Morsel of bread
Wednesday of Holy Week
12th April 2017
Judas is portrayed as
the bad man of our faith. John pulls no punches. He is described as a thief,
greedy and the one who betrays Jesus. But there is also a sense in which Judas
is portrayed as being obedient to Jesus, close to him and an essential player
in bringing Jesus to ‘his hour’ of glory upon the cross.
Today we think of
Jesus, betrayed by a friend.
The first thing to note
is that Judas is a friend, not an enemy. He is on the inside of the circle. He
may have been the treasurer of the group – trusted with what little possessions
they shared.
The second thing to
note is that Jesus is deeply committed to Judas and to the rest of the
disciples. According to John 13, Jesus has just washed all their feet as a sign of love – including
Peter, who had initially rejected such a sign. Judas puts up no battle and
allows Jesus to wash his feet. And yet, Jesus knows that Judas is going to
reject that sign of love with his actions.
The third thing to note
is that Judas does what Jesus tells him to do – and does it quickly. Judas is
obedient, yet disobedient. Judas is that mixture which we often see in
ourselves.
The final thing I would
like to note is that Jesus hands Judas a piece of bread – his very body – as
the sign that he is to go out into the night. This is one of the most extraordinary
acts of Jesus, to my mind. Even though he knows Judas is going to hand him over
to his enemies, Jesus still offers him the sign of his broken body to eat and
take with him into the night. It seems to me a sign of the offer of continued
relationship.
Both Peter and Judas
betray Jesus. Judas hands him over to his enemies, Peter denies him. But we see
in the two men two different responses. Peter is bitterly disappointed in
himself but hangs on for Jesus to restore him. Judas is bitterly disappointed in
himself and hangs himself before Jesus can restore him.
No matter how much we
have let down Jesus – or others whom we love – there is always a way back. The
path of the cross takes us to face up to our own betrayals – ways in which we
have let down others, even done something we consider unforgivable. And yet,
the Gospel account is full of grace and truth. The truth faces up to the
reality, the grace offers forgiveness and restoration. May we learn the path of
Peter, so close to Judas, who was brave enough to hang on for forgiveness,
healing and restoration.
I see a similarity between King Saul and David, and Judas and Peter. Once Saul realised that God was angry with him, he did nothing to try restore that relationship. David, on the other hand, cried out to God for forgiveness. I marvel at how David was called a man after God's own heart. It reminds me how much we are loved by God despite our sinfulness.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what would have happened if Judas had fallen at Jesus' feet and begged forgiveness after the resurrection. Was it too late for Judas? Had Judas sold himself to the Devil? Was the bottom line that Judas didn't believe that Jesus was the son of God? Is that what differentiated him from Peter, who did know that Jesus was the son of God?
I find this blog difficult to respond to. Judas is a complicated character, and it is difficult to wrestle with his responsibility and the purposes and plan of God. And as is often the case it raises yet more questions in me, and a mixed bag of thoughts.
ReplyDeleteDo you think shame and guilt can get in the way of someone feeling able to seek forgiveness?
Is the thought of merciful love just too overwhelming to accept?
And why do some find it so hard to let go of shame and guilt, but others can, with support?
It's also made me think about those in our prison system, convicted for doing wrong. I was talking at the weekend with someone who works with offenders, who loves her job, especially when there is the reward of seeing some change and rehabilitate. Rehabilitation must always remain a possibility in our criminal justice system.
I also read again John's Gospel account of the arrest of Jesus this morning. Unlike the Synoptic Gospels there is no kiss from Judas. He leads the soldiers and religious leaders to the Garden where Jesus was, but that is all. It is Jesus who is in control of the situation and asks them who they are looking for, and when they ask "Jesus of Nazareth" he says "I am he". Nothing more is said about Judas. Would it be too much to suggest here is Jesus still loving Judas relieving him of the need for the kiss of betrayal?
I return to words from the Eucharistic Prayer:
"To the darkness Jesus came as your light.
With signs of faith and words of hope
he touched untouchables with love and washed the guilty clean."
Do the guilty include Judas? Was he forgiven?
I've found today's blog really interesting. When I first learnt these stories it was straightforward. Peter was the goodie who made a mistake, Judas was the baddie who deserved damnation. The comparison of Peter and Judas in the blog puts them on a par. In denying Jesus Peter betrayed him and in betraying Jesus Judas denied him.
ReplyDeleteAs I've grown older I have realised that things are seldom as straightforward as they appear at first glance. Some years ago I came across the idea that Judas was expecting Jesus to fit the popular expectation of the Messiah - a heroic fighter and leader. In betraying Jesus he was trying to provoke Jesus into showing his power, raising an army, throwing out the Romans and reestablishing the kingdom. In my thought today it seems that to Judas Jesus words could well have a confirmation of that and almost that Jesus was encouraging what Judas was doing. The reality must have been a desperate disillusionment to Judas, apart from the horror of betraying a friend to such a terrible death.
Today I've thought about the resurrection appearances and how Jesus met with people and gave them something special. He turned Mary's tears of grief into tears of joy. He gave Cleopas and his friend (maybe even his wife or daughter) a detailed exposition of the Old Testament writings about the Messiah and the inevitability of his suffering and death. From Thomas, faithful Thomas according to the vicar of a previous church, because his insistence on seeing the wounds of Christ he gave us the confirmation that this is the risen, crucified Christ. Peter at the breakfast by the Sea of Galilee is given the chance to confirm his love and service to Christ three times to make up for his three denials.
I wonder how Jesus would have spoken to Judas and would he have found a way of bringing thirty and silver coins into it to heal the failure and give a depth of understanding of his love, compassion and salvation. Would he have done it in front of all the disciples as he did with Peter and Thomas to demonstrate the reality of his forgiveness and to confirm Judas's acceptance back within the twelve, and maybe mean that John in his gospel would be less judgemental?