Do you know what it means to betrayed?
I think we all do. Jesus was betrayed by one of His own. It does not matter that he knew He was going to be betrayed. Betrayal hurts.
We started considering why any of the other disciples did not betray Jesus and why the lot fell on Judas Iscariot.
Thaddeus.
I betrayed this guy yesterday because for a split second, I forgot he was even a disciple.
We know so little about him except that he had like three names; Jude, Judas, Thaddeus and Lebbeus. Oh, make that four. One would think having many names should put him in the spotlight. (Tsk).
This obscurity was enough reason for him to seek fame in whatever way he could. He could have betrayed Jesus, indicating a high BPL (Betrayal-Propensity-Level).
Come to think of it, he even had the same name with Judas Iscariot that clarification had to be made in John 14:22.
However, that same verse tells us why he he could not have betrayed Jesus. This guy was concerned about the world. His heart was beating not just for himself. For him, the world came first before whatever fame he may have wanted for himself.
And if he wrote the book of Jude in the Bible, I rest my case.
James the Younger.
Another disciple barely known. He is said to be Jude’s brother (that should explain some). Then, to differentiate him from the James in Jesus’ inner circle, they had to add “the Younger” to his name.
Talk about being betrayed by your very own existence.
As with his brother, he could have betrayed Jesus for fame, giving him a high BPL. Maybe even higher than his brother. We don’t even have him saying one word during Jesus’ time on earth.
I have nothing to counter the possibility of this man being the betrayer.
Bartholomew of Noble Birth.
Did you know he had royal blood in him? Did you even know he was one of the disciples? And I hope you have not mixed him up with blind Bartimaeus.
If this man had any fear that Jesus was vying for a political post or something that challenged his royalty (like Herod thought), he could have betrayed Jesus. So, some high BPL there.
But, if he was following Jesus, wasn’t that enough sign that he couldn’t care less about his noble birth? Of course, it does not mean he renounced his birthright. Same way the fishermen among them were still fishing.
However, it significantly drops his BPL.
Andrew (Livers Salt… Not)
At least, he is well known. I mean, he was Peter’s brother. THE PETER.
(See, nobody should tell me your background, associations and successes-of-your-associations don’t matter.)
So, he had no reason to be desperate about fame.
But, he could have been irked that he was not included in the inner circle. I can imagine him fuming and murmuring every time Peter, James and John were singled out from the rest of them.
Especially when you recall that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus (John 1:40)
If he and Peter carried their sibling squabbles into adulthood, that would have made it even worse and upped his BPL.
But, this Andrew was once a disciple of John the Baptist. He knew what it meant to be loyal to a man who spent a large part of his life crying in the wilderness, eating locust and running around near nude. He knew loyalty and could not have betrayed Jesus.
Also, Andrew knew maturity. Something he likely learnt from his former master who easily acknowledged Jesus’ lordship even though he had been around a long time before Him.
His BPL just came down because of these two character traits.
… to be continued.
Kindly check out the first episode if you have not.
