Judas betrayed him. Judas - the untold story of a traitor

Judas Iscariot is the same traitor because of whom Jesus Christ was crucified. Few people doubt the very fact of betrayal, but its cause is still the subject of controversy.

Was Judas' betrayal the result of his love of money? Or was it destined by Heaven itself? Theologians are still looking for answers to these questions.

There was a sin, because Judas did not just commit a betrayal, but denied the Lord, selling him for 30 pieces of silver because of his own greed. This sin is considered one of the worst. We have collected all seven deadly sins in one article so that everyone can take care of their soul during Holy Week.

Speaking of the sin of the love of money, the church does not wish trouble for its parishioners. It is from God that you should ask for financial well-being if you are in a difficult situation. And it is important not to fall into obscurantism and not to commit unseemly acts for the sake of money. This and many other things are told by people who have gone through poverty, who, by their own example, are convinced of the power of prayer.

Self-interest or the machinations of the devil

So, Judas denied Christ, but why he did this is not completely clear to anyone except himself and God. None of the disciples of Jesus Christ, and Jesus himself, during his lifetime did not know why Judas did this. According to the scripture, he betrayed his teacher and God, because he was possessed by greed and evil, or the demon and the devil. Yielding to him, Judas succumbed to temptation and sinned against his faith.

According to Matthew, Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, which in those days was a fortune that could buy a house. This evidence, however, is disputed, as it occurs only in the Gospel of Matthew.

Kiss of Judas

According to the Bible, Judas agreed with the chief priests and elders that he would kiss the one who calls himself Jesus. Thus this gesture became symbol for the guards who seized Christ. Today, the Judas Kiss is the most famous symbol betrayal.

What happened after Judas is also not fully known. According to the students, he hanged himself, committing the third sin - suicide. There are also non-biblical versions that Judas lived a long life and died of a terrible disease. But in any legend, his life is very sad, and its end is bleak.

great post dedicated to the death of Jesus and his suffering. Holy Week reflects all the events that preceded the death of Christ and his Resurrection. That is why the whole fast, righteous people try to lead a modest and humble lifestyle. It is through prayers that we become closer to God during Holy Week. You can find out the texts of the best prayers for Great Lent in our other article.

Heaven's Design

No living person can even guess whether the death of Jesus was the plan of our Heavenly Father or it was a combination of circumstances. Of course, only God himself can know about this, and in this world we are not destined to know what moved Judas.

It is known that the plan of heaven was to save people from sin. Moreover, Jesus himself said that he would reveal himself to the world a second time when people were mired in sin and unbelief. This suggests that Judas could sell his soul to the devil, but Heaven still needed his betrayal.

Raises the question and his subsequent remorse. After all, if he sold his Teacher and got what he wanted, where did this belated noble impulse come from? And if the devil moved him, then why did Judas hang himself? It is not yet possible to answer these questions, and we can only take care of the purity of our souls now.

In view of the events of the Passion of Christ, by Easter, the clergy recommend that everyone undergo the sacrament of communion in order to meet the bright time in spiritual purity. To get closer to God will help only strong faith and true love, the purest manifestation of which will be the atonement of sins.

It's best to confess Clean Thursday. Preparation for confession should take place in the reading of prayers and fasting. The advice of the church will tell you how to confess correctly and what not to do before this sacrament. Be happy, believe in God and don't forget to press the buttons and

27.04.2016 08:16

Every believer has heard of mortal sins. However, it is not always clear that...

Put on the name of Christ and not walk the path of Christ - is this not a betrayal of the name of Christ, leaving the path of salvation.

GOSPEL

Prediction of betrayal

And behold, the hand of the one who betrays Me is with Me at the table, however, the Son of Man goes according to his destiny, but woe to that person by whom He is betrayed. And they began to ask each other which one of them would be who would do this... (Luke 22:21,22).

Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?

Rising from prayer, He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them: Why are you sleeping? stand up and pray that you do not fall into temptation. While He was still speaking, a crowd appeared, and in front of them was one of the twelve, called Judas, and they came up to Jesus to kiss Him. For he gave them such a sign: Whom I kiss, He is. Jesus said to him: Judas! do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? Those who were with him, seeing what was going on, said to him: Lord! shall we strike with the sword? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. Then Jesus said, leave it alone. And touching his ear, he healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests, and to the rulers of the temple, and to the elders, who were assembled against Him, as if you had come out against a robber with swords and clubs to take Me? Every day I was with you in the temple, and you did not raise your hands against Me, but now is your time and the power of darkness (Luke 22:39-53).

Judas Iscariot betrays the Lord

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said: What will you give me, and I will betray Him to you? They offered him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to betray Him (Mt. 26:14-16).

Last supper

When evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad, and began to say to Him, each of them: Is it not I, Lord? He answered and said, He who dips his hand with me into the dish, this one will betray me; However, the Son of Man goes as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born. At the same time, Judas, betraying Him, said: Is it not I, Rabbi? Jesus says to him: You said (Mt. 26:20-25).

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a multitude of people with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. And the one who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying: Whom I kiss, he is, take him. And immediately coming up to Jesus, he said: Rejoice, Rabbi! And kissed him. Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus, stretching out his hand, drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest, cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him: Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword; Or do you think that I cannot now implore My Father, and He will present Me more than twelve legions of angels? how will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? At that hour Jesus said to the people: You have come out as if against a robber with swords and clubs to take Me; every day I sat with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not take Me. All this happened, so that the writings of the prophets come true. Then all the disciples left Him and fled (Matthew 26:47-56).

The barren repentance of Judas

Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned, repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. And they said to him: What is it to us? take a look yourself. And throwing the pieces of silver in the temple, he went out, went and strangled himself. The high priests, taking the pieces of silver, said: It is not permissible to put them in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood. Having made a meeting, they bought the potter's land with them, for the burial of strangers; Therefore, that land is called "the land of blood" to this day. Then came what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, who says: And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Priced One, whom the sons of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter's ground, as the Lord told me (Matthew 27:3-10).

And he was looking for how to betray Him at a convenient time

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they rejoiced, and promised to give him pieces of silver. And he was looking for a way to betray Him at a convenient time. And as they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, one of you who eats with me will betray me. They became sad and began to say to Him, one by one: Is it not I? and another: isn't it me? He answered and said to them, One of the twelve who dips with Me in the dish. However, the Son of Man goes as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for that man not to have been born (Mark 14:10,11,18-21).

And Jesus said to them: You will all be offended because of me this night; for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. After my resurrection, I will go ahead of you in Galilee. Peter said to him, If all be offended, but not I. And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today, to this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. But he still said with great effort: even though it behooves me to die with you, I will not deny you. Everyone said the same thing (Mark 14:27-31).

And he comes a third time and says to them: Do you still sleep and rest? It's over, the hour has come: behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let's go; behold, the one who betrays me draws near. And immediately, as He was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a multitude of people with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And the one who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying: Whom I kiss, he is, take him and lead him carefully. And, having come, he immediately went up to Him and said: Rabbi! Rabbi! and kissed him. And they laid their hands on Him and took Him. One of those standing there drew a sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, You came out as if against a robber with swords and clubs to take Me. Every day I was with you in the temple and taught, and you did not take Me. But let the Scriptures come true. Then, leaving Him, they all fled. One young man, wrapped around his naked body in a veil, followed Him; and the soldiers seized him. But he, leaving the veil, fled naked from them. (Mark 14: 41-52).

When Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servants of the high priest came and, seeing Peter warming himself, looked at him and said: You were also with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied it, saying: I do not know and do not understand what you are saying. And went out into the front yard; and the rooster crowed. The servant girl, seeing him again, began to say to those standing there: this is one of them. He denied again. After a while, those who stood there again began to say to Peter: You are definitely one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your language is similar. He began to swear and swear: I do not know this Man about whom you speak. Then the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times; and began to weep (Mark 14:66-72).

Peter's confession. Judas is a traitor

Then Jesus said to the twelve: Do you also want to go away? Simon Peter answered Him: Lord! who should we go to? you have verbs eternal life: And we believed and knew that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them: Have I not chosen twelve of you? but one of you is the devil. He spoke about Judas Simonov Iscariot, for this one wanted to betray Him, being one of the twelve (John 6:67-71).

The traitor is excommunicated from among the disciples

Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me. Then the disciples looked at each other, wondering who He was talking about. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the chest of Jesus. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was, about whom he was talking. He leaned against the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is it? Jesus answered: the one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will give. And, having dipped a piece, he gave it to Judas Simonov Iscariot. And after this piece, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him: whatever you do, do it quickly. But none of those reclining understood why He said this to him. And as Judas had a box, some thought that Jesus was saying to him: buy what we need for the holiday, or to give something to the poor. He, having taken a piece, immediately went out; but it was night.When he came out, Jesus said, "Today the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him."If God is glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him.Children! It won't be long for me to be with you. You will seek Me, and as I said to the Jews, that where I go, you cannot come, so I tell you now.I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; as I have loved you, so you also love one another(John 13:21-34).

Jesus went out with His disciples beyond the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He and His disciples entered. Judas, his betrayer, also knew this place, because Jesus often gathered there with His disciples. So Judas, having taken a detachment of soldiers and servants from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and lamps and weapons. But Jesus, knowing everything that would happen to Him, went out and said to them: Whom are you looking for? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them: It is I. And Judas, his betrayer, also stood with them. And when I said to them: It is I, they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them: who are you looking for? They said: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered: I told you that it was I, so if you are looking for Me, leave them, let them go, so that the word that He spoke may come true: Of those whom You gave Me, I did not destroy anyone. Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malch. But Jesus said to Peter, Put the sword back in its sheath, shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given Me? (John 18:2-11).

About the betrayal of Judas and about Easter, about the teaching of the mysteries, as well as about forgetfulness of malice

Said on holy and great Thursday

1. Little needs to be said to your love today; little needs to be said, not because you are burdened by the multitude of what is preached - it is impossible to find another city that would be so lovingly disposed to listening to spiritual conversations. And so, we will not say a little because we are boring you with a lot of what is preached, but because today there is an important reason for shortening the speech: I see that many of the believers hasten to communion with terrible mysteries. Therefore, so that they do not lose this meal, and are not left without that one, it is necessary to distribute the food in proportion, so that it will be useful for you on both sides, and so that you depart, equipped for the journey with this meal and our conversations, and proceed to the terrible and terrible communion with fear, trembling and due reverence.Today, beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ has been betrayed; this coming evening the Jews took him and went away. But do not be discouraged, when you hear that Jesus was betrayed or better, be discouraged and weep bitterly, but not for devoted Jesus, but about the traitor Judas, because the betrayer saved the universe, and the betrayer destroyed his soul; the devotee now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and the betrayer is now in hell, awaiting the inevitable punishment. Weep and sigh for him, mourn for him, just as our Lord wept for him. Seeing him, the scripture says, “be embarrassed and say: one of you will betray me” (John XIII:21). Oh, how great is the mercy of the Lord: the devotee mourns for the betrayer! Seeing him, says the evangelist, "be troubled and say: one of you will betray me". Why was he sad? In order to show His love and teach us together that not the one who suffers evil, but the one who causes evil, must be constantly mourned. The latter is worse than the former, or rather, the former, i.e. endure evil is not evil, but to cause evil is evil. To endure evil - this brings the kingdom of heaven; but to do evil - this exposes us to hell and punishment. "Blessed- says the Lord, - cast out for the sake of righteousness, for those is the kingdom of heaven "(Matt. V: 10). Do you see how he who endures evil receives a reward and recompense - the kingdom of heaven? Hear how he who does evil is punished and avenged. Paul, speaking of the Jews, that they "The Lord was killed and the prophets were persecuted" (1 Thess. II:15), added: "whose death shall be according to their works" (2 Corinthians XI:15). Do you see how those who are persecuted receive the kingdom, and those who persecute inherit the wrath of God? I said this now not without a purpose, but so that we would not be angry with our enemies, but pity them, mourn them and sympathize with them: it is precisely they who suffer evil, enmity against us. If we set our souls in this way, then we will be able to pray for them. For this reason, I have been talking with you for the fourth day now about prayer for enemies, so that this word of instruction will be firmly assimilated, taking root in you from unceasing suggestion. That is why I pour myself out in words unceasingly, so that the swelling of anger falls and the inflammation subsides, so that the one approaching prayer is free from anger. Christ commanded this not only for enemies, but also for us, who forgive their sins, since you yourself gain more than you give, stopping anger at the enemy. How do you say I get more? If you forgive the sins of the enemy, then your sins against the Lord will be forgiven you. These are incurable and unforgivable, but for those there is great relief and forgiveness. Listen to Eli say to his sons: “If a husband sins by sinning, they will pray for him to the Lord: if he sins with the Lord, who will pray for him” (1 Sam. II:25)? Thus, this wound is not easily healed by prayer, but, not being healed by prayer, it is healed by the forgiveness of sins to the neighbor. Therefore, sins in relation to the Lord Christ called thousands of talents, and sins in relation to the neighbor - a hundred denarii (Matt. XVIII:23-35). Forgive a hundred denarii so that you may be forgiven a thousand talents.

2. However, enough has been said about prayer for enemies; let us return, if you will, to the discourse on betrayal, and see how betrayed our Lord was. “Then he went one from the ten, spoken by Judas Iscariot, to the bishop, he said: whatever you want to give me, and I will deliver Him to you” (Matt. XXVI:14, 15)? These words seem to be clear, and nothing else is implied in them, but if one carefully examines each of these words, he will find in them many subjects for reflection and great depth of thought. And, firstly - time, not in vain the Evangelist means it, he did not just say: "shed", but added: “then go. Then", tell me when? And why does it mean time? What does he want to teach me? It is not without purpose that this is said: "then", - He who speaks by the Spirit does not speak in vain and without purpose. What does this mean "then"? Before that time, before that hour, the harlot came, "glass jar of the world's possessions"and poured this oil on the head of the Lord (Matt. XXVI:7). She showed great helpfulness, showed great faith, great obedience and reverence, changed her former life, became better and more chaste. But when the harlot repented, when she earned herself the favor of the Master, then the disciple betrayed the Teacher. For this it is said: "then", so that you do not accuse the Teacher of weakness when you see that the student betrays the Teacher. The power of the Teacher was such that she attracted harlots to obey Him.Why, you will say, was he who converted harlots unable to attract a disciple to himself? He was able to attract a disciple to himself, but did not want to make him good out of necessity and forcefully draw him to Himself. "Then go". An important subject for reflection lies in this word: "shed" not being called by the chief priests, not being compelled by necessity or force, but by himself and from himself he worked deceit and undertook such an intention, having no accomplice of this wickedness. “Then the shed is one from the two of ten”. What means: "one of the ten"? And in these words: "one of the ten" the greatest condemnation is expressed against him. Jesus had other disciples, seventy in number, but they took second place, did not enjoy such honor, did not have such boldness, did not participate in as many mysteries as the twelve disciples. These were especially distinguished and made up the choir around the King, this was the approximate society of the Teacher, and Judas fell from here. So, so that you know that it was not just a disciple who betrayed Him, but one of the highest rank, for this the evangelist says: "one of the ten". And he was not ashamed to write this to St. Matthew. Why were you not ashamed? So that you know that the evangelists always tell the truth in everything, and hide nothing, even what seems humiliating, because even this, apparently humiliating, shows the philanthropy of the Lord: a traitor, a robber, a thief He honored with such blessings and until the last hour he endured him, admonished him, exhorted him, and took care of him in every possible way. If he did not heed, then the fault is not the Lord, the witness to this is a harlot, she was attentive to herself - and was saved. So, do not despair, looking at the harlot, and do not be presumptuous, looking at Judas. Both are disastrous, both arrogance and despair; the self-confidence of the one who is standing causes him to fall, but the despair of the one who is lying does not allow him to get up. That is why Paul exhorted: “think stand and watch, but don’t fall” (1 Cor. X:12). You have examples of both - how a disciple who seemed worthy fell, and how a fallen harlot rose up. Our mind is prone to fall, our will is bendable, so we need to protect and protect ourselves from all sides. “Then went one from the ten, the verb Judas Iscariot”. Do you see from what choir he fell? Do you see what doctrine he neglected? Do you see what evil is carelessness and negligence? . Why are you calling me his city? Oh, if I didn't know him! "Verb Judas Iscariot". Why do you call it a city? There was another disciple - Judas, called Zealot (zealot). To prevent any error from the same name, the evangelist distinguished the one from the other; He named this one for its good quality: "Judas the Zealot", but he did not name him by his evil quality - he did not say: "Judas the traitor". Although it would be necessary, as he called this one according to its good quality, to call that one according to its evil quality and say: "Judas the traitor", but in order to teach you to keep your tongue clean from condemnation, he spares the traitor himself. "Shed, - He speaks, - one of the ten, spoken by Judas Iscariot to the bishop, saying: what do you want to give me, and I will deliver Him to you? Oh, those wicked words! How did they come out of the mouth, how did the tongue move? How is the whole body not numb? How is the mind not clouded?

3. Is this, tell me, Christ taught you? Isn't that why he said: "do not collect gold, nor silver, nor copper with your belts" (Matthew X:9), restraining your inclination to avarice in advance? Isn’t this what He constantly urged, and at the same time He said: "If someone strikes you on the right side of your cheek, turn the other one to him" (Matthew V:39)? “What do you want to give me, and I will hand him over to you?” Oh madness! For what? tell me. What, small or great, having to accuse Him, do you betray the Teacher? Because He gave you power over demons? For giving strength to heal diseases, cleanse lepers? Because he gave the power to raise the dead, what he put master over the power of death? Are you paying for these benefactions? “What do you want to give me, and I will deliver Him to you?” Oh, madness, or better, love of money! It gave rise to all this evil, carried away by it, he betrayed the Teacher. Such is this evil root; worse than a demon, he drives the souls he possesses into a frenzy, makes them forget about everything - about himself, and about his neighbors, and about the laws of nature, deprives them of their very meaning and makes them insane. See how many things he blotted out of the soul of Judas: community [with Jesus Christ], affection, communion at the meal, miracles, teaching, exhortation, instruction; all this then the love of money plunged into oblivion. So Paul rightly said: “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. VI:10). “What do you want to give me, and I will deliver Him to you?” Great is the madness of these words. Can you really, tell me, betray Him Who controls everything, rules over demons, commands the sea, is the Lord of all nature? And in order to tame his madness and show that, if He Himself did not want, He would not be betrayed, listen to what the Lord is doing. At the very time of betrayal, when they came to him "with drecolmi, with luminaries and candles", He tells them: "who are you looking for" (John XVIII:3, 4)? They didn't know the One they intended to take. Judas was so far from being able to betray him that he did not even see the presence of the one he intended to betray, when there were lamps and so much light. The evangelist also indicated this, saying: they had “lights and candles”, and did not see Him.Every day the Lord reminded him both by deeds and words, suggesting that the traitor would not hide from Him; He did not openly rebuke him before everyone, so that he would not become more shameless, and did not remain silent, so that he, thinking that he was hidden, would not proceed to betrayal without fear, but often said: “One of you will betray Me” (John XIII:21),- however, did not make him famous. He talked a lot about hell, a lot about the kingdom, and in both he showed his power, both in punishing sinners and in rewarding the virtuous. But Judas rejected all this, and God did not force him. Since God created us masters in the choice of both bad and good deeds, and wanted us to be good of our own free will, He does not force or force us if we do not want to, because to be good by compulsion does not mean to be good. Therefore, since Judas was also the master of his thoughts and it was in his power not to obey them and not to incline to the love of money, he obviously blinded his mind and renounced his own salvation: "what mi, - He speaks, - want to give, and I will hand him over to you?” Rebuking the blindness of his mind and his madness, the evangelist says that at the time of their arrival, Judas stood near them, saying: “What do you want to give me, and I will hand him over to you?”. And not only from this can one see the power of Christ, but also from the fact that after His utterance a simple word they retreated and fell to the ground. But since they did not leave their shamelessness even after that, He finally betrays Himself, as if saying this: I did everything from My side, showed My power, showed that you are undertaking an impossible deed; I wanted to curb your malice, but since you did not want this, but remained in your madness, then, behold, I betray Myself. I said this so that someone would not condemn Christ, saying: why didn’t He change Judas? Why didn't he make him prudent and kind? How should it be made good? Forced or willing? If - under compulsion, then in this way he could not become the best, because no one can be good under compulsion; if - at will and free decision, then He [Christ] used all measures that could test the will and intention. And if he did not want to accept medicine, then this is not the fault of the doctor, but the one who rejected healing. Look how much Christ did to win him over to his side and save him: he taught him all wisdom and deeds and words, made him higher than demons, made him capable of performing many miracles, frightened him with the threat of hell, admonished him with the promise of the kingdom, constantly exposed his secret thoughts, but when reproving, he did not expose him to everyone, he washed his feet along with the other disciples, made him a participant in His supper and meal, did not omit anything - neither small nor great, but he voluntarily remained incorrigible. And to make sure that he, having the opportunity to change, did not want to, and everything happened from his carelessness, listen. Having betrayed Christ, he threw thirty pieces of silver and said: "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matthew XXVII:4). What's this? When you saw Him doing miracles, you did not say: "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood", but: “What do you want to give me, and I will deliver Him to you?”. And when the evil succeeded and the betrayal reached its fulfillment, and the sin was committed, then did you recognize this sin? What are we learning from here? To the fact that when we indulge in carelessness, then admonition does not benefit us, but when we are attentive, we ourselves can rise up. So it is with him: when the Teacher admonished him, he did not listen, and when no one admonished, his own conscience awakened, and without any teacher he changed, condemned what he dared to do, and threw thirty pieces of silver. “What do you want to give me, and I will deliver Him to you? They are, says the evangelist, give him thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew XXVI:15); offered a price for blood that had no price. Why do you accept thirty pieces of silver, Judas? Christ came freely to shed this blood for the world; and you make shameless contracts and conditions about it. And indeed, what could be more shameless than such an agreement?

4. “Then come the disciples” (Matt. XXVI:17). Then; when? When that happened, when the betrayal took place, when Judas destroyed himself, then “The disciples approached Jesus, saying to Him: Where do you want us to prepare thee to eat the Passover?”. Do you see the student? Do you see other students? He betrays the Lord, and these take care of the Easter; he makes conditions, and these offer a service. He and these enjoyed the same miracles, the same instructions, the same power, whence such a change? From will; it is always the cause of all good and evil. "Where do you want to prepare to eat Easter?". It was this evening; The Lord had no home, and therefore they say to Him: "Where do you want to prepare to eat Easter?". We have no definite shelter, no tent, no house. Let those who live in splendid houses, in wide porticoes, in spacious enclosures, know that Christ had no where to lay his head. Here are the students asking: “Where do you want us to prepare you to eat Easter?” What Easter? Not this one - ours, but for now the Jewish one, that one was prepared by the disciples, but this one of ours - He Himself prepared, and not only He Himself prepared it, but He Himself became the Passover. “Where can we prepare thee to eat Easter?”. It was the Jewish Passover, the one that got its start in Egypt. Why did Christ eat it? In order to fulfill everything required by law. When he was baptized, he said: “so befits us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew III:15); I came to redeem man from the curse of the law, for “God sent his son, who was born of a woman, who was under the law, that he might redeem those under the law”and put an end to the law itself (Gal. IV:4,5). Lest anyone say that He destroyed the law because He could not fulfill it, as heavy, difficult and difficult to enforce, He first fulfilled it all, and then canceled it. Therefore He also celebrated the Passover, because the Passover was ordained by law. And why did the law prescribe to eat the Passover? The Jews were ungrateful to their Benefactor and immediately after the benefits they forgot about the command of God. So, when they came out of Egypt, even when they saw the sea parted and united again, and countless other miracles, they said: "Let us make for ourselves gods who will go before us" (Ex. XXXII:1). What are you saying? Miracles are still before you, but have you already forgotten about the Benefactor? And so, since they were so insensitive and ungrateful, God connected the remembrance of His gifts with the establishment of holidays, therefore He commanded to kill the Passover, so that when He asks you, says He, your son: what does this Passover mean? - you said that our ancestors in Egypt once anointed the doors with the blood of a sheep, so that the destroyer, having come and seen, would not dare to enter and not strike (Ex. XII: 27-28). Thus, then this holiday became a constant reminder of salvation. And they received not only that benefit that he reminded them of ancient blessings, but also another, greater one, from the fact that he foreshadowed the future. That lamb was the image of another Lamb - the spiritual, the sheep - the Sheep; that was a shadow, but this is the truth. When the Sun of Righteousness appeared, then the shadow finally disappeared, since at the rising of the sun the shadow is hidden. Therefore, at this very meal, one and the other Easter is celebrated, both representative and true. Just as painters draw lines on the same board and depict a shadow, and then apply true colors to it, so did Christ: at the same meal, He prescribed a figurative Easter and added a true one. “Where do you want us to prepare you to eat Easter?” Then it was the Passover of the Jews, but when the sun rose, let the lamp no longer appear; when the truth has come, let the shadow already disappear.

5. I say this to the Jews, because they imagine that they are celebrating the Passover, and, uncircumcised in heart, with a shameless intention, offer unleavened bread. How, tell me, Jew, do you celebrate the Passover? The temple is destroyed, the altar is destroyed, the holy of holies is trampled down, all kinds of sacrifices are stopped, why do you dare to commit these lawless deeds? You once departed to Babylon, and there those who captivated you spoke :   "sing to us from the songs of Zion" (Psalm CXXXVI:3), but you didn't agree. David expressed it when he said “on the rivers of Babylon, tamo with gray hair and plakakh: on the willow trees in the middle of it, our bodies are obese” (Psalm CXXXVI:1,2), that is, the psalter, the zither, the lyre, and so on, since they used them in antiquity and sang psalms through them. Having gone into captivity, they took them with them in order to have a reminder of life in the fatherland, and not in order to use them. "Tamo, - He speaks, - asking us to captivate us about the words of the song ", and we said: “How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land” (Psalm CXXXVI:3,4)? What are you saying? You do not sing the Song of the Lord on a foreign land, but do you celebrate the Passover of the Lord on a foreign land? Do you see the ingratitude? Do you see the lawlessness? When the enemies forced them, they did not even dare to say a psalm on a foreign land, and now they are on their own, while no one is forcing or forcing them, they are raising a war against God. Do you see how unclean unleavened bread is, how lawless their feast is, how the Jewish Passover no longer exists? There was once a Jewish Passover, but now it has been canceled, and the Spiritual Passover has come, which Christ then taught. When the disciples ate and drank, He, the Gospel says, “receive bread, break it, and say: this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins” (Matt. XXVI:26,27). Those who are initiated into the mysteries understand what has been said. He also took the cup and said: "This is my blood, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins" (Matthew XXVI:28). And Judas was present when Christ spoke this. "This is the body", which you, Judas, sold for thirty pieces of silver; "this is the blood", about which you recently made shameless terms with the ungrateful Pharisees. Oh, the love of Christ! Oh madness, oh frenzy of Judas! This one sold Him for thirty denarii, and even after that Christ would not refuse to give His most sold blood to the seller. "for the remission of sins", if this one wanted to. After all, Judas was present and participated in the sacred meal. When Christ washed his feet along with the other disciples, he also participated in the sacred meal, so that he would not have any pretext for justification if he remained with his wickedness. Christ spoke and used everything from His side, but he stubbornly remained with his wicked intention.

6. However, it is time to start this terrible meal. Let us all proceed with due modesty and attention; and let no one be a Judas, let no one be evil, let no one hide poison in himself, carrying one on his lips and the other in his mind. Christ is coming, and now, who established that meal, the same one now arranges this one. It is not a man who transforms what is offered into the body and blood of Christ, but Christ Himself crucified for us. Presenting His image, the priest stands, pronouncing those words, and the power and grace of God acts. "This is my body", he said. These words implement what was proposed, and like that saying: "Grow and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen. I:28), although it is said once, it actually gives our nature the power to procreate at all times; so this saying once uttered, from that time until now until His coming, makes the sacrifice perfect at every meal in the churches. So, let no one approach the treacherous, no one full of malice, no one having poison in their thoughts, so as not to partake of "in condemnation". And so, after accepting what was offered, the devil entered Judas, despising not the body of the Lord, but despising Judas for his shamelessness, so that you know that those who unworthily partake of the divine mysteries are especially attacked and constantly entered by the devil, just as then into Judas . Thus, honors benefit the worthy, and those who use them unworthily are subjected to greater punishment. I say this not to intimidate, but to warn. Let no one be a Judas, let no one, approaching, have the poison of malice in himself. This sacrifice is spiritual food; and just as bodily food, when it enters the stomach, which has bad juices, increases the infirmity still more, not by its own nature, but due to an illness of the stomach, so it usually happens with spiritual mysteries. And when they are communicated to a soul full of malice, they damage and destroy it more, not by their own nature, but by the illness of the soul that has received it. So, let no one have evil thoughts within himself, but let us cleanse the mind, we proceed to a pure sacrifice, let us make our soul holy, and this can be done in one day. How and in what way? If you have anything against the enemy, then leave your anger, heal the wound, stop the enmity, so that you will benefit from this meal, because you are approaching a terrible and holy sacrifice. Be ashamed of that which is the basis of this very offering. The slain Christ is presented. Why was he slain and for what? In order to appease heavenly and earthly things, to make you a friend of the angels, to reconcile you with the God of all, to make you a friend from an enemy and adversary. He gave His life for those who hate Him, and you remain hostile against a servant like you? How can you enter into the meal of the world? He did not even refuse to die for you, and you lack the strength for yourself to leave anger against a slave like you? What kind of forgiveness can this be? He offended me, you will say, and took a lot from me. What? The damage is only in money - he has not yet wounded you like Judas Christ, but Christ gave His very blood, which was shed, for the salvation of those who shed it. What can you say equal to this? If you did not forgive the enemy, then you did not harm him, but yourself; you have often harmed him in this life, and you have made yourself unworthy of forgiveness and unrequited in the next day. Nothing turns God away so much as a vindictive man, as an arrogant heart and an irritable soul. Hear what He says: “If you bring your gift to the altar, remember that one too” earlier, standing before the altar, “As your brother has something for you, leave that your gift before the altar, and when you go, first make peace with your brother, and then when you come, bring your gift” (Matthew V:23,24). What do you say: I will leave a gift? Yes, for peace, he says, this sacrifice was made with your brother. Therefore, if this sacrifice is made for your peace with your brother, and you do not make peace, then you participate in this sacrifice in vain, this blessing becomes useless for you. Do in advance that for which this sacrifice was made, and then you will make excellent use of it. For this the Son of God descended to reconcile our nature with the Lord; Not only did He Himself come for this, but He was also concerned that we, who do this, should be made partakers of His name. "Blessed, he says, peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God" (Matt. V:9). What the Only Begotten Son of God has done, you also do according to human strength, having become the originator of the world both for yourself and for others. Therefore, He calls you, the peacemaker, the son of God, and therefore, in relation to the time of the sacrifice, He did not mention any other commandment, except for reconciliation with the brother, expressing that this is the most important thing. I wanted to continue the speech even more, but what has been said is enough for the attentive, if they remember. Let us, beloved, always remember these words, and the holy kisses, and the terrible greetings that we make to each other. This unites our souls and produces that we all become one body, just as we all partake of one body. Let us unite into one body, not combining bodies with each other, but binding souls together with a union of love, so that we can boldly eat from the proposed meal. And even if we had an innumerable number of righteous deeds, but if we are vindictive, then everything will be in vain and in vain, and we will not be able to receive any fruit for salvation from them. So, realizing this, let us stop all anger and, having cleansed our conscience, with all humility and meekness, let us approach the meal of Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, all glory, honor, power, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

On the big heels

I see the church gloomy, sullenly expressing the betrayal on the part of her own son. A terrible thing: and murder is prepared, and the sufferer is the heavenly Judge of the living and the dead. But the most terrible of all: suddenly an enemy and an intruder - a recent student and follower, at once (became) a sheep a beast, an apostle - an apostate from the world, a discordant slave - a seller of the Lord; it is (considered) the twelfth after the eleven disciples. And why not give me a name, so as not to bring dishonor on all the apostles by harboring the culprit ?  "Then one of the twelve... went". Who? "Called Judas" (Mt. 26 :14 ). And again, lest the innocent hide the guilty (for we find among the apostles another named by the same name): "Judas Iscariot, - says - one of the twelve… gone”. And not alone: ​​he had the devil with him as an assistant. Going to the bishops, he said: (Mt. 26 :15 ). Tell me now, Judas, who offers to sell the Lord of the world and his teacher, what do you value the dignity of a student? What compels you to go on the betrayal of your king? In what way did you see the preference of other fellow practitioners for you, that you conceived this lawless deed? After all, you know the voice of the Master, which was to you and the eleven apostles: "who wants to yoube the first, be the last of all, and be the servant of all."(Mk. 9 :35 ). Did He not say this ahead of time to stop your plot? And He encouraged you to serve among the first, so that you, like the last one subject to an unworthy disease, would not work out your deceit. If you were not greedy for money when you gave the Jews treachery, then one would think that you, having endured something wrong, went away to avenge injustice. But your words “what will you give me, and I will betray him to you?”, clearly reveal you in your cunning.“They offered him thirty pieces of silver; and since that time he has been looking for an opportunity to betray him.” (Mt. 26 :15-16 ). What are you doing, Judas: agreed in thirty pieces of silver for a precious pearl? First count the stars that He created only with a word, and then think about betraying the Word with a word."I was looking for an opportunity to betray Him." He created times and ages, and against Him he sought the time convenient for his betrayal!

“When evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples; And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” (Mt. 26 :20,21 ). "He went against me and you, and what he learned he could not keep." “They were very sad, and began to say to Him, each of them: Is it not I, Lord?” (Mt. 26 :22 ). With what He said, He urged everyone to an exact examination of their conscience, in whom the hidden in the heart (was) pure. Jesus answered, “Why should you all slander yourselves with the enterprise of a traitor? “The one who puts his hand in the dish with Me, this one will betray Me” (Mt. 26 :23 ). Involuntarily, he points to himself, speaks before deeds, although he does not want to; his name will be kept by me until he tells you his plan against me.”“At the same time, Judas, betraying Him, said: Is it not I, Rabbi? Jesus says to him: you said(Mt. 26 :25 ). “You justified eleven by showing them innocent in what you do. Accept another condemnation for what you think to do out of avarice.”

“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, Take, eat: this is my body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: accept,drink of it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28). "Accept,drink from it all". “And you,” he says, “a traitor, be a participant in eternal life, and if you remain in it, then your agreement with the Jews is forgiven you; and if you do not annihilate your desire in yourself, then always be aware of how philanthropic the Lord you are selling.” But he, not taking advantage of the mercy of the Masters, having gone to the Jews, was in a hurry to carry out his intention. “And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a multitude of people with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. And the one who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying: Whom I kiss, he is, take him. (Matthew 26:47,48).“Pay attention to my lips; otherwise the Word cannot be betrayed.” “And immediately coming up to Jesus, he said: Rejoice, Rabbi! And kissed him" (Matthew 26:49). Oh kiss! Destruction of peace in the universe, or, in truth, rather, the cessation of the world war, although you, Judas, dared to betray without striving for this goal! “Jesus said to him: friend, why have you come?” (Matthew 26:50).- You gave Me a kiss; Fulfill your pact with those to come." “Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him” (Matthew 26:50). The traitor departed as a stranger from the apostles, and the ruler of life was brought to the Jews to death; a cross is prepared, and a tomb is built for life; the dead rise and Judas goes to hell; the Savior is crucified with the thieves, and calls everyone to paradise. To Him be glory and power forever and ever.

Those who forsake Christ perish through their own fault

Put on the name of Christ and not follow the path of Christ - is this not a betrayal of the name of Christ, leaving the path of salvation.

Judas. The story of a betrayal

Judas, one of the Twelve, betrayed Jesus to his enemies: “And Judas, the betrayer of Him, also knew this place, because Jesus often gathered there with His disciples” (John 18:2).

Why did Judas Iscariot betray Christ? From the Gospels it can be understood that the main motive for betrayal is money. But many researchers are not satisfied with this explanation. First of all, they doubt that negligible amount - 30 pieces of silver - for which he allegedly agreed to betrayal (Matt. 26:15). If Judas “was a thief,” as John says (John 12:6), and, while holding the position of treasurer, appropriated part of the public money, then wasn’t it more profitable for him to remain in the “party” and continue to quietly steal money from the public treasury? Why did he have to, figuratively speaking, kill a goose that lays golden eggs?

Over the past two millennia, many hypotheses have been invented to explain the heinous act of Judas Iscariot. For example, we can name only the most famous of them:

Judas was disappointed in Jesus as in the Messiah, and, seething with anger, betrayed him to his enemies;

Judas wanted to see if Jesus could be saved and thereby prove that he was the true Messiah;

Jesus and Judas were in cahoots, intending to provoke the revolt that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would inevitably raise upon the news of the arrest of the beloved prophet from Galilee;

Jesus publicly predicted that one of his disciples would betray him, and when none of them wanted to do so, Judas decided to save the authority of his beloved teacher by sacrificing his own reputation.

As we can see, scholars of New Testament texts can hardly be blamed for a lack of imagination. But the trouble with all these intellectual exercises is that no concrete facts can confirm them. The extreme scarcity of information even gave rise to serious doubts about the reality of this whole story.

There were researchers who decided that neither betrayal, nor even Judas himself, had ever happened at all, that this was only an idle fiction of the evangelists, who retroactively adjusted their texts to the well-known Old Testament prophecy: “Even a man at peace with me, on whom I relied, who ate bread mine, he lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 40:10). Considering that this prophecy was bound to be fulfilled in Jesus, the evangelists allegedly invented a certain Judas from Carioth, a close disciple with whom the teacher repeatedly broke bread, and who subsequently betrayed him.

In my opinion, there is no reason not to trust the evangelists who claim that Judas committed treason for money. This version, as we will see a little later, perfectly explains both the motives for the betrayal and the logic of all subsequent events. And if everything can be explained simply, then why invent some super-complex semantic constructions? After all, "Occam's razor" has not yet been canceled! In addition, as it is easy to see, all hypotheses that contradict the basic, gospel version of events, Judas is actually rehabilitated, they are presented not as a banal thief and miser, but as a man high idea, ready to risk for her not only his good name, but even his very life: if he betrays Jesus, then he is either disappointed in him as the Messiah, or eager to push him to the implementation of the messianic plan.

Is not much honor to Judas?

In general, if you choose any one version of betrayal, then, in my opinion, it is best to stop at the gospel. It is both simpler and closer to the truth of life. And if this version is also slightly corrected, then it, perhaps, can become the best of all possible.

As can be understood from the Gospels, Judas committed his betrayal more than once, not at the very end social activities Jesus, but was unfaithful to him for a long time. The Evangelist John has an episode where Jesus, long before his last trip to Jerusalem, announces to the apostles that one of them is a traitor (John 6:70-71). As a rule, this is interpreted as an example of Christ's omniscience: many months before the betrayal, he allegedly already knew exactly who would do it. However, another interpretation is also possible: the last journey has not yet begun, and will not even begin soon, and Judas is already betraying him with might and main, and this somehow became known to Jesus ...

I think I won't be much mistaken if I say that Judas Iscariot was none other than a paid agent of the high priest, introduced into Christ's entourage.

Eka, that's enough! - doubt, perhaps, the reader. - Where are the facts? Where is the evidence?

In fact, I have no direct evidence (as, indeed, all other researchers who put forward hypotheses that actually rehabilitate Judas), but there are more than enough indirect evidence!

Let's start with the fact that Judas, most likely, was among the 12 apostles a stranger. The nickname of Judas - Iscariot (in Aramaic - ish Kariot) - literally means "a man from Kariot." At that time, there were two towns called Kariot, and both were located outside the Galilee. If we agree that Judas was born in one of these towns, then it turns out that he was the only ethnically pure Jew among the Galilean apostles.

And as we know from historical documents, between the population of Galilee and Judea - two Jewish regions - there has long been mutual hostility. Due to the fact that Galilee joined the Mosaic religion relatively late, the Jews considered the Galileans ignorant in the Law and did not want to consider them their fellow tribesmen. We know the statement of Johanan ben Zakkai, a student of the famous Hillel, filled with arrogant contempt towards the inhabitants of this region: “Galilee! Galileo! Most of all you hate the Torah!

The inhabitants of Galilee, of course, paid the Jews in the same coin.

The Jewish origin of Judas in itself, of course, still cannot prove anything, moreover, Jesus himself was “of the tribe of Judah” (Heb. 7:14), but it still leads to some thoughts. Everything is clear with Jesus, he lived in Galilee from an early age, but what about Judas? For what purpose did he, a purebred Jew, show up here? At the call of the heart, or by performing some secret task? By the way, there is nothing incredible in this last assumption. Jerusalem, of course, heard rumors about an extraordinary prophet from Galilee, gathering thousands of crowds for his sermons and, most likely, planning to transfer his activities to the territory of Judea.

Worried about the disturbing rumors, the “chiefs of the Jews” could send their man, Judas Iscariot, to Jesus under the guise of an ardent neophyte, with an assignment to infiltrate Christ’s inner circle. Judas, as we know, was able to brilliantly cope with the task, not only becoming one of the chosen Twelve, but also managing to get the position of treasurer.

Another, even more preferable, version of his betrayal is possible. Already being an apostle, Judas was the first to realize that Jesus did not want to become the king of Israel, and, as a result, no high position ahead of him, Judas, shines. And then, disappointed and embittered, he decided to at least earn something on this business. Arriving in Jerusalem, he offered to the enemies of Jesus his services as a secret spy ...

Having become accustomed to the environment of Jesus, Judas began to send secret information to his masters in Jerusalem. Perhaps he himself, under one or another plausible pretext, from time to time went away to Jerusalem. There is an interesting episode in the Gospel of John that suggests just such an idea. Jesus, preparing to feed 5,000 people, asks the Apostle Philip: “Where can we buy bread to feed them? .. Philip answered Him: they will not have enough bread for 200 denarii ...” (John 6: 6,7).

But, excuse me, what does Philip have to do with it?! After all, as we remember, Jesus' "caretaker" was none other than Judas Iscariot! Where was he at this time? Archpriest S. Bulgakov believes that Judas did not immediately become treasurer, and before him this position was allegedly held by Philip. The assumption is doubtful, if only because chronologically this episode refers to the end of the 3-year public ministry of Jesus. The question is, how could the apostle Philip be guilty of a teacher if, having been a treasurer most term, was suddenly forced to cede this post to Judas? Wouldn't it be more logical to make the assumption that Judas was always in charge of the "cash box", and at that time he was simply absent, transferring his functions to Philip for a while?

Kiss of Judas

As you can see, Jesus became aware quite early that one of his closest disciples was a snitch. He could have been warned about this by some influential Jerusalem friends who had, to one degree or another, access to the high priest's entourage. For example, Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea, prominent Jerusalem nobles and secret disciples of Christ, could do this. But even they, apparently, for a very long time did not know all the details of this case and, in particular, the name of the secret agent. "Watch out! - such messages, obviously, they sent to Jesus. - There is an enemy in your environment! True, we don’t know his name yet, but as soon as something turns out, we will immediately inform you!”

Attention should be paid to one important circumstance: Jesus, not considering it necessary to hide from the apostles the information about the presence of a traitor among them, did not immediately give his name, limiting himself at first to hints: “Did I not choose twelve of you? but one of you is a devil” (John 6:70). It is hardly the job of Jesus to intrigue his disciples. Most likely, he himself did not know the whole truth then. And only during the Last Supper, approximately 5 months later, did he finally reveal the name of the traitor to the Apostle John (John 21:26). Such a long delay may be explained by the fact that Jesus recognized this terrible secret only on his last visit to Jerusalem. It was during these few days that his Jerusalem friends were somehow able to find out the name of the secret agent Caiaphas and tell Jesus.

In John's account, the scene looks like this: “Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me. Then the disciples looked at each other, wondering who he was talking about. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the chest of Jesus. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was, about whom he was talking. He leaned against the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is it? Jesus answered: the one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will give. And having dipped a piece, he gave it to Judas Simonov Iscariot.” And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him: whatever you do, do it quickly. But none of those reclining understood why He said this to him. And as Judas had a box, some thought that Jesus was telling him: buy what we need for the holiday, or to give something to the poor. He, having taken a piece, immediately went out; but it was night” (John 13:21-30).

According to Matthew, the apostles, after Jesus announced to them that one of them was a traitor, began vying to ask: “Is it not me?” Even Judas could not resist, he asked: “Is it not me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered the traitor: “You said” (Matthew 26:25).

To the modern ear, the expression "You say" or "You said" sounds evasive. But at that time it was often used when the answer was not quite pleasant for the interlocutor. The then, different from the present, concepts of politeness forbade saying “yes” or “no” directly.

What endurance Jesus had! Knowing that before him was a traitor, he not only did not shout, not only did not slap the scoundrel in the face, but answered politely, as if trying not to offend him!

None of those present, with the exception of John and perhaps Peter, did not understand the meaning of Jesus' words to Judas. Many of the disciples thought that Jesus gave him, as the treasurer of the "party", some order regarding current economic affairs.

Why didn't Jesus publicly expose the traitor? Hard to say. Perhaps he feared that the apostles would immediately lynch the traitor? Or was he counting on the possible repentance of Judas?

And these words: “What are you doing, do it quickly”? What do they mean? A great many interpretations have been offered, even as ridiculous as the possibility of a secret collusion between Jesus and Judas. Jesus, allegedly planning to suffer without fail in Jerusalem, agreed with Judas to hand him over to the authorities. And with these words I wanted to support him morally, so that he would not doubt.

It would be superfluous to say that this and similar hypotheses look simply offensive to Christ. Judge for yourself: how two farce actors, Jesus and Judas, are secretly arranging some kind of cheap performance ... Brr!

I think everything can be explained much more simply: the presence of a traitor was simply physically unbearable for Jesus, and he, under any pretext, tried to remove him from the house where the Supper took place.

Delete something - deleted, and then what? What else could be expected from Judas? Will he immediately run after the guards, or will he be ashamed of his vile intention? Just think, it depended on Judas the traitor how much time Jesus had left to live!

Will he betray or not betray? This question greatly troubled Jesus right up to his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And the traitor did not think to repent! After leaving Jesus, he hurried to the house of Caiaphas. It is unlikely that a detachment of warriors ready for action could be waiting for him there. If this were so, then Jesus would probably have been seized at the Last Supper. And the evangelists unanimously affirm that quite a long time passed between Judas' departure from the Supper and his arrest in Gethsemane. Jesus managed to turn to the disciples with a long sermon, washed the feet of all the apostles, instituted the Eucharist, after which, having “sung” the psalms, which means without haste, they all went out of the city, to Gethsemane (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26). It is clear that all this took several long hours.

During this time, the high priest gathered his servants, arming them with clubs and stakes, and for greater reliability sent to the Roman procurator for help. After all the preparations, the “capturing group” went after Jesus. Judas was the guide, as he knew well the habits of his former teacher. Perhaps the guards first raided the house where the Last Supper was held, and not finding anyone, then went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where, as Judas knew, Jesus often spent the night: “Judas, the betrayer of Him, also knew this place, because that Jesus often met there with his disciples” (John 18:2).

In fact, Jesus was there. Tormented by anxious forebodings, he fervently prayed, hoping that the "chalice" of suffering, if possible, would pass him (Matt. 26:37-42; Mark 14:33-36; Luke 22:42-44).

Why did Jesus not make the slightest attempt to save himself, if, apparently, he perfectly understood that this night could be his last? Why did he stay where he was, knowing that the traitor could appear at any moment with the guards in the garden?

We can only guess about this now. Evangelists do not tell us anything about this, and perhaps they themselves do not know. From their stories it is only clear that Jesus, firstly, was not going to leave the Garden of Gethsemane anywhere and, secondly, did not want to be captured at all. What did he expect then?

Perhaps Jesus hoped that the traitor's conscience might speak, and he would abandon his vile intention? Or that the chief priests would delay the arrest until after the feast, and thus have time for him to elude them? Or did Jesus believe that it was on this night that the ancient prophecy about the suffering Messiah (Isaiah 53), which he fully attributed to himself, was destined to be fulfilled, and decided this time not to run away from fate?

One way or another, but his hopes for deliverance, or at least for a reprieve, did not come true. Soon, the Garden of Gethsemane was illuminated by the wavering light of many torches, and Judas Iscariot appeared at the head of the armed people ...

The Gospels say that for all his "feats" Judas received 30 pieces of silver as a reward (Matt. 26:15). Not much! This fact is very confusing for many researchers. It seems to them that it is necessary to pay much more for such deeds, and if the evangelists insist on this particular amount, it means that the whole episode with pieces of silver is invented, completely adjusted to the ancient prophecy: “And they will weigh thirty pieces of silver in payment to me” ( Zech. 11:12).

Meanwhile, all doubts can be easily dispelled by assuming that 30 pieces of silver were not a one-time reward, but a payment regularly received by Judas. Say, once a month he reported to the high priest, after which he received the due 30 pieces of silver. For a one-time reward, this is, in fact, not much, but if you receive such a bribe regularly, then it is in principle possible to live without particularly luxury. By the way, according to the Book of Acts of the Apostles, Judas, after the execution of Jesus, did not even think of repenting, much less committing suicide. Intending to live happily ever after, he “gained the land with unrighteous wages” (Acts 1:18).

It is unlikely that for 30 pieces of silver it was possible to acquire a decent plot. Most likely, Judas took the money received over several years from the high priest, added to it what he managed to drag from the "cash box", and when a more or less significant amount was made, he went to buy real estate. According to Acts, he died by pure chance, falling from a height: “And as he fell, his belly was split open, and all his bowels fell out” (Acts 1:19).

This version of Judas' death is strikingly different from the one we know from Matthew. According to him, Judas, tormented by repentance, “threw the pieces of silver in the temple” and “strangled himself” (Matt. 27:5). Many interpreters have made attempts to combine these two testimonies into one coherent episode, presenting the case in such a way that at first Judas hanged himself, and then his corpse fell off the rope and “sat down” from hitting the ground. Let's assume that it was. But then what kind of money did Judas throw in the Temple, if he had already acquired the land? Or did you sell the land you just bought specifically for this?

In general, if you choose from these two versions, then, in my opinion, the story of the death of Judas, told by the author of Acts, is much more plausible. There are no far-fetched melodramatic moments and dubious psychological torments in it, which are hardly characteristic of a traitor who decided to cash in on this business. Everything is much simpler and rougher: he sold the teacher - he bought the land! And the death of Judas, described in Acts, is more natural: he died not in a fit of repentance, but as a result of an accident, falling from a height. True, there were attempts to depict his fall as revenge on the part of the supporters of Christ, who supposedly pushed the traitor off a cliff, but this is already the purest water conjectures that cannot be proven.

On the betrayal of Judas Iscariot–Archimandrite Sylvester (Stoichev), Professor of the KDA.

Goes Holy Week. Something is remembered every day gospel event. On Maundy Thursday, the Gospel is read, which tells about the farewell conversation, the Last Supper, and the betrayal of Judas...

Judas. Apostle and traitor. A figure that causes deep indignation, even disgust, and at the same time tragic.

There is nothing in Scripture about the calling of Judas. The apostle, so to speak, without background ... It is said that "he had a money box with him and carried what was put into it" (John 12:6).
Basically, the name of Judas is mentioned in the story of the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Judas: thief, hypocrite, traitor. And yet he was with the Lord all 3.5 years and was among the 12… What did he expect from Christ? What did you want from Him? Why did you follow him?

We will not understand this if we consider Judas separately from the 12 apostles. I dare to suggest that his aspirations were the same as those of the rest of the apostles. I mean the expectation of glory and triumph. According to the Gospel, these expectations of the twelve, disputes about primacy, about their position, about the desire to sit on the right and on left side do not leave the apostles until the last days of the life of Christ. Jesus is already “coming to a free death,” but the apostles have no, no, and disputes about honor, place, and primacy will flare up.

And in this sense, Judas, although Scripture does not speak of his participation in these disputes, is worried about the same thing: about glory, about a place, about a reward ... John the Theologian says that Judas was a thief (John 12:6). Apparently, as the keeper of the ark with money, Judas sometimes rewarded himself. St. Innocent of Kherson wrote with appropriate eloquence that this ark became for Judas a kind of ark of the covenant. Only not with God, but with the devil, since the ark with coins symbolized everything that Judas really wanted.

Three and a half years is a long time. Given the constant wandering and the hardships associated with it, these years were endured with difficulty, and the expected triumph did not come ... If you try to understand the psychology of Judas' act, then, first of all, you should answer the question, did he believe in the Messiahship of Christ? And the answer will be positive. Otherwise, both following Jesus and being among the elect lose their meaning. If Judas did not believe in the Messiahship of Christ, he would not have followed Him.

Some characters have such a character trait: "get everything at once." Otherwise, doubt, disappointment, anger will befall. Judas was one of those... Therefore, although he followed Christ and spent three and a half years with Him, but, in the end, he began to doubt. Doubt, the absence of the expected - this is the main leitmotif of Judas' actions.

Theologians and biblical scholars of various denominations have expressed various points of view on the motivation of Judas. There are basically two main answers:

1. Judas, having first believed in Christ, then becomes disappointed, ceases to believe. And he is driven by hatred for Jesus, the desire to receive satisfaction for the years spent, strength, for unfulfilled expectations and dreams. That is, in fact, Judas tritely wants to take revenge on the One with whom he associates the collapse of his hopes. And getting 30 pieces of silver in this terrible betrayal scheme is far from the main thing (it's not such a big amount). 30 pieces of silver is only a small compensation for 3.5 years ... But it is more important to take revenge on the hated.

2. Judas does not give up hope for the reign of Christ. He continues to believe that Jesus can overcome all enemies. After all, He worked miracles, which Judas was a witness to. Therefore, the apostle is looking for opportunities to provoke Christ to reveal himself in power and glory. That is, Judas creates a provocative situation in which, as he expected, Christ will be forced to show all His power, and thus the triumph of Christ and his disciples will take place. Consequently, Judas sought to get what he wanted with the help of a kind of forced march. This point of view on the motivation of Judas was held by the well-known pre-revolutionary publicist Fr. Pavel Alfeev. He also mentions this opinion in his book " Last days earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ" St. Innokenty of Kherson.

Judas is both a traitor and a hypocrite. He decided to betray Christ, but at the same time he is present as if nothing had happened at the Last Supper. And when Christ tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him, Judas, together with other excited apostles, asks: “Is it not me, Lord?”

The question arises: why did the enemies of Christ need Judas? Couldn't they find and arrest Him themselves? Let us remember the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem. Christ is greeted by crowds. The Day of the Last Supper and the following days - the period of preparations and the feast itself Old Testament Easter, that is, the time when Jerusalem is full of visitors, many of whom saw and heard Christ in other places in Palestine. In other words, the chief priests and their supporters feared public disorder if they decided to arrest Christ in front of the people. So they needed a convenient time and comfortable spot. Judas showed them both.

However, why did Judas go on his own with the enemies of Christ? Didn't they know what Jesus looked like and couldn't arrest Him? Judas could well get by with, so to speak, a tip: He will be dressed in such and such at such and such a time ...

After all, criminals, as a rule, prefer not to shine. Judas could take his 30 pieces of silver and go home. But no… I think the answer to these bewilderments must be sought in the peculiar psychology of those who feel strong hatred for someone and a desire to do harm. Here the key point is not even the harm itself, but a kind of triumph! Like, look and understand who did it to you! Know who is the source of your trouble! It is precisely for the sake of this momentary rejoicing over the humiliated that Judas wishes to personally betray (in the sense of handing over) Jesus to his enemies.

Judas repented. And hung himself. Why is that? He repented, but did not repent… That is, he realized that he had destroyed the innocent, but at the same time the apostle did not correct his way of thinking (repentance). You could say that Judas is acting like an atheist. He can admit his wrong, his crime, but he is not able to repent, because he does not believe in a God who is merciful, in a God who forgives, in a God who restores. For him, repentance is followed by despair, from which there is no way out. It can be assumed that Judas did not expect repentance. He was sure that nothing would happen to him.

To illustrate this idea, you can use the image of Smerdyakov from The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky perfectly showed the effect of this unexpected effect on the killer. Smerdyakov did not believe in God. As well as in conscience. He thought that he would kill the old man Karamazov, but there would be no torment (how can something that does not exist torment?). It turned out that something was gnawing at him, tormenting him. Smerdyakov did not believe in God anyway. So getting rid of torment is only one thing - hang yourself. Both Judas and Smerdyakov did just that.

Archimandrite Sylvester (Stoichev)