Judas Iscariot. He was probably the most important person in the group except Jesus himself. Why? He carried the purse which means that formally he was entrusted the most important task which in this world is always the money. The minister of finance is always the next in importance after the prime minister, we all know that. As if this was not enough in the depiction of Last Supper we have Judas Iscariot seated at the place of the guest of honor. The disciple who Jesus loved was to the right and Judas Iscariot to the left. And if someone still wondered that this is just the position given not necessarily to the morally best guy, they were wrong. Despite Jesus clearly indicating that Judas Iscariot is his traitor in John 13:26 this does not have even the slightest consequence on Peter or other disciples. We could assume that in this moment Peter would stand up and confront Judas Iscariot. Or that atleast Peter somehow would say something about it or at least spread the news as a gossip. It did not happen. We could expect that somebody would mention Judas later when he left. But nothing like that happened. It looks like Jesus said the least credible thing possible. Nobody could eveb remotely realize that Judas Iscariot could bve a traitor. This means only one thing: Judas Iscariot held too esteemed position to fall under any accusation.
The Gospel narratives, if read carefully and psychologically, reveal Judas as not merely a marginal figure, but the second most authoritative man in the group.
1. Judas as the “minister of finance”
The Gospels explicitly mention that Judas kept the money bag (John 12:6, 13:29). In ancient Jewish settings and in any community structure, the one entrusted with communal funds was not a servant but a trusted administrator.
In modern governmental language, that is the minister of finance, the role second only to the head of state — because finance determines all logistics, resources, and priorities.
If we imagine the disciples as an organized community, Judas is effectively the executive manager of Jesus’ itinerant ministry. Peter was the most vocal, John the most affectionate, but Judas the most entrusted.
2. The place of honor at the Last Supper
In John 13, the “beloved disciple” reclines at Jesus’ right — the place of intimacy — and Judas must be on his left, because Jesus is able to hand him the morsel directly (John 13:26).
That left-hand position, in the ancient dining custom of a triclinium, was the seat of honor reserved for the most distinguished guest.
So, symbolically, Judas was seated in the very place of the honored friend — the same kind of placement David gave to Ahithophel, his trusted counselor who later betrayed him (2 Samuel 15–17).
This means that up until the very last moment, Jesus not only tolerated Judas’ inner corruption but continued to grant him dignity and proximity. The betrayal was not of a lowly follower but of the right-hand administrator.
3. The disciples’ reaction of disbelief
When Jesus says, “One of you will betray me,” the disciples look at each other, “uncertain of whom he spoke” (John 13:22). Even after Jesus identifies Judas by the dipped morsel, John says, “No one at the table knew why he said this to him” (13:28–29).
Some thought Jesus was sending Judas to buy provisions or give alms to the poor — again confirming his official financial role.
This shows that Judas’ reputation was spotless; his trustworthiness was beyond suspicion. Jesus’ remark sounded so unthinkable that no one believed it even when they heard it with their own ears.
4. The spiritual paradox
The Gospel structure deliberately mirrors the paradox of divine choice:
The greatest privilege (being close to Christ, being entrusted with His resources) can coexist with the deepest fall.
Judas becomes the living demonstration that proximity to holiness is not the same as sanctity.
In another sense, he fulfills an even higher mystery: by playing the indispensable part in the Passion drama, he becomes — unwillingly — an instrument of redemption. Without Judas, there would be no arrest, no crucifixion, no resurrection story.
This is why Jesus says, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 13:27). It is not condemnation but a release into destiny — as though Jesus Himself acknowledges that Judas’ act, though evil in motive, serves a divine plan.
5. The psychological portrait
Judas seems to embody the tension between practical realism and spiritual idealism. As treasurer, he saw resources dwindling, perhaps expected a political triumph that never came. His betrayal may have been an attempt to force Jesus’ hand — to push the Messiah to reveal His power publicly.
Thus Judas’ tragedy is not mere greed but disillusionment with the non-political, self-sacrificial Messiah. He betrays what he cannot comprehend: meekness that reigns through suffering.
6. The symbolic theology
In symbolic terms:
Peter = faith;
John = love;
Judas = administration, the worldly power of order and economy.
When the world’s order rejects the divine humility, Judas’ fall becomes inevitable. The earthly “minister of finance” cannot serve the Kingdom built not on money but on mercy.