Wednesday, April 5, 2023
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Looking at Judas
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
So Jesus told them what to do, and they made everything ready. In the evening when he was ready to speak with them, Jesus did not hesitate.
“One of you will betray me.”
That was Judas Iscariot, of course, as we all know. Judas is prominent in every one of the Holy Week gospels. This is hardly the story of Judas, but Jesus and Judas are somewhat inextricably linked, and the lectionary texts do not make light of, or ignore that.
The fictional story I know best about Jesus and Judas is a play: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, which takes place in purgatory, where Judas is on trial for his behavior betraying Jesus. He has his defenders, including Monica, the mother of Augustine. He has his attackers, including Caiaphas and Satan himself. Jesus attempts to reconcile with Judas, but his disciple refuses. At the end of the play Jesus washes Judas’ feet with his shirt, dipped in a bowl of water. The stages goes black.
Father James Martin, editor-at-large of America Magazine, became the author and director’s spiritual assistant. None of these folks wanted to beat up on Judas, but they did want to dig as deeply as they could into the story as we know it. I do too. Why are we so fascinated?
In the play Mother Teresa quoted Thomas Merton regarding despair, the greatest sin, the unforgivable sin. Not Judas’ suicide so much as the despair which led to it. Indulging in despair ends any possibility of seeking forgiveness.
Of course we are not worthy. But God’s touch changes everything. In the Catholic mass the congregation says, as did the centurion whose servant was dying, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”
The Son of Man indeed goes, as is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
Jesus leaves little or no room for Judas to repent. I don’t understand that. I won’t use it as a prooftext. Instead, I jump ahead to the resurrection, and to its power in my life. Henri Nouwen said, “The resurrection is God’s way of revealing to us that nothing that belongs to God will ever go to waste. What belongs to God will never get lost – not even our mortal bodies.”
Did (does) Judas belong to God? Of course he did, in spite of whatever efforts he made to get away.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak, I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for consolers, but not one could I find. Rather they put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
We read these verses to describe Jesus, but don’t they describe Judas just as well?
(Isaiah 50, Psalm 69, Matthew 26)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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