Last Night: The Patron Saint of Ordinary Disciples

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” John 14:22

I answered the phone one evening to hear a gruff voice ask, "Is this Tim Robinson I'm speaking to?"

"Sure," I replied, with a shrug. When your last name is Robertson, you learn early in life there's no point in correcting all the people who call you Robinson, Robins, Roberts, Roberson, Robeson... the list is long.

Except this is the story of the day I stopped answering to the wrong name.

"This is Colonel Joe Smith (not the actual name he gave me) with the U.S. Air Force in Salt Lake City, and I'm calling to tell you that I know what you've been doing with my wife," said the man on the other end of the line, "and to warn you that I know where you live and I will hurt you if you don't stop."

I spent the next 15 minutes explaining to the guy that I'm not actually Tim Robinson, that he's got the wrong guy. He finally starts to back off when I decide the best defense is a good offense and begin repeating back to him the personal details he's given me about himself, with the promise that I'm going to call the local police when I hang up the phone. Which I finally did while he was still blowing smoke.


I picture Judas (not Judas Iscariot) becoming used to being called "the other Judas" and "not Iscariot" during the three years the disciples were traveling with Jesus. There were probably a few times when someone mistook him for the other Judas, and he would maybe just go along with it because he was tired of explaining.

We don't really know much about Judas (not Iscariot).

He was the son of someone named James, but we're not told which James.

Scholars also suspect, based on the difference in the different lists of apostles (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16, Acts 1:13) that he may also have been known as Thaddeus.

You have to wonder whether he switched to calling himself Thaddeus after Judas Iscariot tarnished his given name forever.

The Other Judas should perhaps be the patron saint of the Ordinary Disciple.

Judas-Thaddeus didn't do anything spectacularly horrible, like that other Judas, to earn himself an infamous spot in history. He also didn't do anything spectacularly fantastic, to earn eternal fame. I doubt there are any churches bearing the name St. Judas (not Iscariot) Christian Church. (Although there are a few called St. Thaddeus Church).

The other Judas was just one of the disciples, a follower of Jesus. He followed him during his ministry; he followed him to the last night and through the crucifixion and resurrection; and he continued to follow Jesus after Pentecost.

He strikes me as a pretty good choice as a patron saint, an example to follow for those who are willing to follow Jesus and now and then need to ask him "why".