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aware that he was their treasurer , but why would they jump to this conclusion if Judas had no history of this kind of activity ? Did the task of acquiring their food usually fall to Judas ? Was he usually in charge of ministering to the poor ( after all , this is the second reference to Judas worrying about the poor , cf . John 12:5 )? Not a single one of the disciples assumed it was Judas who would betray .
All-in-all , on the surface , Judas looked very much like any other disciple . And yet he is treated very differently from other characters in the Gospels . Is this because he turned out to be a bad guy ?
Pilate and Herod : Complex New Testament Villains I don ’ t think it ’ s enough to chalk up the discrepancy between the presentation of Judas and the presentation of other characters to simple villainy . Just because a character is a villain does not mean that his character is uninteresting or uncomplicated . For the sake of comparison , let ’ s briefly consider Pontius Pilate , one of the main “ villains ” in the Gospels , and see what kind of treatment he gets . ( With the exception of dating , all information below is gleaned from the Gospel accounts of the Jesus story .)
Pontius Pilate has the dubious honor of being remembered for conducting the trial of Jesus of Nazareth and ultimately sentencing Him to death by crucifixion . We learn from Luke ’ s Gospel that Pontius Pilate served as the Governor of Judea , serving “ in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar ” ( Luke 3:1 ) ( about 30AD 2 ). At this time , others are serving in the region , including his enemy Herod who is “ tetrarch of Galilee .” ( Ibid . 3:1 , 23:11-12 ).
Pontius Pilate was a no-nonsense kind of governor . He was not afraid to squash rebellion or unruliness , and the public was all too aware of his forceful nature . His bloody interventions stuck in their collective memory and were a source of uneasiness for the Jewish people . ( Luke 13:1 ) In addition to keeping the peace and maintaining order , Pilate heard cases as they were brought to him . He was a thorough examiner and valued facts and accuracy . It is this aspect of his job that is featured most prominently in the Gospels . ( Matthew 27 ; Mark 15 ; Luke 23 ; John 18-19 )
When Jesus was brought before Pilate , the governor began collecting facts . When he got no direct clear crime from the accusers , Pilate went straight to Jesus , demanding answers . Private conversations between Jesus and Pilate are reported in each of the Gospels . ( Matthew 27:11-14 ; Mark 15:2-5 ; Luke 23:3 ; John 18:33-38 , 19:9-11 )
In what is reported , we see that Pilate gave Jesus every opportunity to
2 “ Tiberius ”. Encyclopædia Britannica . Encyclopædia Britannica Online . Encyclopædia Britannica Inc ., 2016 . Web . 14 Aug . 2016 < https :// www . britannica . com / biography / Tiberius >.
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