The First Martyr
Stephen is often referred to as the first martyr, because of his courageous speech before the Sanhedrin and his stoning afterwards. His actions are heroic and his message is a wonderful defense of the faith. It had a direct result on the Pauline ministry and for that we should all be grateful. But, does he deserve to be the title first martyr in Christian history?
The men who followed Jesus knew that he was a very important Rabbi. All of them knew him to be a prophet and some would claim during His life that He is in fact the Messiah. After His death they all would proclaim it. For their faith, Jesus told his disciples that they would rule in the kingdom sitting on twelve thrones. (Matt 19:28). This must not be forgotten as events rapidly begin to unfold surrounding the crucifixion. Jesus said that all twelve of them would sit on thrones.
But before they sit on thrones, they all are lounging around a dinner table. The twelve are celebrating the highest of Jewish holidays, Passover. During this dinner, Jesus makes the pronouncement that He is going to be betrayed to the disciples and they all deny it. But Judas ask a direct question and receives a direct rare direct answer (Matt 26:25). The disciples may or may not have heard the discussion between Judas and Jesus. Which accounts for lack of enthusiasm over this momentous accusation. (Imagine if Peter had overheard!) It also means that in the seating arrangements of the Passover dinner Judas had to be sitting next to Jesus. Jesus was keeping Judas close to himself.
What do you say to someone that has an unimaginably painful task they are going to do? It could be firing a longtime colleague, pulling a loved one off of life support, or choosing between which of your children to save. Very few of us have made these hard decisions. Those who have will question them all the days of their life. Words of condolence or encouragement could never measure up to the magnitude of the task.
Jesus clearly had this in mind sitting next to Judas. Judas had let his greed get the better of him, even though Jesus counted him as one of his closest of followers. Jesus’ pronunciation that Judas is to sit on a thrown governing his kingdom makes aligning John’s position, that in the moment of communion Satan possess’ Judas particularly troublesome(John 13:27). Let’s pause to look at another instance Satan plays a role in Christ ministry.
In Matt 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me”. Jesus calls Peter the devil and instructed to “get behind him” and Peter’s crime is trying to talk him out dying! Conversely, he never actually calls Judas the devil, rather John tells us that Satan possessed him as he was dipping his bread in the wine with Jesus. Jesus himself refers to Judas as a ‘my betrayer’ and ‘friend’. The greatest of the disciples and the most notorious are both accused of embodying Satan at their weakest time. The irony is they are accused of being the devil when their actions are in direct opposition? You would think they could not both be Satan when one is discouraging the actions and one is propagating it. There must be more. Luckily for us Jesus spells out what He means by calling Peter the devil. Following his get behind me line he says “you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Could it be that this is the heart of the devil? That Judas and Peter both have the personal goals in mind rather than the goals of Christ.
The story of Jesus is a story of destiny. He is born for a purpose and as his ministry arrives it operates with this same sense of purpose. He uses each of his disciples to further his mission. It just so happens that Judas’ strength is finance. He criticizes Mary Magdalene for breaking the costly perfume over Jesus. It may be that he is skimming off the top (John 12:6) or it may be that it was a genuine concern for the poor it could have helped. Either way, he is the only disciple actually thinking about the cost benefits of money. Albeit, with a gross misunderstanding of the Jesus’ supply side economics.
Jesus takes Judas’ talent and leverages it to complete His earthly mission. Judas’s misunderstanding of the actions he is about to undertake prompts Jesus to encourage him to “do it quickly”. Does Judas need encouragement to complete the task? The task is almost complete. The Pharasidic leadership knows where Jesus has been going and they could have taken Him in the night at any time. Jesus is using Judas to make a public proclamation of a secret He has kept from this religious leadership. Judas is going to tell them that Jesus actually is proclaiming Himself to be the son of God. This is the damning evidence they have been searching for.
The hard part is, Jesus knows the significance of the action he is calling Judas to. It is for this reason that He takes the actions of Judas on himself. By Jesus telling Judas to “go and do it quickly” and addressing him as “friend” in the garden; Jesus is owning Judas’ actions. It is the most compassionate way Jesus can use someone very close to Him to perform the darkest part of his mission and fulfill the prophecy of the scriptures.
All of the disciples, except for John go on to suffer and die for the ministry. Each of them will give his life to further Christ message and the kingdom. The first martyr happens right here by suicide. Judas Iscariot was called by Christ to commit treason and betray the trust of the twelve. He did it and in his sinful grief, he committed suicide in the potter’s field. He sacrificed his life directly for the kingdom by drawing the shortest straw in all human history. Judas’ actions led to the crucifixion of Christ the Messiah. But which of us who call Him Lord, can say our actions do not also add to the burden at Cavalry? Judas may not be honored in the annuls of Church history, but he deserves to be remembered as the first follower of Christ to lose his life in order for others to come to the faith.
It is just is not the way we like to see our martyrs.
