The Christ We Need

In class this week we discussed the passion narrative as told by Mark, which of course includes the scandal of Judas betraying Jesus into the hands of His enemies. During the discussion one of my classmates posed a question which I have pondered myself many times: why? Judas Iscariot was one of the chosen Twelve. He had been with Jesus through much of his ministry, and had personally witnessed Jesus healing and working other miracles among the people. How could he not know that Jesus was the Christ? How could he possibly betray Him? To my surprise, our professor suggested a possible answer.

The Jews in Jesus' day were not awaiting a Messiah to suffer, die, and deliver them from sin, but rather a Warrior Messiah to lead, battle, and deliver them from their Roman captors. When the people saw Jesus working miracles they wanted to make Him their king (which would have been considered as rebellion to the Romans, as seen in Jesus' trail by Pilot). So, when Jesus would not conform to the expectations that his disciples had for Him, many abandoned Him. Rather than accepting the Good News, the people chose to reject it because it was not the news they wanted to hear.

What if Judas was subject to this same error? There is no doubt that Judas had witnessed Jesus' power and authority. He must have known that Jesus had the power to deliver Himself from the scheming priests and their Roman oppressors. What if Judas wanted to force Jesus' hand? If he were to force the Christ into a corner, then he would have to show forth His power and begin the conflict that would result in a Jewish rebellion. The force that came to arrest Jesus most likely contained a large number of Roman soldiers (the multitude with swords), so if the Christ were to use His power to resist capture then he would essentially start a military conflict with the Romans. However, Jesus did not resist arrest. He did not use His power to save Himself. He surrendered Himself, was tried and died for His people.

All throughout the scriptures we see examples of man trying to conform Christ to his wants. In 2 Nephi 28:7-8 we see a desire for a Savior who will save us in sin rather than from sin. In Mormon 8:26-28 we see a people who create a God who can't speak, and a God who cannot work miracles. Judas and many of the Jews wanted a warrior king. However, Jesus isn't always the Christ we want—but He is the Christ we need. After all, "what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)