HAVE YOU?
Have you come across the names like Andrew, Peter, James, John, Bartholomew or Philip?
I am sure you would have.
But Have you come across anyone with the name 'Judas'?
Probably you would not have. The reason is because he is the one who betrayed Jesus. His name is considered as curse.
AT THE DAWN OF ALL SOULS DAY
On the dawn of All Souls Day, I was thinking, rather wondering, whether should I pray for the soul of Judas, one who betrayed Jesus.
Was he in Purgatory or was he condemned to Hell already?
Lot was going on in my mind.
Was he such a criminal to be condemned to Hell?
Was not Pharoah did more cruel things than Judas did?
Was not Esau in the old testament, who sold his birthright for the sake of one meal, more bad than judas?
How about the Romans who tortured and mocked Jesus Christ and led him to be crucified on the cross? Were they better than Judas?
The betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot is something many Christians are convinced that Judas is in hell.
I used to be one of them.
But let us look at the Gospel narrations of Judas, from where we get our opinion about Judas.
John indicates that Judas was greedy and had previously committed theft to obtain money (John 12:5-6)
Matthew portrays Judas as telling the chief priests, “‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him” (Matt. 26:15-16).
Luke also mentions a commitment to pay Judas (Luke 22:5)
Interestingly, Mark gives an interesting incident about a woman with a jar of oil in Mark 14: 3-5
3 While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.
4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted?
5 For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” So they grumbled against her.
WAS JUDAS UPSET?
when this passage is completed, the next verse says:
10 Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests, that he might deliver him to them.
This suggests that Judas was not happy about the anointing of Jesus with an expensive oil.
Not because it is expensive, but then Jesus told: 'She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying'
Judas—like the other disciples—expected Jesus to be a political Messiah who would kick out the Romans and restore national sovereignty to Israel (John 6:15, 11:48-50; Acts 1:6).
However, Jesus did not intend to be this type of Messiah. Perhaps Judas disagreed, and by forcing him into a confrontation with the chief priests, Judas was hoping to force him back onto what he regarded as the proper path for the Messiah.
But Jesus was anointed and speaking about his death. Probably, this must have been the cause of upset and betrayal.
Why would someone who had followed Jesus for three years suddenly decide to betray his master?
Is the opportunity for some quick cash really a sufficient motive?
or if devil entered into him and made him betray, why would he feel this way?
“When Judas, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matt. 27:3-4).
So maybe Judas just meant to put Jesus in contact with the chief priests and didn’t realize they would condemn him.
Why is there remorse if driven by devil?
We all know what the Gospel writers think about Judas because they were together and they have every reason to blame him, as a normal human tendency.
We all know how biblically Judas is interpreted:
“Son of Perdition.”
“It were better for that man if he had never been born!”
Historians interpret what could have been the possible mindset of Judas. Could it have been, money as a motive?
or could it have been disappointment with regards to the Messianic leadership expectation?
What I want to do now is to understand Judas from the humanistic perspective.
For this to happen, I would like to cite an imaginative dialogue from the movie called "Jesus Christ, the Super star" between Judas and Jesus.
Jesus: One of the twelve chosen will leave to betray me.
Judas: Cut out the dramatics Jesus. You know very well who.
Jesus: Why don't you go do it?
Judas: You want me to do it.
Jesus: Hurry, they are waiting for you.
Judas: If you knew why I do it?
Jesus: I don't care why you do it? Just do it.
Judas: You wanted me to do it.
What if I just stayed here and ruined your ambition? See where you have brought us to. Our ideas die around us and all because of you. But saddest cut of all, someone has to turn you in like a common criminal
Jesus: get out, they are waiting.
The above dialogue must have been done from the humanistic perspective and especially from Judas' point of view.
It must have been really hard for Judas to betray him with whom
he has lived...
walked the villages ...
seen the multiplication of loaves ...
tasted the new wine at the wedding of Cana
witnessed the raising of Lazarus
scared to see Jesus walking on the sea
listened to the Beatitudes
literally lived the life of the Chosen twelve.
MIND VOICE OF JUDAS:
I imagine the mind voice of poor Judas in this way before he chose to end his life:
Jesus I know you can't hear my voice but I only did what you asked me to do it.
I don't know how to love you.
I could have chosen not to betray you. i did have that choice but I gave space to Satan at that moment.
I don't know why your death still disturb my mind.
I didn't believe that you would resurrect from the dead. Had I believed, I would have waited for you to come and embrace me and say, My good Judas, your faith has brought you back to the Kingdom of God.
I believed that you are just like anyone else.
When you are cold and dead, will I be on your mind?
Would you still love me?
Would you still care?
God, you knew all the time but I never ever know why you CHOSE me?
WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE?
When we examine the story of Judas, we are forced to look into a mirror. We often trash Judas and speak of his betrayal as if we ourselves are living the flawless Christian life.
It is true we could be so close to Jesus and still fall out of Grace.
That's one of the lessons we learn from Judas.
WHO ARE WE TO HATE?
But what is faith if we hate others for their mistakes?
If God operated on our standards of grace, He would have to reject every single one of us.
JUDAS - A BROKEN SOUL
Both Peter and Judas betrayed Jesus.
Peter denied Him three times, yet he found the courage to return, and today we celebrate him.
Judas was overcome with immense guilt and remorse—a feeling we all experience—yet, lacking the hope or belief that he could be forgiven, he ended his life.
Instead of viewing him with compassion as a broken soul who lost hope, the world labeled him as the ultimate villain.
WHY WE NEED VILLAINS?
Human nature craves a scapegoat.
Blaming Judas is easy;
By creating a historical villain to direct their hatred toward, people satisfy their own self-righteousness while ignoring Jesus’s central commandment: to love one another.
WHAT'S PRIORITY?
As we reflect on Judas, perhaps the real question isn't whether Judas deserved forgiveness, but whether we have the humility and grace to offer the same unconditional love that Jesus showed to everyone—including those who fall.
SHOULD WE PRAY FOR JUDAS?
As Pope Benedict said,
“Even though he went to hang himself, it is not up to us to judge his gesture, substituting ourselves for the infinitely merciful and just God.”
It thus appears that we don’t have conclusive proof that Judas is in hell, and there is still a ray of hope for him.
This ALL SOULS DAY, let us thank God for his mercy upon all of us.
It is a mercy that might extend . . . even to Judas.
