CAMINANDO WITH JESUS: Judas (Not Iscariot)

The Sixth Sunday of Easter | May 26, 2019

By the Rev. Adrienne Koch

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“Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."

- John 14:23-29

How can you not notice them, two half-moons clutching the negation of a name: (not Iscariot).

Judas Iscariot’s name shows up in the gospels followed by a parenthetical notation in almost every instance. This includes the very first time Judas’ name is mentioned in each gospel, and each time the same Greek word is used: paradidomi – which means to hand someone over as you stand next to them.

Imagine opening up a great crime thriller novel and on the very first page you read the name of the one whodunnit before you learn anything else about the character or read one bit of his storyline. Why introduce Judas to us this way? Every author, every time? What reason might a novelist have for labeling a man this way before there’s even a plot?

Not long ago, my wife and son and I were looking for a good place to eat dinner while travelling through an airport. There was a “Premier” restaurant with high-end food, high-end prices and high chairs, which were really what we needed after lugging around a 16-month-old across six states. As we approached the hostess, her first question to us was “Are you premier members?” To which we responded, “No.” And that’s all it took. As we preceded to give her our name to be added to the seating list, a parenthetical was placed next to it: (not premier).

Column A had names in it like Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus and Simon. But we were in column B with the likes of Judas Iscariot, the (not premier) disciple.

What reason might a novelist have for labeling a man this way before there’s even a plot? By continually placing one name in parentheticals, in the “column B” of the gospels, the authors give you permission to make this name an afterthought, one to get to if you have the time and space, after everyone in “column A” has been taken care of. Judas is defined by the parentheticals others have placed on him.

Have you ever felt like your life was foretold in parentheticals, labeling you as a social afterthought from the start? Did you find yourself on the (not premier) list because you don’t have the right social membership, or your name sounds like “you don’t belong here.” Iscariot sounds a lot like the Greek word for murderer (sicarius), don’t you think?

There is no gospel account of Judas murdering anyone, but these parentheticals make sure that we do a double-take, a safety check, and read the annotation to “not trust Iscariot” because the bar has been set too high for him to reach. Every mistake, every “sin” is logged in the margins; Judas may quite literally be the most marginalized person in all the gospels.

There is no good news for those on the margins and on the B-list, except that’s the list Jesus seems to use when sending out his dinner invitations: tax collectors, women and others deemed “sinners.” Jesus self-identifies as one who has come not to be a physician to the healthy but to the sick. Jesus shares his bread and bowl with anyone who recognizes that they need a savior—even with Judas, the one who will betray him.

Jesus gives his bread and his body for the consumption of sinners like Judas, like me and like you, so those who love him can be with him in paradise. Though Judas could not save himself, he was saved by Jesus, for even Judas knew he was a sinner and repented (Matthew 27:3).

A lot of folks have lifted up Judas as someone especially notorious, but maybe there is nothing special about Judas after all. Maybe he was just a human being on the B-list for whatever his sins may have been, both social and moral.

In the end, it doesn’t matter on what list we place him, because Jesus kept him on his own list, and Jesus will keep you on his list, too.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

The Rev. Adrienne Koch is the campus minister for Episcopal Campus Ministry – Raleigh.