Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Anger
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Series Review
So many bad characters that fit the definition of anti-heroes.
Who is the real hero of the story?
God.
Sermon Introduction
Judas Iscariot is undoubtedly one of the most despised men in history.
His very name has become a synonym for treachery and betrayal, and in the Inferno Dante places him in the deepest pit in Hell.
He is also a great enigma.
Almost everything about him poses questions for which there are few or no answers.
Some of the most helpful books I’ve ever read, or the most helpful sermons I’ve ever listened to are the ones about conflict resolution.
We all know what it’s like to have broken relationships.
We all know what it’s like to be separated from a good friend or close family member.
We all know what it’s like to have enemies in the workplace, at school or in the church.
Conflicts are usually painful and can be difficult to resolve.
People in conflict cannot even agree what happened to cause the conflict (have you ever tried to mediate?), much less answer the question, “Why are you doing this to me?” Have you ever asked question of someone?
Sometimes there is no easy answer to that question, because people are complex.
Did I offend them?
Is it my religion?
My political views?
My personality?
Are they sensitive to something and I was not aware of it?
Are they speaking from a place of great pain?
Or are they just evil?
Sometimes we agonize over those questions and there is no easy answer.
Scholars have argued for years about the meaning of “Iscariot,” although the consensus is that it means “from Kariot.”
Antiheroes behave badly.
They are violent.
They are deceptive.
They are hypocritical.
They are morally bankrupt.
Up until today we haven’t really asked the question, “Why did they do that?”
Today, that question is at the heart of this message.
Today our antihero is Judas Iscariot.
If you know anything about the events leading up to Easter Sunday, you’ve heard that name.
He is the one who betrayed Jesus.
Although we probably shouldn’t use the word “betray.”
Some English translations use the word “handed over,” which is more accurate.
Betrayal implies deception.
Conniving, trickery.
We don’t see that in Judas, he simply hands Jesus over to the authority.
So before we ask the “why did he do that” question of Judas, we need to ask,
Today our antihero is Judas Iscariot.
If you know anything about the events leading up to Easter Sunday, you’ve heard that name.
He is the one who betrayed Jesus.
It has also been postulated that “Iscariot” derives from the Greek sikarios (σικάριος), “assassin.”
His very name, “Judas,” suggests that he was of the Jewish sect of Zealots, a group who looked for the coming of a military Messiah, a man like Judas Maccabeus, who would expel the Romans and restore Jewish independence.
A fanatic branch of the Zealots was the Sicarii (“assassins”—translated into Latin it becomes “daggers”), who were plotting a violent uprising.
It is possible that “Iscariot” comes from Sicarii.
It has also been postulated that “Iscariot” derives from the Greek sikarios (σικάριος), “assassin.”
His very name, “Judas,” suggests that he was of the Jewish sect of Zealots, a group who looked for the coming of a military Messiah, a man like Judas Maccabeus, who would expel the Romans and restore Jewish independence.
A fanatic branch of the Zealots was the Sicarii (“assassins”—translated into Latin it becomes “daggers”), who were plotting a violent uprising.
It is possible that “Iscariot” comes from Sicarii.
Losch, R. R. (2008).
In All the People in the Bible: An A–Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (p.
245).
Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Who was Judas Iscariot?
Judas Iscariot is possibly one of the most despised men in history.
His very name has become a synonym for treachery and betrayal, and in the Inferno Dante (where we get a tour guide of hell) places him in the deepest pit in Hell.
He is also a great mystery.
Almost everything about him poses questions for which there are few or no answers.
Scholars have argued for years about the meaning of “Iscariot.”
Some say it refers to his hometown - “from Kariot.”Although
scholars can’t agree on where that is.
Some say the word “Iscariot” comes from the Greek sikarios, which means “assassin.”
If that is true, then that says something about his political affiliation.
He belonged to the Jewish political party known as Zealots, a group who expected a military Messiah, who would expel the Romans and restore Jewish independence.
A fanatic branch of the Zealots was the Sicarii, or “assassins.”
These fanatics carried daggers and would assassinate Roman soldiers in the midst of a crowd, and were plotting a violent uprising.
It is possible that “Iscariot” comes from Sicarii.
Some say that that “Iscariot” comes from the word shaqar, which means “liar” or “hypocrite.”
All of these fit what we might think about Judas Iscariot.
So he is someone of a mystery.
It has also been postulated that “Iscariot” derives from the Greek sikarios (σικάριος), “assassin.”
His very name, “Judas,” suggests that he was of the Jewish sect of Zealots, a group who looked for the coming of a military Messiah, a man like Judas Maccabeus, who would expel the Romans and restore Jewish independence.
A fanatic branch of the Zealots was the Sicarii (“assassins”—translated into Latin it becomes “daggers”), who were plotting a violent uprising.
It is possible that “Iscariot” comes from Sicarii.
Another school says that “Iscariot” derives from the Aramaic shaqar (שׁקר), “liar” or “hypocrite.”
This would have seemed a quite appropriate epithet among the early Aramaic-speaking Christians.
Why?
Another school says that “Iscariot” derives from the Aramaic shaqar (שׁקר), “liar” or “hypocrite.”
Losch, R. R. (2008).
In All the People in the Bible: An A–Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (p.
245).
Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Judas was an important member of the twelve, and he was obviously trusted.
According to John he was the treasurer, and as such he was responsible for holding and accounting for all the group’s funds and distributing them appropriately.
Why did he do it?
Why did he hand Jesus over to the authorities?
Greed
One popular idea is that he did it for the money.
Judas was a trusted member of Jesus’ inner circle - he took care of the money.
It isn’t hard to imagine greed being the reason, because greed is a popular motivator.
How can we tell if we are greedy?
In his book Godonomics, Chad Hoving describes four types of greed:
It’s true that Judas was dishonest with the disciple’s money.
What money?
How can we tell if we are greedy?
In his book Godonomics, Chad Hoving describes four types of greed:
Hoarding
We should all be setting aside savings.
However, it becomes greed when we believe that we can’t be generous with his money until we’ve set aside enough money for a comfortable retirement.
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