What’s something you were once told that you thought was true for a really long time, but is actually false?

A big falsehood propagated in Christendom is that Jesus told his twelve apostles, “One of you shall betray me.” This lie is presented as the response of Jesus to one of the twelve, who initiated an act of betrayal, just before the act was completed.

Supposedly, Jesus announced the impending completion of this act of betrayal for two reasons.

First, Jesus told them one of them shall betray him to let the traitor know he knew about it, to give him a chance to change his mind.

In furtherance of this supposed objective, Jesus added a supposed statement of condemnation, “Woe unto that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. Better for that man if he had never been born.”

Jesus, of course, knew this effort to change the mind of the traitor would be ineffectual, so he made the effort, one must guess, just to say he tried. How ridiculous is that.

Certainly, Jesus never taught this response as the way to respond if a brother should trespass against us.

Second, Jesus told them one of them shall betray him to let them, and us, know he was not taken unawares.

Apparently, Jesus used his power to lay down his life only to restrain himself from opposing those who took his life, despite the fact he said no man takes his life from him. And, how ridiculous is that.

This big falsehood extends back in time to the first century, A.D.

Knowledge of how Jesus responded to the initiation of the act of betrayal against him, the washing of the heel lifted up against him, was confined to the twelve, and those closest to them. This knowledge was made secret after Jesus answered, “If I will that he tarry until I come, what is that to you,” after Simon Peter asked, “What shall this one do?”

Peter asked his question because he knew certain facts were known publicly (i.e., Judas made a covenant to hand over Jesus, Judas received money for making the covenant, Judas served as guide to those who took Jesus), and he suspected those facts would be used to support false narratives when cited by gossipers. “Should Judas act to preempt such gossip?," Peter might have asked.

Just as Peter suspected, people gossiped. Thereby, “betray” became added to the meaning of the Greek word which some transliterate “paradidomi.”

Consequently, attributing the word “betray” to the gospel writers, who wrote “paradidomi,” is anachronistic, and the anachronism is a deceptive lie.

Twenty-first century, A.D. scholars know “betray” is an erroneous translation, but they discount the importance of the error because they believe Judas did betray Jesus with a kiss. Simon Peter learned thereafter what Jesus did when he washed the feet of the disciples. Twenty-first century scholars have yet to learn what Jesus did.

The effect of the lie extends well beyond its contribution to the slander of Judas. The response of the twelve, “Is it I?,” each seeking only to know if it was he who was to hand over Jesus, is made to be a revelation that each doubted his loyalty to Jesus.

Even Peter (“though all should be offended in you, yet will I never be offended,” “though I should die with you, yet will I never deny you”) is made by the lie to ask, “Will I betray you?” Finally, how ridiculous is that.