sick, make the blind to see, cure the leper …even raise Lazarus from the day. He is wasting his great abilities on the common and unlovely….and he is constantly at odds with the rulers of the Sanhedrin and with Caiaphas, the High Priest. I have a plan that will force his hand …a plan that will cause him to use his powers against those that oppress us and force us to obey foreign and pagan laws. Surely that is not what the great God of our forefathers had intended for this man. If he is the chosen one, the true Messiah of Israel, it’s time he began to act like it and do something to free His people. Yes, a little nudge should be all he needs.

As the Feast of the Passover draws near:

Well, that went better than I expected…the Sanhedrin and the entire Jewish nation will have me to thank in just a few days….and I got 30 pieces of silver for my trouble. I would have been willing to take half as much; but this could be dangerous, especially with the excited crowds Jesus has been drawing. I will be patient and I will deliver him to the High Priest, just as I promised….He’ll never be expecting this. But when he comes into power, Jesus will have me to thank for forcing his hand and I’m sure I will be richly rewarded in his new kingdom…maybe a provincial governor or ruler of some foreign land. I will be rich…no more paltry coins in the collection bag….RICH, RICH …FILTHY RICH.

At the Passover Feast:

Look at him…acting like a servant, washing and drying our feet. Only a few more hours and my plan will begin to emerge …and Jesus will be the ruler of the Jewish nation and all nations will bow before his great and awesome powers. What was that?  How could he possibly know that someone is going to betray him…does he know that it is me? No, he couldn’t possibly know. I have been ever so discreet…must be the rising tensions between him and the Sanhedrin that have him on edge. Time to go…I need a diversion…he has given me the dipped bread and told me to go and do quickly what I must. No one will miss me …I’ll just slip out the door into the darkness.

In the Garden:

I know just where he is going after the Passover meal…where he always takes us …across the Kidron valley to the Mount of Olives. I had told this to the Captain of the guard and explained to him that there was no need for so many men. The disciples were unarmed and Jesus surely offered no physical threat. But, I was surrounded by the Palace guard from the High Priest and a full company of Roman soldiers…at no choice but to proceed as planned. We entered the garden at the south entrance …a small winding trail leads to the top of the Mount. It would be hard for anyone to hear or see us coming under cover of darkness, but it seemed like every one of the soldiers was carrying a lighted torch….it was as bright as noon day. So much for the element of surprise! The Roman centurion led the way and when we arrived, he told the small band of men that we were looking for Jesus the Nazarene.

What happened next caught me fully off-guard. Christ stepped forward and said, “I am He!” and when he did, all of the Roman soldiers and the Palace guard stepped back and fell to the ground. It was as if his words knocked them over and rendered them helpless. But, I stepped forward and gave the agreed upon sign that would signify that they should arrest that man…I kissed Jesus on the cheek….and he looked into my eyes and said, “Judas, my friend, why have you come? Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

And in that moment, it was all set in motion. They bound Jesus’ hands and feet and literally dragged him down the mountainside. They took him to Caiaphas and they began to pummel his face, to pull out his hair and to spit upon him….and all the while, Christ Jesus did nothing…he did not even speak in his defense. In just a few hours, he stood before Pilate who ordered that he be flogged with 39 lashes, The Roman soldiers hit him, kicked him and spit upon him…they placed a crown of thorns upon his bloody brow….and still; Jesus did nothing. Where were his powers …why did he not strike out at his tormenters and call down fire and brimstone from Heaven? He claimed to be the Son of God, but all he did was to take their abuse and to stand silent before his accusers.

I couldn’t take it any longer. This was not going according to my plan…Jesus was silent as a lamb… being led to slaughter….and it was all my fault. I had sold him out for thirty pieces of silver and the desire to be great in his kingdom. Instead, all I could do was to stand hopelessly by and watch as they led him away to be crucified. I ran as fast as I could back to the Election hall and threw the money at the feet of the chief priest and the elders. I begged them to forgive me for my sin of betraying innocent blood…they laughed at me and told me it was not their concern. I had lost it all…Jesus would die because of my greed, arrogance and selfish desires. A man who had loved me and called me one of his chosen, I had sold to be crucified for 30 pieces of silver…I was not fit to live, so I did the only thing I knew…I took my own life …for it was a life not worth saving.