GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 3:19
Judas Syndrome
Stories of people who begin with great promise but end poorly fill history and literature. The cyclist Lance Armstrong overcame cancer and won seven consecutive Tour de France titles, but his titles were stripped after it was revealed that he used performance-enhancing drugs. In 2015, Forbes magazine lauded Elizabeth Holmes as the wealthiest self-made female billionaire in the United States because her company, Theranos, revolutionized blood testing methods. The following year, however, after testing revealed that Theranos’s claims were fraudulent, Forbes named Holmes as one of “The World’s 19 Most Disappointing Leaders.”
The three gospel writers recorded the story of Jesus selecting his disciples and fellow ministers. St. Mark ended the story by saying, “And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.” (Mark 3:19) Of all the people gathered around Jesus, he chose twelve, including Judas Iscariot, whom translators often render “Judas from Kerioth,” which was a city in the tribe of Judah. The historians are all looking back, and they add the description “betrayer,” the word “paradidómi,” to hand over.
Because “betrayer” is attached to the name Judas, it’s difficult to imagine him on the mountain with the crowd as Jesus called a select few to be with him. But Judas was probably a young, healthy, energetic man with a winning personality. He began well, as one of Jesus’ inner circle. Some writers think Jesus chose Judas because he knew he would betray him, but such an interpretation paints Jesus in a bad light, suggesting that he would choose someone to be close to him and carry his message who was corrupt. A more likely interpretation is that Judas began well. He was one of the original messengers, one of the inner circle. But weaknesses began to show up. He became the group’s treasurer (John 12:4-6); he criticized Mary for anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume (Mark 14:3-9), and finally agreed to hand Jesus over to the religious authorities (Matt. 26:14-16). Luke said that Judas “became a traitor,” suggesting a process.
The Apostle Paul warned of the danger of beginning well but ending badly: “No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (I Cor. 9:27) He said of one of his intimate associates, “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me.” (II Tim. 4:10)
The Judas syndrome, beginning well but ending badly, still serves as a cautionary example.
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