One of the most important Christian holidays is Easter. But how did it appear and what does it mean? This celebration is associated with the betrayal of the Son of God by one of his disciples. The events preceding Easter are called Holy Week, because it was during this period that events occurred that radically changed the life of not only the Holy Son, but also humanity as a whole. This week, world history changed, then the main villain of all time appeared - Judas, whose name became a household name. Formerly a close friend and companion, he betrayed his divine teacher. But what was he guided by?
The explanation is simple
Judas is thought to have received a reward for his betrayal. It was her promises that were what provoked the former associate to go against the teacher. In the Gospel of Matthew, you can find a mention of 30 pieces of silver that Judas was rewarded with.
In today's reality, this is only six weeks of simple work in a low-paid position. The amount is clearly not too large. It is unlikely that it is enough to provoke a betrayal of the one to whom a person has devoted many years of his life. Although, of course, if someone is already dissatisfied with the situation and teaching, if he is disappointed and is going to abandon the chosen path himself, then even such a reward will be sufficient incentive to take the decisive step. However, we must admit: it is unreasonable to believe that the betrayal was committed only for the sake of money.
Development of the theme
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You can learn more about the relationship between Jesus and Judas by reading the Gospel of John. This canonical scripture was created, apparently, one of the last of the canonical ones. Its author also supports the idea of betrayal in order to obtain financial gain. Here, Judas is represented as a thief who stole resources belonging to all Christ's companions for personal gain.
In other Gospels, one can see the assumption of demonic possession. Perhaps evil forces were in charge of Judas? Luke, who wrote his Gospel, for example, indicated just such a possibility. He reports that in the last week of his stay in Jerusalem, demons captured the heart of Judas and it was they who gave him the idea of betrayal. It cannot be said that this is simply a desire to fantasize or indicative theological reflection. The demonization of Judas lasted for many centuries. In many ways, his image extended to all Jews in general - this is what explains the attitude towards this nation in the Middle Ages.
Interesting moments
The demonization of Judas and the Jews has a long history. There are many known works, texts, which indicate that the Jews called for the crucifixion of Christ. Others believe that his death is completely the result of the evil deeds of the Jews, and that all these people are the main evil of our world. Anti-Semitism, passions, violence are closely intertwined in this story.
If there was no reason in the form of financial gain, how could Judas go for such a thing? There is no adequate and full-fledged explanation with a solid evidence base to this day. At different times, people came up with different versions, which, to a greater or lesser extent, provide a justification for the actions of this companion of God's Son.
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It is known that Judas betrayed his teacher at a time when their entire community was going through difficult times. The first man-made gospel probably reflects real events more accurately than others. It says that in the evening Jesus and his disciples were in the house of Simon the Leper. This happened two days before the arrest and execution.
During lunch, a woman came into the room with a bottle of expensive perfume, which she poured over the head of God's Son. Others were angry at this and asked if she made a loan, because it was possible to sell this liquid, and distribute the proceeds among those in need. There is no concretization of the names of the dissatisfied, but it is said that immediately after the incident Judas got up and left - it was after this that he betrayed the teacher.
Why?
It is known from sacred texts that Judas was responsible for the funds of a group of ascetics. It is reasonable to assume that the incident made him angry. Jesus and his disciples received financial support from a number of followers, the majority of whom were women. They were provided with shelter and food, but survival was difficult.
It was very difficult to organize the funds. Judas and other ascetics of God's Son left their family, their home. They could not count on a stable job. In short, they sacrificed everything to follow the teacher. For many years they tried to survive in poverty. Of course, it hurt them to see their leader committing wasteful acts. Today, the reader who knows all the twists and turns and the end of this story can see the moments in which Jesus warns his followers about his arrest and subsequent execution. For them, the described scene with the spirits is analogous to the anointing before death. But this was not obvious to contemporaries.
Expectations and reality
In the era when God's son lived, his followers expected something dramatic, a certain turning point. In the first century, Jews lived under Roman occupation. They were waiting for the Messiah, who would free them from their shackles and create a new regime.
Some believed that the Holy Father would become the Messiah. The belief that he would free the people was incredibly strong. The same was expected of Jesus by his followers. That is why one day Peter said that he would not allow the death of a teacher, and other disciples asked him to give them power when the people were free. No one knows for certain who Jesus is, they all understand their teacher and his task incorrectly.
About scenes
A week before the execution, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowd waves branches, the leader enters the city, people shout that it was given to them by God. All this is similar to the Roman festive ritual of the Triumph - this is how great military leaders were greeted. The actual revolt does not follow, the teacher does not gather an army, does not meet with pilgrims. How do his students feel?
Judas is probably tired, worn out. He probably just dreamed of returning home to restore a normal life. At the same time, he cherishes the hope that he can push the teacher to take the first step and start an uprising. Judas may have sincerely believed that his betrayal would hasten the coming of God's kingdom. This means that the further development of events terrified him, so he regretted what was done and tried to return what he had paid back. One of the versions of the sacred legends says that he voluntarily parted with his life.
Interesting to everyone
Modern man is not only curious to know why Judas did this and not otherwise. Reflections and proofs of various theories have been collected for many centuries. About 250 years after the death of God's Son, a new story of Judas was created. It was named the Gospel in his name. This text was found and presented to the general public 13 years ago. The story of Judas is more sympathetic here. Presumably, Jesus entrusted the disciple with a certain mission, asked him to betray him and said that for this Judas would be cursed for generations, but one day they would be acquitted. This sacred text does not say anything about real historical events. There is also no information about how Jesus spent the last days of his life. And yet this sacred text raises a logical question: how did the actions of Christ's disciple influence the development of our civilization?
The kiss of a traitorous disciple caused the arrest and execution of God's Son, followed by a crucifixion. If Judas had not kissed the teacher, he would never have been crucified, which means that there would have been no religion in the form that is known to us. In a sense, Judas is the person who created the basis for the emergence of Christianity.
Natalia Balagurova