Respect Judas

Readings: IS 50:4-9A; MT 26:14-25

I have always loved the line from Isaiah, “GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.”

In my profession as a counselor, this really resonates for me, but I also think about it as spiritual practice and maybe even one of the works of mercy.

In addition to feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, visiting the sick, etc. I think about offering words of encouragement and uplift to each other.  What might we say to another that will rouse their spirit?

The gospel today tells the story of how Judas plotted against Jesus in exchange for silver.  Judas has gotten a very bad rap over the years, and my guess is that the situation was far more complex that it was portrayed. My hope is that we learn to “re-spect” Judas (from the root word “to look again”) on our Lenten journey.

Judas is painted as a greedy man, and, perhaps, that was all there was to it.  But that does not fit entirely with my experience of human relationships.  People have speculated about Judas’ motives over the years, and I offer some of them here for reflection/consideration because I think Judas has a lot to offer us in terms of spiritual reflection.

One theory about Judas is that he was a kind of militant who was actually disappointed that Jesus was not doing MORE to overthrow the political and religious leaders.  He recognized Jesus’ power and could not understand why Jesus didn’t use it.  Some speculate that his betrayal was actually a set up in order to get Jesus to act in the garden.  But, instead, Jesus chose a nonviolent path, and Judas did not see it coming that Jesus would rather die than start a war.

Another theory is that Judas was from a different region than the other disciples and grew tired of what he might have perceived as preferential treatment of those close to Jesus.   People like Peter may have gotten all of the attention, and Judas felt left out of the equation.  Jealousy and resentment can lead us to do some pretty rash things sometimes.

And theologian Barbara Brown Taylor posits an explanation in one of her sermons that I had not heard before.  She says that

 Maybe [Judas] just fell out of love with Jesus. That happens sometimes. One day you think someone is wonderful and the next day he says or does something that makes you think twice. He reminds you of the difference between the two of you and you start hating him for that – for the difference – enough to begin thinking of some way to hurt him back.

He just fell out of love with Jesus.

We all might be able to relate to that somehow – especially if we have gone through some rough patches in a relationship and/or a painful separation or rupture.  We might also relate if we’ve been disillusioned by someone or if we attach to them the parts of ourselves that we can’t stand.  Whatever the case, when we start to go down that road and we don’t take steps to address our own woundedness, it usually doesn’t end well.

All of us have been betrayed and hurt in relationships somehow, and today’s readings honor that grief that we feel.  And the reality is that almost all of us have betrayed and hurt others in relationships because of our shortsightedness, our pettiness, our own jealousy or selfishness.  It is an easy thing to demonize Judas.  It is less easy to identify with him and learn from him as a teacher.

For today, just hold the pain of relationships that have not ended well – no matter whose “fault” it was that they ended this way.  Notice who you want to hurt back because they hurt you somehow.  Feel that grief and trust that God is with you on the journey as you release the pain.