Judas Iscariot and the Dilemma of a Hungry Man

If Judas could sacrifice an idea he believed in through Christ for a moment with a prostitute, it then means that ideology, be it religious or social, is inferior to the human instinct for survival.

If you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread. Mathew 4:3

Many years ago, I saw an Afro-centric film about the story of Jesus Christ. I do not remember the title now, but the portrayal of one character stood out to me like the Burj Khalifa jutting out of Dubai’s skyline, albeit less glamorous. The character was debauched, displaying all the oft frown upon vices of an avaricious, perverted man. His name was Judas, Judas Iscariot, and he was the disciple of Jesus who sold him out to the Romans for 30 pieces of silver.

Christianity as we know it today would not exist without the man Judas. All the narrative about salvation and redemption strung together from the first letter of the New Testament climaxed with Judas Iscariot, and he provided the perfect anchor for the Gospel to spread — first as the one through whom the Gospel was fulfilled and second as the poster child for the demons that exist in the world. Whichever way you look at it, Judas would never win with people.

Judas Iscariot sold Christ for a little bag of money. Getty Images

He Sold Jesus for Money. What would you Sell Jesus for?

The world has yet forgiven Judas for selling the Master, though it’s been over 2000 years. It is easy to see why. Not only did he violate the code of friendship, but he also exchanged God’s only begotten son for few pieces of coins. The treachery! However, as I had hinted on my WhatsApp status, Judas’ action, although inexcusable, is a perfect echo of human vulnerability, and why humans prioritise survival above ideology and anything else. One wonders how this man Judas, after spending years under the tutelage of God’s son, traversing the length and breadth of Judea and Samaria, wining and dining with the Saviour, could still be amenable to devil’s influence. How could he allow himself to be used?

The first and most basic of all needs are those to do with physical survival. This is the need for food, drink, shelter, sleep and oxygen. If a person cannot satisfy this basic survival need it dominates their interest and concern. A person who is cold, sick or hungry will not be very interested in socialising, learning or working — The Neurotypical Site.

In the court of public opinion, Judas remains a villain, and rightly so. But the absence of an independent and dispassionate account of his life and what his motivations were, did not allow us the privilege to audit his life for cues about his background and personality. In the film I mentioned earlier, it was revealed that after collecting the 30 pieces of silver, Judas immediately went to a brothel [presumably to see Mary Magdalene who had given her life to Christ]. I wouldn’t judge the fact in this representation but if Judas could sacrifice an idea he believed in through Christ for a moment with a prostitute, it then means that ideology, be it religious or social, is inferior to the human instinct for physical or emotional survival.

My good friend Rufai texted me following my initial post on WhatsApp to not attempt any image laundering for Judas. My retorts went thus: my aim is not to excuse Judas’ truly reprehensible actions. The premise of my submission is that humans are typically led by their survival instincts, and no matter the promise of the idea in front of them, if they can't connect it directly to their immediate survival, the idea would fall flat. Herein lies the lesson for leaders trying to organise people behind a movement.

The statue sculpted by Ignazio Jacometti (1854) represents Judas kissing Jesus Christ as a sign of betrayal. Getty Images

In a Two-Horse Race between Ideology and Survival, Survival Wins

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself (emphasis mine). John 18:15-18

Judas as a perfect model of human nature represents two things: humans are inherently selfish and humans do not always see the bigger picture. History is replete with stories of men who were persecuted or outrightly murdered on the basis of the ideas they espoused, often undone by the same people they are trying to enlighten, and whose interests they, sometimes, hope to articulate and advance. John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the apostles, Polycarp, Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, Ignaz Semmelweis, and Malcolm X, to name a few. I am sure you can name many others, too.

Ideas only do not suffice for mankind and as Harvard Business Review put it, human behaviours are hard-wired such that people seek out those traits that make survival possible. This implies that given a range of options, humans would instinctively gravitate towards the one that ensures survival. That is the default state of human nature and that accounts for the struggles and conflicts mankind faces today. Self-preservation (survival) is a basic instinct common to both humans and animals, and Sigmund Freud argued that this instinct motivates human behaviours.

Self-preservation underlies our behaviours. Getty Images

According to the grandmaster of psychodynamic psychology Freud, life instincts (self-preservation instinct and sexual instinct) and death instincts (self-destruction) are the primary drivers of human behaviours and underlie why we do what we do. When offered an option that does not immediately satisfy this basic instinct, humans are wont to be unreceptive until their survival is met. Life over everything. Humans rarely see the “bigger picture” and the bigger the picture gets, the harder it is for mankind to see it. This understanding is what guides economic and political strategists and it is what African politicians have mastered (check stomach infrastructure in Nigerian political parlance). Ideology avails little to Nigerian politicians and moves like the “Trademoni” Vice President Yemi Osinbajo doled out in the days leading to 2018 general elections are clear indications of how short-term palliatives are paramount to political decision making among the masses in Nigeria.

During the run up to 2018 general elections, the incumbent government of Muhammadu Buhari gave out 10,000 Naira ($26) to market women as business support under the TraderMoni scheme.

Politics is a Game of Survival not a Competition of Ideology

If anybody expected Donald Trump to win the 2016 presidential elections, they were certainly in the far minority. Hillary Clinton had the superior ideas that resonated with modern and progressive ways of thinking. Trump wanted America to be great again. How he intended to make that happen defied not only logic, but it was also sketchy and dubious. He won anyway, and till date, the smart alecs on the ideological left and even right are wondering how that happened. 

How it happened was Trump understood that at the core of every American’s values is self-preservation. The rich want to remain rich and the poor want to have their blue-collar steel and auto manufacturing industry back. He promised both of them: massive tax cuts and bailouts to the rich and block immigrants — whom the poor claim stole their jobs from them — from coming into America. He took it up a notch by taking on China for “stealing” American labour and industry. Everybody was happy. He won conveniently.

Hillary Clinton was interested in noble ideals. She wants diversity, inclusivity, and an open and welcoming America that addresses global economic and political challenges. America must be the moral standard of the world. How does that address the immediate survival of the rich and poor in America? Across the developed world, Donald Trump’s brand of self-preservation first politics, called populism, is gathering momentum. From America to Europe, ideological leaders are losing their positions to people who just want to kick immigrants out and take back their countries (cue Brexit). People are wondering why. Survival.

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The governor of the Nigerian state of Borno in the Northeast giving out money to children in his state. Nairaland

Year in, year out, intellectual Nigerians look incredulously as politicians buy votes for as low as 500 Naira ($1.3). Those who don’t understand the psychology behind it blame the recipients as selfish and short-sighted. But one thing lacking in our critique of this practice is the knowledge that poverty is the most profitable weapon for those in power. When people are poor, the need for self-preservation is basic at best and enlightened self-interest is alien. The need for food and shelter heavily influence decision making, and when politicians who are clearly working against mass interest come with a short-term reprieve from their urgent needs, they quickly sell out. Remember the birthright story of Esau and Jacob (Genesis 27:34–40)? That is exactly the power dynamics between politicians and needy masses.

But what the story of Judas taught me is that ideology is overrated and survival is more important than any big picture you have to sell to people.

The way to go for Nigerians with the means to drive change is to blend ideology with survival tactics that address the immediate needs of the masses. Fela has sung, Fawehinmi has fought, and people like Omoyele Sowore are continuing the struggle to emancipate poor Nigerians from the gruelling cycle of survival only. It has not worked so far because the masses are not able to eat while thinking of why they should demand free education and good road networks instead of cash handouts during elections. That is the stage we are in Nigeria: our needs are basic and ideas like that of Sowore and Moghalu including Tope Fasua are far-fetched for the average Nigerian because it does not urgently give them food and clothing. Even Jesus understood this when he fed 5000 people.

It is a lot of investment, and it looks like only people in power can afford such for now. That is why the movement should begin from the communities until it percolates and eventually spread regionally and nationally. It would take time and might not occur in our lifetime. But what the story of Judas taught me is that ideology is overrated and survival is more important than any big picture you have to sell to people.