Judas' betrayal of Jesus inspires immense dismay among believers. Perhaps one reason for this is that each of us, at some point in life, faces a situation where our actions confirm or deny our faith.
Jesus' message would have caused excitement among the Zealots and their sympathizers. The name Iscariot, Juda's surname indicates he was a member of the Zealots, like Simon. The Zealots believed that the Messiah would turn the people back to God, destroy the Romans, and establish God's Kingdom. When Jesus chose Judas and allowed him to become treasurer of the group Judas was probably thrilled. Then as Jesus began to talk about his death, changing the direction of his message, Judas became disillusioned. A post on the website of The Nazarene Way Of Essenic Studies supports this view.
On the Website Religious Tolerance, author William Klassen points out that the incorrectly translated word "betrayal" is the Greek word paradidomi. Paradidomi means handed over. If rather than betraying Jesus, Judas was merely handing him over to the authorities for questioning this would provide a more logical explanation for why Judas was distraught to the point of suicide. Regardless of whether you believe Judas betrayed Jesus or was a pawn of the Romans, the tragedy of his action remains with us. Judas' story brings to light the unintended importance any decision we make can have. Whether we are intentionally trying to do harm, or simply not thinking through the implications of our actions, there will be consequences and results.
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