"Judas" is an unlikely choice
today for a son's name! It is one that has acquired an underlying sense of
evil, not unlike "Satan." What do we know about Judas Iscariot, THE Judas that
darkened that name forever? He was one of the twelve apostles, the son of Simon
Iscariot; the origin of the name "Iscariot" is debated. No doubt Jesus chose
Judas to be an apostle, because of his potential; we may assume that at the
outset of Jesus' ministry Judas was enthusiastic. He was so trusted that he was
treasurer of the Apostles and may have been positioned in a place of trust,
quite close to Jesus at The Last Supper.
The motives for Judas's
betrayal of Jesus are uncertain. We can speculate that his enthusiasm cooled,
that he resented Jesus' indifference to many customs as well as his
associations with tax collectors and sinners; perhaps Judas was disappointed in
the lack of power shown by Jesus at an expected showdown in Jerusalem, or that
he came to believe sincerely that Jesus was just another false messiah, a
deceiver who should be done away with. Or, was it matter of pure greed? Or, was
he trying to manipulate Jesus into a last minute show of supernatural force
against the political authorities?
In any case, Judas took the
most despicable route open to him; he committed tine worst sin known to the
Bible: an act of raw betrayal, the surrender to a seductive, diabolical
spirit ready to devour goodness. To be sure, "betrayal" is at the core of all
human sin. Adam and Eve betrayed their Creator, and they suffered a
self-inflicted alienation; Delilah betrayed Samson, and their relationship
turned tragic; less momentous was Peter's temporary infidelity to Christ,
hurtful to both of them, I'm sure. It's painful enough to be betrayed by an
employer, a supervisor, a political representative, a teacher or priest; but,
to be betrayed by a trusted family member or close friend has its own unique
anguish. For whatever reason or reasons, friend Judas did the worst thing he
could do to Jesus, a betrayal to torture and death. I wonder whether the
heartbreak of that treachery was as severe for Jesus as the physical pain he
endured.
In the villain Judas you and I
are confronted not only by an evil past event, but also by the possibilities in
our own lives for devastating acts of betrayal committed by us and inflicted on
us. Like Judas, we might betray in horrid ways those who do not meet our
expectations; somewhat like Christ, we might suffer betrayal by those whose
expectations we do not meet. Less obvious are our betrayals of the Creator's
purposes whenever we exploit the environment and other persons, by "things done
and left undone."
This is not a "feel-good"
sermon. Rather it is a call to you and to me to examine whether we ask
unthinkingly or with cunning like Judas, "Is it I?" But, we would not dare
consider such a bleak challenge, were it not within the context of all that is
meant by Good Friday and Easter.