Judas and I

Traditionally Judas has never received much sympathy in the Christian tradition. He gets a bad wrap most of the time and I am not saying that much of it is not deserved but neither am I quite certain that he is simply the devil in disguise. After all, Jesus saw something human enough and worthy enough to choose him as a personal disciple. I also have a feeling that today he would make a very shrewd businessman.

I have been thinking about him for the past several days and I don't think he is that different from me really, probably not much different than any of us. Anyone who was raised with little money or with an eye towards saving can see why he was critical of the woman who spent a year's salary on perfume and then lavishly and extravagantly poured it on Jesus' feet. Judas was a pragmatist like many of those who build multi-functional church facilities these days instead of beautiful and hallowed places of worship. There is nothing wrong with being pragmatic and I learned a long time ago that we all have ways that we splurge and we all have ways that we save so I'm probably better off suspending my judgement.

Of course that is not why we find Judas so unforgivable. The reason is that he betrayed Jesus, not just with his actions or with his words but with the intimacy of a kiss. And even though he regretted it so much that he gave back the money and killed himself over it yet, still, it doesn't seem quite enough.

One of my professors in seminary used to say that "sin is wishing God were dead", and if he is even close to the truth, then Judas simply did what all of us wish we could have done. So in the end, it was not just the Jews or the Romans or Pontius Pilate or Peter or Judas who betrayed and killed Jesus... No... In the end it was me... And many times I did it with a kiss.