Wednesday in Holy Week: What Do We Make of Judas?

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 50:4-9a (NRSV)

The Lord GOD has given me

the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain

the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens--

wakens my ear

to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord GOD has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

The Lord GOD helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

It is the Lord GOD who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Psalm 70 (BCP., p.682)


Hebrews 12:1-3 (NRSV)

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.

John 13:21-32 (NRSV)

At supper with his friends, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples-- the one whom Jesus loved-- was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival"; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once."

Blog Reflection

Earlier this week, my husband Jason and I had a conversation together about Judas.  In this discussion, Jason and I asked the following question.   "Should we really assume that God condemned Judas?"

I have several problems with the idea that Judas might be condemned.  One of which, if it was Jesus' purpose to give His life on the Cross to redeem us all from our sins, then didn't Judas do God's will when he handed Him over for the 30 pieces of silver?   The very idea that Judas would betray Jesus fulfills a prophesy in Isaiah.  Secondly, given that we believe that God forgives all our sins through the Paschal Mystery in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, why wouldn't the soul of Judas also be saved?   The last problem with this whole thing with Judas that I have, is that I am not a believer in the Calvinist theology of predestination.   I do not personally believe that Judas was predestined to betray Jesus and his soul go to hell for it.

Among the problems we have with the traditional understanding of Judas, is that for centuries people equated mental illness and suicide with some kind of spiritual crisis.  Therefore, if Judas did in fact betray Jesus, Judas would have been condemned because he did betray Jesus and he committed suicide rather than asked forgiveness as Peter did after Peter denied Jesus three times.  

We now think and believe that mental illness does not mean that one is demon possessed.  We also now believe that someone who commits suicide, while very tragic, that their soul is most likely in the hands of our very merciful God.   Another thing we know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that when Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, Jesus most certainly still loved him.

I think we have to be very careful about making an individual like Judas into a scapegoat, while we ignore the very presence of bias and hypocrisy in our own hearts.   All of us at some point of time do something that betrays Jesus in some way, shape or form.  Yet, God forgives us through God's mercy in Christ. 

At the same time, Judas is a reminder of some very deep realities. 

All of us, including Jesus understands the tragedy of being betrayed by our best friend.  Every time I pray Psalm 41, I think that the words of verse 9 are something Jesus identified with.   "Even my best friend, whom I trusted, who broke bread with me, has lifted up his heel and turned against me."

Also, in any of the plans we make, if we are not careful we can easily be betraying our best friend, rather than helping her/him.

Before we eat at the Lord's Table tomorrow night on Maundy Thursday, we might want to reflect on how we perceive those who are different from ourselves.  Whom are we looking at, and thinking they must not belong there with us?   What responsibility are we taking for what we do, and how it affects others beyond ourselves?   What kinds of deals are we making that betray Jesus in our neighbors?

We need to reflect on the fact that the Holy Eucharist is about whom we include, not whom we justify ourselves for excluding.  It is not about us indulging in our stereotypes of others.   The Holy Eucharist is the Presence of Christ in the Bread and Wine, which represents His presence in one another.

Amen.


Prayer

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be
whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept
joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the
glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.220).