Isa 61:1
23. Jesus looked up to find that all those present were staring at him in silence. Some had been told of the curing of the man possessed of demons, while others had heard about the healing of the sick woman, and even more had learned about the cleansing of the leper.
24. The leader of the Synagogue asked Jesus to explain the passage he had just read. Jesus’ response was simple: Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
Luke 4:21
25. One or two of the Pharisees murmured among themselves: Is this not Joseph’s son?
26. Jesus answered: A prophet is never without fame, except in his own country.
see
Luke 4:22–24;
Matt 13:57;
Mark 6:4
27. Others, who still wanted to believe, continued to ask: Who is this man?
Chapter 5
Are you he who is to come?
1. Jesus came to the river Jordan to be baptized by John, who had prophesied: I myself did not know who he would be, and for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.
John 1:31
2. After he had baptized Jesus, John proclaimed: I saw the spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it stayed with him. I had not been made aware that he was the one until God, who had sent me to baptize with water, said, ‘This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’
see
John 1:32–34;
Mark 1:11;
Matt 3:17;
Luke 3:22
3. From that moment, John was convinced that his days as a prophet of the Lord were numbered, and he told Andrew, one of his disciples: I am not the Christ, I have been sent before him.
John 3:28
4. Pointing to Jesus, he said: Here is a man of God; it is time for me to stand aside and allow him to carry out God’s will.
see
John 1:29,
34; 3:30
5. On hearing these words, Andrew left his Master and ran after Jesus. Aware that he was being followed, Jesus turned and asked: What are you searching for?
John 1:38
6. Andrew fell to his knees and answered: The authoritative teacher of the Torah prophesied by John the Baptist as a man of God.
see
John 1:35–36
7. From that time, many of the disciples of John the Baptist became followers of Jesus.
8. Although John’s days as a prophet were coming to an end, this did not prevent him from speaking with conviction whenever he taught the traditional beliefs of Israel.
9. He even dared to challenge the legality of Herod’s marriage to Herodias, who had previously been betrothed to Philip, Herod’s brother.
10. John proclaimed, for all to hear, that it was an adulterous union for Herod to marry the wife of his brother, even though the marriage had taken place after Philip’s death.
11. These words, often repeated, angered Herod and, for his courage and faith, John was arrested and thrown into prison.
12. Despite having witnessed what had taken place when Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, John remained unsure what God intended for Jesus of Nazareth.
13. While he was locked away in prison, John gave orders that two of his disciples should seek out Jesus, and when they found him ask: Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?
Luke 7:19;
Matt 11:3
14. One of those disciples was Judas Iscariot.
15. And when they found Jesus, he did not immediately answer John the Baptist’s question.
16. But in the same hour Jesus cured many infirmities and plagues and cast out evil spirits, and to many that were blind, he gave sight.
17. And finally, turning to Judas, he said: Go your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard.
Luke 7:22;
Matt 11:4
18. When John the Baptist heard these words, he looked up to heaven and proclaimed: This is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
John 1:29
19. After this proclamation by John, Judas quickly retraced his steps to Galilee and sought out Jesus.
20. Once he had found him, he committed himself to his ministry.
21. Judas was inspired by his new Master, who taught with knowledge and authority. He was unlike the Scribes and Pharisees, who preferred to walk about the town in their long robes, and expected reverence when they took the most prominent places in the Synagogue, following which they made a pretence of making long prayers.
see
Mark 12:38–40;
Matt 23:2–7;
Luke 20:46–47
[ix]
22. Judas was moved by Jesus’ words and his interpretation of Israel’s sacred texts.
23. After Judas had been told all that Simon, Andrew, James and John had experienced, and what they had given up to follow Jesus, he too wanted to become a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.
24. Judas’ faith in his new Master became so passionate, that he told everyone whom he encountered: We have found the long-awaited Messiah.
25. One of those to whom Judas passed on the good news was Philip, who was so moved by Judas’ words that he also gave up everything to follow Jesus.
26. He in turn told his friend Nathanael: We have found the Messiah, as foretold by Moses: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
27. However, Nathanael, a pious and cautious man, was not immediately convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. He reminded his friend Philip that Nazareth was a village with no biblical tradition, and that there was no evidence to be found in the Torah that suggested the Messiah would come from Galilee.
28. Nathanael proclaimed: Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
29. Philip responded: Come and see.
30. When Jesus first saw Nathanael walking towards him, he said: Behold a genuine Israelite who is without guile.
31. Nathanael was amazed, and asked Jesus: How can you know me?
[x]
32. Jesus responded with the words: Before Philip called upon you, I saw you sitting under a fig tree.
33. Nathanael bowed his head and declared: Rabbi, you are the son of God, you are the King of Israel.
[xi]
34. Nathanael also gave up all his worldly goods to follow Jesus, and because of his pious reputation, many others joined him and became followers.
35. They all began to spread the good news, telling everyone of the coming of a new kingdom for Israel that would no longer be occupied by the pagans from Rome.
36. Jesus did not openly acknowledge Nathanael’s declaration that he must be the expected one, the Messiah, and therefore the fulfilment of the Davidic promise.
37. When they were alone, Jesus said to Nathanael: Because I said I saw you under a fig tree, do you therefore believe that I am Rabbi, son of God and King of Israel? Much more will be made known to you, and far more will be required of you before God’s promises are fulfilled. For the moment, follow me.
see
John 1:35–51
38. Jesus made it clear to all his disciples that should anyone suggest that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected one, the Messiah, they were to be ignored, even denied.
see
Mark 7:36;
8:30 etc
39. Judas could not understand why his Master would deny his sacred calling.
40. He, like his fellow disciples, therefore continued to ask: Who is this man?
Chapter 6
Your sins are forgiven
1. Jesus, accompanied by his disciples, left Nazareth to return to Capernaum.
2. As he entered the lakeside town, vast crowds gathered around him, despite having told his followers not to talk about his good deeds.
3. Jesus set foot in the Synagogue where he had cured the man possessed of demons, and found another large gathering awaiting him.
4. The building became so crowded with people who wanted to hear Jesus speak that he could hardly move. Many believed that sim
ply by touching him, they would be cured of their ills, even forgiven their sins.
5. One such group, hoping to bring a sick friend to see Jesus, could not even find a way into the building because of the number of people who wanted to put their requests to Jesus.
6. Judas was made aware of the problem they were facing. He advised them to clamber upon to the roof and attempt to lower their pallet down into the Synagogue. He even helped them remove some of the tiles that covered the roof so that they could carry out their purpose.
7. The sight of the paralysed man descending through the roof caused the startled onlookers to draw back.
8. Jesus walked towards the sick man, and on this occasion did not touch him. He simply said: My son, your sins are forgiven.
Mark 2:5;
Matt 9:2;
Luke 5:20
9. One or two of the Elders standing among the crowd were outraged by such blasphemy, and whispered among themselves that Jesus could not be a holy man because: Only God can forgive sins.
Mark 2:7;
Luke 5:21
[xii]
10. When Judas heard these words, he was unable to control his feelings, and shouted above the noise of the crowd, ‘You do not have the courage to say these things in his presence; I say that it is you who are blasphemers.’
11. Jesus ignored the commotion caused by Judas’ outburst, and turning to the paralysed man said: Take up your bed and go home.
Mark 2:11;
Matt 9:6;
Luke 5:24
12. The man stretched out his bent limbs and eased himself off the pallet. He then picked it up and walked away, as Jesus had commanded.
13. The silent crowd stood aside to allow the healed man to walk out of the Synagogue and return to his home.
14. As he departed, Jesus said to the astonished onlookers: It is easier to say your sins are forgiven, but God has given me authority to heal and forgive.
see
Mark 2:10;
Matt 9:5;
Luke 5:23
15. Most people who had witnessed the miracle were amazed and remained silent, but several of the Elders walked out of the Synagogue in disgust. They had been angered by Jesus’ words, because what he had done went against their traditional beliefs.
[xiii]
16. After Jesus and his disciples had left the Synagogue, they started out on the road to Bethesda.
17. When they entered that town, they came across a man seated in the tax office.
18. He was gathering revenues on behalf of the Romans from those who had come from the Decapolis
[xiv]
19. Judas watched the man carefully and observed that he was not only taxing the visitors but also exacting an extra levy for himself.
20. Judas lost his temper with the man and shouted: ‘How can you take with one hand from your fellow citizens and then pass it on to the Romans with the other?’
21. The man made no attempt to defend himself and Judas walked away in disgust.
22. Jesus stopped and smiled at the tax collector, who lowered his head, embarrassed by his presence.
Matt 9:9;
Mark 2:14
23. Jesus walked towards him and said: Follow me.
24. Matthew immediately departed from the custom house and joined the other disciples.
25. Many ordinary citizens, seeing that Jesus was willing to include among his number fishermen, craftsmen in leather and iron, workers from the fields and now a tax collector, began to believe that they too could become followers of Jesus.
26. Judas could not understand and certainly did not approve of his Master mixing with such people. After all, it was not the way for a traditional holy man to conduct himself.
27. It was about that time that Judas was approached by a group of Pharisees, who observed that he was distressed by Jesus’ actions.
see
Matt 9:11;
Mark 2:16;
Luke 5:30
28. One of them said: Why does your Master break bread with tax collectors and sinners?
29. Jesus overheard what was being asked of his troubled disciple and immediately responded by saying: Those of you who are satisfied that you are healthy have no need of a physician, but those of you in need of assistance should seek out the one person who can help you. I have not come to call those who are self-righteous, but those who are aware of the healing goodness of God.
see
Matt 9:12–13;
Mark 2:17;
Luke 5:31–32
30. The wisdom of Jesus’ words caused Judas to reflect on his own shortcomings.
31. He turned his back on the Pharisees, even more determined to become closer to this man who was able to accept that, although he was a sinner, he could still be one of his followers.
32. The Scribes and the Pharisees were not pleased that Judas had rejected them, for they were becoming more and more fearful of Jesus and the influence he was having among the people.
33. At that time, the Pharisees only muttered among themselves, but it was not long before they approached Judas a second time, in the hope that they might convince him to join them and even turn one or two of the other disciples against Jesus.
34. Once again, Judas rejected them.
Chapter 7
The Sabbath was made for man
1. On the following Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking by a field of corn, when one of the group, who had not eaten that day, plucked a ripe head of corn from the crop, rubbed the seed between his fingers and began to eat the sweet flour; soon the other disciples followed his example.
2. A group of Pharisees, who had been watching Jesus closely in the hope of finding some reason to reproach him for not abiding by the strict teaching of the Torah, said: Why do you allow your disciples to carry out an unlawful deed on the Sabbath? Six days shall you labour, but on the seventh you must rest.
see
Exod 20:8–11
3. Judas remembered these words, because it was the first time a Pharisee had questioned Jesus directly on his observance of religious law.
4. Jesus was not deceived by the Pharisees’ attempt to turn this harmless act by one of his disciples to their advantage with such a narrow interpretation of the law. His reply was to the point: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27
5. Judas and the other disciples were amazed that Jesus was able to silence these rigid guardians of the law with such simple wisdom and common sense.
6. Although the Pharisees were unwilling to come out publicly against Jesus, they were unable to hide their anger whenever they heard him speak, as his teachings continued to undermine their authority.
7. They remained close by, in the hope that they might trap Jesus should one of his disciples break another tenet of the law. They did not have long to wait.
8. The Scribes and the Pharisees strictly adhered to the tradition of fasting and the Prophet Daniel had even risked his life to abide by the law.
see
Tobit 12:8,
Judith 4:9;
Daniel 1:1–16
9. So when the disciples ignored the laws of fasting, the Pharisees took this as another opportunity to reproach Jesus.
10. They asked: Why do you condone the actions of your disciples when they forsake the fine tradition of fasting that Daniel and John the Baptist always obeyed?
See
Dan 1:1–16;
Mark 1:6;
Matt 3:4
11. Jesus did not hesitate with his reply: Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
Mark 2:19;
Matt 9:15;
Luke 5:34
12. Judas was aware that the prophets, as well as the poets, had throughout Israel’s history, often described Israel as a bride, waiting for the coming of the bridegroom.
see
Hos 2:19–20;
Song of Solomon
see
John 3:29
14. They did not voice this view openly as they knew it would further anger the Pharisees and might even place Jesus’ life in danger.
15. The Pharisees continued to let it be known that they considered Jesus to be a sinner, a blasphemer and a man who broke the laws of the Torah. After all, had he not ignored the fine tradition of fasting, and now he seemed to be adding to his sins by claiming that he was the messianic bridegroom.
16. The Pharisees hung on Jesus’ every word in the hope that they could find another example of his flouting the laws of the Torah.
17. The following Sabbath, when Jesus was in Capernaum, a man with a withered hand entered the Synagogue in search of him.
18. The Pharisees watched closely, hoping that Jesus would attempt to heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they could chastise him for a further breach of the sacred laws.
19. On seeing the man, Jesus approached him and said: Stretch out your hand.
Mark 3:5;
Matt 12:13;
Luke 6:10
20. The man did so, and his hand was restored.
21. This was all the proof the Pharisees needed to show that Jesus was a sinner and a blasphemer, willing to abuse the law, even in the Synagogue on the Sabbath.
22. Judas observed that many of those who had gathered to hear Jesus preach did not share the misgivings of the Elders, for they had come to hope that Jesus might be the expected Messiah, as promised by Isaiah.
see
Isaiah 35:3–5
Chapter 8
The rock upon which he would build his church
1. The Scribes and the Pharisees became so despondent about Jesus’ growing popularity with the people that they agreed among themselves the time had come to take extreme measures.
2. Thus it was that the Pharisees, who held fast to the laws of Israel, joined forces with the Herodians, local Jews who carried out such orders that were decreed by their political masters in Rome.
The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot Page 2
