Judas and Us

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. John 13:21-30

Despite the horror of this moment, intended to damn Judas to his fate, when evil entered him and the Lord’s anguish overwhelmed him, some thought good of Judas.

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That tells me that this wasn’t the first time this had happened. This wasn’t weird, wrong or out of the ordinary for Jesus to ask Judas to take the money and get the group more food, or give some of our money to the poor and bless them. This would mean Judas, instructed by this same Jesus whom we worship and serve and strive to be like, was the face of Christ to the poor of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Most likely if he had the moneybag, he would take the offerings and gifts as they were given to Jesus. So they might have known each other very well; I would say that after 3 years of traveling with him and they other disciples, he had to know him and the other disciples deeply. He was invested, he was trusted, and he was a commissioned disciple, preaching, teaching, healing, and making disciples:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Matthew 10:1-4