Today is known as “spy Wednesday” and we see Judas setting up Jesus’ arrest with the religious leaders. There are hundreds of theories about why Judas betrayed Jesus. The Gospel simply says he was a despicable thief. Some theories say he was trying to force Jesus to act and bring about the new reign of God through political means or a violent revolution against the Romans. He could have been, at best, some sort of a mistaken, misguided double agent. Whether his initial intentions were good or evil, the Gospel clearly labels him as a traitor. The result of his actions is his own death through suicide.
All of us can identify with Judas as we constantly separate ourselves from Jesus’ mission and plan. It is so easy for us to excuse and justify our actions. How often have we programed our supposedly Christian lives editing out portions of Jesus’ teachings and inserting our own? At best we become a “sort of Christian” or a “lukewarm Christian”. We are not signs of the resurrected Christ. We do not have the well-trained tongue of a disciple. We become anti-signs, buried within the culture that surrounds us. There is nothing new or good – no Good News. Just a little bit of morality painted over a dead culture. This produces an experience of death in us and destroys our capacity to give a true witness that should call others to the Church.
It is amazing to see how Jesus is open to having Judas as a member of the twelve apostles. Even though Judas has a divergent idea about Jesus’ mission, Jesus keeps Judas in the group. Even though his ideas may have been based on good intentions or even evil intentions, Jesus lets Judas stay in the group. Jesus offers his own plate to Judas and allows him to eat from that plate. This is an action that one does only with family or very close friends. Judas is present for the first celebration of the mass, the first communion ever – at the Last Supper.
Love, forgiveness and pardon are central in the life of Jesus – even when that forgiveness leads to his own death. Our life as Christians is centered on sharing with others the love, pardon and peace we have received from. The center of our lives as Christians is the joy of be invited to be part of Jesus’ live, of being invited into his friendship, of being invited to share communion with him in spite of all our mixed intentions and actions. It is our mission to share that joy and peace with others.
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
And I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
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