c. 1997 Religion News Service
(Samuel K. Atchison is an ordained minister and has worked as a policy analyst and social worker to the homeless. He currently is a prison chaplain in Trenton, N.J.)
UNDATED _ He is perhaps the most reviled person in history. Known throughout the ages as both a thief and a traitor, his name is synonymous with treachery. Yet for all that has been said about him, one question comes to mind: Who really was Judas Iscariot?
To be sure, many commentators have grappled with the question. How could they not? As Clarence Macartney notes in his book,”Of Them He Chose Twelve”(Baker):”The end and beginning in him perplex and baffle us.” Not that the other disciples were paragons of virtue.
Indeed, from the crooked tax collector Matthew, to the boisterous Simon Peter, to James and John, who sought prominence in the heavenly kingdom, Jesus’ disciples were a decidedly motley crew.
Nonetheless, it is Judas, with all his moral contradictions, who holds our fascination. He is the disciple Christians love to hate.
But is our condemnation altogether justified? Is there not a bit of Judas in all of us?
For example, John 13:30 says that Judas”went out immediately”to betray Jesus after receiving”the sop”Jesus offered him at the Last Supper.
In Eastern cultures, a meal often included, among other things, a large loaf of unleavened bread and a bowl containing a mixture of sauces. At such gatherings, the host would often tear off a piece of bread, dip it in the bowl and offer”the sop”to one of his guests in a gesture of friendship.
Thus, the significance of Judas’ action cannot be overstated: He coldly accepted Jesus’ offer of friendship while simultaneously plotting his demise.
Yet isn’t that typical of many who purport to follow Jesus? Don’t some Christian accept his gestures of friendship _ his blessings _ while remaining committed to their own agenda? For example, isn’t the person who prays for guidance and then does what he knows is wrong acting like Judas?
Consider as well Judas’ trusted position as the group’s treasurer, a trust he rewarded by embezzling funds. Isn’t such behavior all too common? Don’t many of us violate, on some level, the trust placed in us?
How like the betrayer some Christians are! How like Judas!
Macartney notes that”the mystery of human nature”includes both”the mystery of evil”and”the mystery of good.”Such mysteries, moreover, are inherent in us all.
It seems to me the real tragedy of Judas’ life was not his betrayal of Jesus, but his failure to seek forgiveness. The religious leaders with whom he plotted had no words of comfort for him when, in remorse, he sought to return their money.
Worse yet, Jesus’ message of grace and forgiveness _ the same message Judas had heard throughout Jesus’ ministry _ had failed to penetrate Judas’ heart. As a result, he committed suicide, never realizing the person he betrayed was willing to forgive him.
That forgiveness remains available to the Judas in all of us. Only by receiving it will we be different than he was.
MJP END ATCHISON
