Judas Iscariot and Matthias

 

JUDAS ISCARIOT

• The Bible tells us virtually nothing about Judas’ background

• Some believe the name Iscariot is a reference to the town Kerioth in Judea sort of Mary Magdalene is from Magdala

• Some believe it’s a reference to the Sicarii, which is Latin for “dagger wielders.”

• This was a radical sect of Jews bent on revolution - similar to the Zealots except they were primarily focused on violence.

• Regardless, his name has become synonymous with “traitor.”

• In John’s gospel, when he referred to Thaddaeus, John referred to him as “Judas, not Iscariot” as though he was being careful not to get them confused.

• We only think of Judas as the traitor.  When we read anything about him, we see the traitor in him.

• John 12:3-6, Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

• We can see the greed of Judas but the disciples didn’t see at the time

• They trusted Judas enough to make his their treasurer

• References like this one or “Judas Iscariot who also betrayed him” were added by the gospel writers only after Judas’ deeds became known.

• During the Incarnation, the apostles only knew Judas as one of them.

• He was given the authority to do miracles and preach the gospel, along with the other apostles. 

• Matthew 10:4–8, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

• Judas did miracles even as an unbeliever

• Matthew 7:22-23, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

• Remember in Daniel, God used Nebuchadnezzar to judge Israel.

• God is sovereign, even over those who don’t accept Him as their Lord

• Jesus always knew Judas would betray Him

• John 6:67-70, Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

• John 13:9-10, Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

• When Jesus announced one of them would betray Him, they all asked, “Is it me?” They didn’t suspect Judas

• Mark 14:18-21, And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

• In his disobedience, Judas was still doing the will of Jesus

• I’m reminded of Joseph.

• He told his brothers about his dream that he would rule over them

• They sold him into slavery where he was taken to Egypt

• It was their disobedience that led to the very thing God said would happen

• Genesis 50:20, But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

• God has a plan and nothing we can do can thwart His plan.

• How did Judas die?

• Matthew 27:5, And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

• Acts 1:18, Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

• A SPIRITUAL FALL

• Maybe Peter was not describing the physical death of Judas but was merely describing his spiritual fall. This would be a fall in the same sense that Adam “fell” and died. Regarding the reference to “bowels,” there are multiple passages (especially in the KJV) where the “bowels” are a reference to mercy or compassion (Colossians 3:12, Philemon 1:7, 1 John 3:17). So according to this theory, Judas may have died physically but he also “fell” spiritually and his bowels bursting is a reference to his act of betrayal.

• A GRUESOME DEATH

• A rather mundane explanation that the rope Judas used was too long and rather than hanging, he fell to the ground. A fall from a tree might be sufficient to kill a person but it would have to be an especially high tree for the body to break open

• There is actually a lot involved in a hanging. The rope should be the right length for the sentenced man's weight so that his neck will break and he will die quickly. If it is too short, he will die slowly by strangulation. However, if it is too long, the man could be decapitated! Please excuse the gore but if a person were decapitated and his stomach contents were regurgitated out of his esophagus, it might fit the description given by Peter.

• POST MORTEM

• Peter might be adding some information about an event that happened post mortem. As mentioned above, a body falling from a tree will not likely “burst open.” However, after death, the skin and tissues begin to decompose. The body also begins to bloat. Answers in Genesis gives this very graphic description:

“Gruesome as it is, Judas’ dead body hung in the hot sun of Jerusalem, and the bacteria inside his body would have been actively breaking down tissues and cells. A byproduct of bacterial metabolism is often gas. The pressure created by the gas forces fluid out of the cells and tissues and into the body cavities. The body becomes bloated as a result. In addition, tissue decomposition occurs compromising the integrity of the skin. Judas’ body was similar to an overinflated balloon, and as he hit the ground (due to the branch he hung on or the rope itself breaking) the skin easily broke and he burst open with his internal organs spilling out.”

MATTHIAS

Acts 1:15-26, And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

• Peter believed they should choose a replacement for Judas.

• He felt the prerequisites for an apostle were that 1) it would be someone who had been a disciple of Jesus since His baptism and 2) had been a witness to the Resurrection and Accension.

• We can assume that Matthias fit both of these criteria

• Nothing else is mentioned in the Bible about Matthias

• It tells us nothing about where he was from, what he did, or where was his ministry.

• Some people believe Peter was premature in choosing an apostle.  They believe Paul was the apostle God chose to replace Judas

• Some people believe Matthias was one of the 70 people that Jesus sent out as missionaries

• Luke 10:1, After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

• Tradition holds that Matthias preached in the country of “man-eaters,” cannibals in what is now the Baltic country of Georgia.

• Some traditions claim Matthias was stoned at the end of his ministry to cannibals in Aethiopia (Georgia). Another that he was stoned by Jews in Jerusalem and then beheaded. Hippolytus of Rome records that he died in Jerusalem of old age.

Simon the Zealot and Thaddaeus

Simon the Zealot

• We know almost nothing about Simon from the Scriptures

• There are 4 lists of the apostles in Bible

• Matthew 10:2-4

• Mark 3:14-19

• Luke 6:13-16

• Acts 1:13-16

• Luke & Acts use the Greek word zēlōtēs which literally means zealot.

• Matthew & Mark use the Aramaic word qan’an which means “zealous one.”

• qan’an looks like kananaios when transliterated with Greek letters so some early writings mistakenly call him Simon of Canaan or Simon the Canaanite.

• We don’t know where Simon was from but he wasn’t necessarily from Cana.

• John’s gospel doesn’t mention Simon at all.

• While some of the apostles are listed by different names in the various lists, Simon is always listed as “Simon the Zealot.”

• The biblical writers may have done this in order to distinguish this Simon from Simon Peter

• He may also have been called the Zealot because it was such a defining characteristic of who he was.

• What does it mean to be a zealot?

• Zealousness is a trait frequently found in Scriptures

• Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.”

• When Jesus drove the money changers from the Temple, His disciples remembered what had been written in Psalm 69:9, For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

• Paul often was confronted in his ministry by zealous Jews

• Acts 21:18-21, And the day following Paul went in with us unto James [this would be James the Less]; and all the elders were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

• Acts 23:12-13, And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

• Simon could have been someone who was simply driven by his commitment to his faith

• There was also a Jewish sect of Zealots who were dedicated to the overthrow of Rome

• It began as an unorganized, grassroots movement about the time of the first Roman census

• It wasn’t formally called The Zealots until about 68 AD

• This means Simon would not have been called Zealot during Jesus’ ministry

• He might have been identified with this group by the time the gospels were written

• The Zealots revolted in 66 AD and temporarily seized control of Jerusalem.  In 70 AD, the Romans sacked the city and destroyed the Temple just as Jesus had predicted.

• If Simon was a member of this group, it would be a testimony to the transforming power of the gospel that he would be associated with the publican, Matthew.

• In Luke 6, the apostles are listed in pairs.  Some suggest this was how the apostles were paired when they were sent out by Jesus

• Simon is listed with James the son of Alphaeus

• Unsure of how he lived and died after the Resurrection

• Ethiopian churches hold that he preached there and was crucified in Samaria

• An Eastern tradition says he died of old age in Edessa

• Foxe’s Book of Martyrs says, Simon “preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74.”

• A 16th century historian, Justus Lipsius, claimed Simon was sawed in half (lengthwise)!

• He is often pictured in art holding a saw

THADDAEUS

• A man with many names

• Matthew 10:3 Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus 

• Mark 3:18, Thaddaeus

• Luke 6:16, Judas the brother of James (KJV)

• Some translations have, Judas the son of James

• The original Greek simply says Judas of James - the “son of” or “brother of” is implied

• John 14:22, Judas, not Iscariot

• Some scholars speculate that Judas was likely the name given to him at birth while Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus were possible nicknames

• Judas means, Jehovah leads

• Lebbaeus translates as “heart-child”

• Thaddeus means “breast-child”

• these nicknames suggest Thaddeus was a gentle soul with a tender, childlike heart

• If he is the brother of James, and if James is a brother of Jesus, then Judas would also be a brother of Jesus

• Jesus did have a brother named Judas

• Matthew 13:55, Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

• This could also mean that Judas is the author of The Book of Jude

• Jude 1, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.

• John’s gospel tells us that His brothers did not believe in Him early in His ministry

• John 7:3-5, His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him.

• Jesus had at least four brothers, and John doesn’t specifically say that all of them didn’t believe in him.

• The only recorded words of Thaddaeus in the gospels occurs in John

• John 14:21-22, He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

• He seemed to think Jesus was treating the apostles differently than the world

• He seemed to have the same opinion as most Jews of his time - that the Messiah would reveal Himself in power to the world

• Tradition holds that Judas preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya.  Jude was beaten to death with a club and then beheaded post-mortem.

Thomas and James the Less

 Thomas

• Thomas means “Twin” in Hebrew

• John 11:16 and a few other verses from John use the phrase, “Thomas, called Didymus”

• Didymus means Twin in Greek

• One obvious inference is that Thomas had a twin brother.

• Some scholars believed he was called The Twin because he looked so much like Jesus

• Thomas is listed as on of the seven apostles who fished with Peter after the resurrection so he probably was a fisherman by trade

• In the lists of apostles, Thomas is usually listed with Matthew perhaps indicating they traveled together in their ministry.

• Thomas appears in two famous accounts in the Bible

• Doubting Thomas

• John 20:19-20, Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 

• John 20:24-25, But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

• John 20:26-28, And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

• The other disciples didn’t believe the women but they did believe when Jesus appeared to them and showed them His hands and side.

• Thomas may have voiced his skepticism more than the others, but when Jesus appeared to him, he was all in.

• Notice what he said to Jesus, My Lord and my God. Did the other apostles acknowledge Jesus as God?

• The miracles Jesus did were a testimony so His disciples would believe in Him.  They were written down so they are also a testimony to us so that we might believe in Him.

• John 20:29-31, Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

• The Resurrection of Lazarus

• In John 10:30-33, “I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”

• In the next chapter, Jesus learns that Lazarus is dying

• John 11:1-16

• vv. 6-8, When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

• vv. 11-16, These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. 

• Thomas said this to the other disciples

• He seemed to be saying, Look, guys, Jesus is going to do this.  We need to go with Him even though it will cost us our lives!

• Just like seeing Jesus alive again, once Thomas was convinced of something, he was all in.

• Church tradition holds that Thomas preached in India where he was stabbed to death with spears.  He died in the city of Mylapore, India on July 3, 72 AD

James the Less

• The synoptic gospels tell us almost nothing about James except to say he is the son of Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15)

• Matthew is also identified as the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14)

• I, and many others, have speculated that James and Matthews could have been brothers

• Jesus recruited other brothers (James & John, Andrew & Simon) so it would not be unusual.

• If they were brothers, perhaps they had become estranged when Matthew became a tax collector.

• Another theory about James

• Most people agree Mary’s husband, Joseph, probably died when Jesus was young.  He is not mentioned again after Jesus was at the Temple when He was 12 years old.

• Some people claim Mary remarried a man named Alphaeus and had other children.  One of them was James.

• We do know that Jesus had brothers and sisters.  James is listed by name as His brother in Mark 6:3, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

• Galatians 1:18-19, Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.

• This verse calls James both and apostle and the brother of Jesus

• If carpentry was the family business, James may have been a carpenter too.

• So if Joseph was still alive when Jesus was 12, and if Jesus began His ministry at age 30, James would have been very young - between 13-18 years old.

• James the Less was probably a reference to his age and not his size

• This would make him the same person who wrote the Book of James

• The Book of Acts and the Epistle to the Galatians mention James several times

• Galatians 2:9 calls James “a pillar” in the church at Jerusalem.

• It appears he spent most of his ministry, actively preaching in the church at Jerusalem though some traditions hold he also preached in Egypt

• It is believed he was pushed from the pinnacle of the Temple (when the devil had taken Jesus) where he had been preaching.  He survived the fall but was beaten with a fuller’s club then stoned to death.