I’ve decided to make Judas a former disciple of John the Baptist. We know that at least two of John’s disciples switched over to Jesus; I’m making the total number three in these plays, and making Judas one of them. This connection opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities!
John is thus the forerunner to Jesus not only in terms of their mission in this world, but as a possible Messiah followed by Judas. Before he even dreams of betraying Jesus, Judas will be faced with the problem of what to do about John. In this play, he comes to no firm decision, but it plants the seeds of his future trajectory through these stories. We see in this play his zeal and idealism, and his reaction when he runs into the mystery of a Kingdom more complicated than anything he imagined.
Stay tuned for further developments in next week’s play, which will also be about Judas and John the Baptist!