“And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.”
And Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him — Judas appears last in every Gospel's list of the twelve, and always with the designation who betrayed him. The inclusion of Judas in the twelve is one of the most theologically charged details of the Gospels: Jesus chose him, gave him authority, sent him out, and ate with him, knowing what Judas would do. The placement at the end of the list gives his name and its designation a stark finality. Iscariot likely means man of Kerioth (a town in southern Judea) rather than carrying any other symbolic meaning, though debate continues. The betrayal that will not happen until chapter 14 is named here, in the list of the chosen.
Church Fathers on Mark 3:19
After having forbidden the evil spirits to preach Him, He chose holy men, to cast out the unclean spirits, and to preach the Gospel.
Luke, however, says that He went up to pray, for after the shewing forth of miracles He prays, teaching us that we should give thanks, when we obtain any thing good, and refer it to Divine grace.
Or spiritually, Christ is the mount, from which living waters flow, and milk is procured for the health of infants; whence the spiritual feast of fat things is made known, and whatsoever is believed to be most highly good is established by the grace of that Mountain.
Read all 22 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!