Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [164]
In John, the devil made Judas do it. But the treachery of Judas has provoked some speculation over motives, including the notion that he was an anti-Roman zealot who was disappointed that Jesus had not proved to be the rebel leader Judas expected. In Mark, Judas went to the chief priests to betray Jesus before being offered a bribe, suggesting that he had some other motive besides money. Matthew specifically states Judas asks how much he will be given and he is paid “thirty pieces of silver,” in fulfillment of another ancient Hebrew prophecy. Luke reports that he was promised money for his betrayal. The ultimate fate of Judas is a little unclear in the Gospels. In Matthew, Judas repents, returns the money to the priests, and hangs himself. The Matthew account says the priests took the money to buy a “potter’s field” in which foreigners would be buried and the place was called the “Field of Blood”—a burial ground purchased with “blood money.” But a later biblical account (in Acts) reports that Judas himself used the money to buy the piece of land that was called the “Field of Blood,” and died as the result of a fall when “all his bowels gushed out,” presumably meaning he suffered some massive accidental injury that disemboweled him.
And how did Jesus feel about Judas? Did he forgive his betrayer? Once again, the four Gospels head in different directions. At his arrest in Matthew, Jesus says to Judas, “Friend, do what you are here to do,” which certainly has a tone of forgiveness. But Luke reports that Jesus asks Judas, “Is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”—seemingly a much more damning question. Mark does not report Jesus speaking to Judas or about the fate of Judas. In John, the account is sharply different as Jesus turns himself over to the soldiers without being identified by Judas, depicting Jesus as the master of his own destiny and not a victim of Judas’s treachery.
BIBLICAL VOICES
So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood is on us and on our children.” (Matt. 27:24-25)
A third time he [Pilate] said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. (Luke 23:22-23)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” When the chief priest and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever…. From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets