The Greek noun glossokomon originally meant a case for storing mouthpieces of musical instruments, then came to mean any small box or container. In the New Testament it appears only in John 12:6 and 13:29 as the money box kept by Judas Iscariot, who served as treasurer for Jesus and His disciples.
The glossokomon becomes a symbol of misplaced trust. Judas, entrusted with the communal money, 'was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it' (John 12:6). The irony is profound: the one holding the bag of provision was himself spiritually bankrupt. The money box Judas kept could not satisfy the greed that drove him to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The account warns that proximity to Jesus and even handling His resources does not guarantee heart transformation.