There was a town named Iskaria near Jerusalem. A Jew lived there with his wife. She saw in a dream that she would give birth to a devil who would burn the entire world. She revealed what she had seen to her husband… Finally she gave birth to Judas. They kept him for two months, and then put him in a trunk and threw him into the sea and said: “If God wills, let him be saved; if not, let him be lost.”

Near the harbor there were some passersby who, seeing the chest in the deep, went and pulled it out. They opened it and found the child and took him to their town, Iskaria. But they didn’t tell anyone they found him in the sea, but that he was an orphan. His [real] parents said: “Why, don’t we take him and make him our own?” So they took him and he grew up. In the same year his mother gave birth to another child. When the children became twelve years of age, they quarreled and Judas beat the true son. The parents said to Judas: “Why did you beat our child? We have adopted you. We, my child, plan to make you both our heirs, to divide everything equally.” Hearing that he would receive an equal share with the other boy, what do you think Judas was moved by the devil to do because of his avarice? One day he took a stone and killed his brother. What did the father do? Kill him? No. He felt sorry for him. When Judas killed the boy, he became frightened and left and went to Jerusalem, where he took service with a king who gave him charge of the treasury, that is, to receive and pay monies. Why did he take service with the king? Because of his avarice he believed he had much to gain.

Where ten pennies were needed to buy fish, he would give only five. Since his parents had no children, what could they do? They went to Jerusalem to worship in Zion, which was built by Solomon. And when they went there, they liked the place and bought a farm and lived from it. Judas used to go there and buy vegetables. Time passed and one day the farmer said; “Why do you deprive me of my just due? The greens which you bought cost ten dollars and you gave me five. I will tell the king that you are unjust.” Hearing that he would be reported to the king, Judas drew a knife and killed him. The wife shouted: “What am I to do, o King? Your servant killed my husband!” The king replied: “What can I do?” The woman answered: “What do I have to live on? Who is going to support me since I am so helpless?” The king said: “Marry Judas and he’ll support you.” What could the unfortunate woman do? She married him.

One day they were talking about where each of them had come from. And, asking and inquiring, they discovered that they were mother and son. Then they said: “Woe to us.” At that time our Christ was traveling about teaching. Judas and his mother, that is, his wife, heard that he performed miracles and refused money. So Judas said: “Now is my chance to go with him and prosper.” They went to Christ and confessed and he forgave them. He told them to go back, but Judas remained and became a disciple. Our Christ immediately perceived that he was avaricious, and he gave him the money bag to control. Because of his avarice he sold our Christ for thirty pieces of silver to the Jews, and went to hell, and is burning together with the devil forever.

Do you see, my brethren, what an evil thing avarice is? The same thing was done by some priest in a village. He sold Christ because of his avarice – for money. And God cut his life short with a bad death like Judas’ and he went to hell and is burning with the devil. Did you understand, my brethren, the message of what happens to whoever is afflicted with the passion of avarice? He suffers the same fate as Judas.

St. Kosmas of Aitolos
Source: Again and Again