Day 5: In Judas' Shoes

The Prompt: It's always good to get into the bad guy's shoes.  So write a story about an evil character in the Bible; see his side of the story.  Why did he do this evil deed?

I was going to write about one of the evil kings of Israel and Judah until it occurred to me that it might be more interesting (and easier) to write about Judas Iscariot, the ultimate "bad guy" instead.  What caused a follower of Jesus, one of the chosen twelve, to betray the Son of God?

     Judas came from a poor home, with little to no family.  He was weary of life and pain and hungry for love.  I'm sure after hearing Jesus speak for the first time, Judas felt entranced by this remarkable man.  Jesus' words were comforting, and Judas felt compelled to follow Him.  Jesus offered Judas unconditional love and acceptance.  Since the disciples did not suspect who could betray Jesus, he was probably faithful follower, on the outside.

     At first, Judas was on fire for Jesus and wanted to serve Him anyway he could, but he was the seed that fell on the rocks.  Some things that Jesus said made him feel uncomfortable, such as your riches come from heaven and not earth or that the people who are last in life will be first.  Judas pushed the thoughts out of his mind, but they still lingered like a bad taste in his mouth.

     As Judas continued to do this, he became bitter and closed his heart to Jesus' teachings.  He felt he was entitled to some good things in life after the miserable life he had as a child.  He was tired of living the life of a servant, walking for miles with Jesus in the dirt and heat with barely any possessions.  He was lucky if he got three meals a day with Jesus asking them to share what they had or rely on the generosity of others.  Judas didn't understand the true meaning of following God.

     When Judas took the twenty pieces of silver from the Pharisees, he felt it was time to have some money of his own for once.  He was willing to betray Jesus because he was angry with Him for all the sacrificing he had endured for His name's sake.  Maybe he thought deep down that Jesus could save Himself from the danger.  The Pharisees couldn't really hurt Jesus.  The biggest force that motivated Judas to accept the bribe could have been that he was too afraid to truly risk all for Jesus and listen to what God was whispering to his heart.