But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,
Judas Iscariot the son of Simon Iscariot (6:71). Judas and his father were both called “Iscariot” or “man of Kerioth” in the tribe of Judah (Jos 15:21,25). Judas is the only one of the twelve disciples who was not a Galilean.
John 6:71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
Joshua 15:21 The southernmost towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev towards the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
Joshua 15:25 Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor),
Judas is the last one named in all three of the lists of disciples given in the Synoptic gospels (Matt 10:4, Mr 3:19, Lu 6:16), and the same designation of infamy is attached to him in each case. His name is not among those in the list in Acts, because he was then dead (Acts 1:13,18).
Matthew 10:4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Mark 3:19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Luke 6:16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Acts 1:13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
Acts 1:18 (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
“objected” = Interestingly enough, Judas is not the only disciple that objects to the “waste” of the nard (Matt 26:8, Mark 14:4), but by John giving his name alone, it would seem that he was the spokesman for them and probably the one who initiated the negative response.
Matthew 26:8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.
Mark 14:4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?
Judas is representative of two groups of people who are really the same: the world who doesn’t believe in or follow Jesus and those in the church who claim to be Christians but in their hearts are just like the world. Judas (and the not-yet-mature disciples) cannot understand why this expensive perfume would be “wasted” on Jesus when it could have brought relief to the poor, but the world would have been much “poorer” had Mary never poured out the nard upon Jesus. Worldly-minded people cannot understand Christian sacrifice. They place no value at all upon Jesus so they view our gifts to Him as a “waste.” They fail to realize that we owe our lives to Him, not to mention our re-established relationship with the Holy God whose existence they do not recognize. Missionary Jim Elliot said it this way, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim went on to die at the hands of the Auca Indians in Ecuador while trying to bring the gospel to them. The response of the world was a great outcry to prevent missionaries from putting their lives in peril by denying them access to primitive areas. The response of God’s people was that Elliot’s wife and others went back to Ecuador and evangelized the tribe and some of the very men who killed her husband.