tragic antagonist. This follower of
Jesus witnessed firsthand the evi-
dence of Christ's divinity. He was
the money�keeper for the ministry
team. And he saw earthly power
gertips.
during the week leading up to his
rabbi's cruel death. Witnessing
the celebration as Christ entered
the city would have evoked confi-
dence--perhaps this entrance into
the holy city was the beginning
of something. Watching the tide
turn as the religious establish-
ment began their smear campaign
against the man to whom he had
committed his life would have been
confusing and distressing. Cer-
tainly he would have felt conflicting
emotions as he shared a piece of
bread with Jesus during the Pass-
over meal.
place blame or offer excuses when
it comes to Judas. Some say he was
was looking for a way to cash in,
while others claim he had weak
faith with little fortitude. But per-
haps Judas was more complex than
he is given credit.
truistic and innocent than what we
have been taught. In
Pierre Isbouts writes, "They argue
that as a native Judean, Judas may
have believed himself best qualified
to seek forgiveness for the Temple
disturbance and negotiate a safe
return for all to Galilee." If we con-
sider this scenario, the character of
Judas loses some of his nefarious
edge. Perhaps his motives were not
as sinister as many of us believe
them to be. Could we have been
wrong to cast Judas aside in the
life story of the Savior?
Zacchaeus: "For the Son of Man
came to seek and save those who
are lost" (Luke 19:10). Judas would
have witnessed this exchange, as
he would have heard Jesus' words
the tragedy of Judas plays i