“Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are
you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him” (Matthew 26:14).
I’ve always been intrigued at what it takes for a person to betray a leader or a country. It’s not done on a whim or an impulse—as we see above, it took forethought for Judas to turn against Jesus, until “from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.” He had been among the privileged inner circle. He was present to witness the many miracles of healing. His ears were blessed to hear the words that any Christian would consider to be the ultimate privilege. Try to imagine yourself sitting before the Last Supper when the Lord approaches you with a bowl of water and a towel. The Son of God kneels in front of you and unties your sandals. You recall the Baptist’s words when he was asked about the Messiah: “I’m not worthy to untie His sandals” (Matthew 3:11). Yet here He is, at your feet. You want Him to stop—they’re dirty and smelly—but He persists. It happened to Judas. How could he not be humbled?
Then at the Supper Jesus is asked why He’s so sad, and He tells them one of them will betray Him. Judas knew quite well it was he. Jesus tried even at the last hour to dissuade him. He gave him a place nearby Himself; but it was for nothing. “What you will do, do quickly.” Don’t grieve over it; get it over with.
The FBI agent Robert Hanssen who betrayed our country to the Communist Russians had impeccable credentials: A good family man, devout Roman Catholic, even a member of an ultra-conservative group within that Church, Opus Dei; nevertheless, he sold out his nation causing the deaths of several agents in the process.
Why do they do it? Money, of course. But Judas threw the payment back into the temple, and Hanssen didn’t do much with his lucre. A clue comes from another infamous double agent, one of the several British spies who sold secrets to the USSR. Near death, Kim Philby said, “To betray, you must first belong. I never belonged.” Traitors are loners. They cannot fit in. They are unable to share in the joy of fellowship. Satan was dissatisfied with being a beautiful angel. He wanted to sit on the throne of the Lord.
The apostles knew that Judas loved money, and that he was eager to serve as treasurer of the Lord’s followers. That was partly the reason. Besides that, he was a proud person. He had another agenda different from that of Jesus. He could memorize the prayer taught them by the Lord that includes the phrase: Thy will be done; however, he really wanted his own will to be achieved. In our prayer before communion Judas is mentioned:
“I will not give Thee a kiss as did Judas.”
The wisdom of the Church well knows that many do precisely that. There are those who are carrying out their own agendas. They know better than the pastor what’s good for the community. They bide their time, waiting for something to go amiss, so that they might leap up and point out the mistake. They gloat with joy at some failure or setback. The spirit of Judas lives on.
Egomaniacs beware: The Kingdom of God is not for you. Take note of the last book of the Bible. In Revelation the seer, John, gazed into Heaven and recognized categories of inhabitants: Elders on thrones, living creatures surrounding the throne of the Lord, angels, and those “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11). Nothing about created individuals. The famous image of St. Peter at the gates of heaven comes from Matthew 16, but is not in the book of Revelation. Those deemed fit to share eternal life with the Holy Trinity have surrendered all pride and vainglory, reveling in being part of something much greater than their own designs. They celebrate the grand plan of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the cosmos and for themselves, but only as grateful, humble, unworthy children of God.