By Nimi Princewill,
April 22, 2017(Nyamilepedia) ——- The Christian Easter festivities have hurriedly come and gone, but one name has remarkably stayed stuck on the lips of a large portion of Christians. As often the case every year, this mysterious name continues to grow even more popular than the celebrated occasion.
Judas Iscariot: A name notoriously synonymous with greed, betrayal and treason. A name heavily loathed by children, despised by adults and provides every preacher with a great point of reference to knock a sermon into shape, and get a sober audience nodding along. A name famous for the romantic public display of affection, which led to the vulnerable timely death of the guiltless Son of God.
A lot of Christians, continue to blackmail Judas Iscariot as the enemy, denying him of his rightful heroic street credibility!
The death and resurrection of Jesus as understood from the Bible, was already predestined to happen with a disciple of Jesus, setting the process into motion. Someone among the twelve disciples, had to do the dirty work! It was unfortunate, but quite heroic for Judas to be singled out by his heavenly recruiters to fit the job description.
The mountainous role played by Judas Iscariot in delivering his master into the hands of his captors (as widely condemned), laid the foundation in giving the Gospel a worldwide facelift, through the death and resurrection of Christ. If Judas hadn’t done it, someone else would have stepped in on the job, and will just like Judas, suffer a posthumous tarnished reputation!
How else was Jesus meant to be captured? Any of you blackmailers got an idea?
Why doesn’t the name ‘Judas’ align with contemporary birth names for male children?
Judas Iscariot, had his personal flaws like every other Christian did and currently do.
Paul (while as Saul) slaughtered an outrageous number of Christians. David, likewise his promiscuous son Solomon, was a man whore! Thomas, was recorded as a doubter and a man of great deficiency in faith. Peter, consciously denied Jesus three consecutive times (as was part of his destiny), and many others.
Christians forgave these men of despicable character and continued over the years to christen their kids after them, but just wouldn’t do the same for a remorseful Judas Iscariot, who went as far as taking his own life in remorse for a crime he was already predestined to commit!
Aren’t we as Christians, in a way possibly unknown to us, bias and plainly sentimental?
Judas Iscariot, deserves a lot more respect from the Christian community. As a matter of fact, in solidarity to this great heroic biblical figure, one of my boys will bear ‘Judas’ as a middle name when he arrives in the nearest future!
Bio: Nimi Princewill is a Nigerian creative writer, poet and social reformer. He’s very passionate about the social reformation and political development of Africa. He’s most notable for his unconventional opinions on issues that cut across religion, sports, social lifestyle and politics. He can be reached via twitter at @princewill_nimi or Email at princewill.nimi@yahoo.com
4 comments
Mr Nimi,
My suggestion to you is this, do not name you son Judas until when he grew up and ask his opinion about that. Else, why don’t you go to the court and change your name to Judas?
Otherwise, do not give your son the burden of bearing the name Judas.
Judas is being blamed because he used another sin to show remorse for the evil he did which is a wrong approached. He could have cried and pray to God for forgiveness of his sin just like as Peter and David did but rather, he went ahead and commit another sin – suicide which is even more grievous. He took his life, he is not the owner of his life so he has committed murderer. That is the reason why he deserves no respect.
Judas Iscariot was from stealing family background that is why he was choose to fill that post. Many of us do the same, you can be a Christian but if you are from stealing family background, you can steal even if you are Pastor
Just like Macliban above, Christians do disagree with Judas for killing himself not because of betrayal. The life he took away does not belong to him and as such, he had no right whatsoever to take it away.