Surely Not I?
Read Mark 14:9-21
“The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” –Mark 14:21
Judas Iscariot is one of the most mysterious and most tragic figures of the Bible. Like all the disciples, Judas left all he had (his home, his family, his livelihood) to follow after Jesus. He had a front-row seat to observe Jesus and to ask questions about his teaching. He was sent out with all the other disciples to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom and to cast out demons in Jesus’ name. He helped distribute bread and fish to the multitudes; he witnessed Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm. He’d seen and done it all with Jesus. And yet he chose to betray him.
We’re not fully sure why Judas made that fateful choice. Different Gospels offer different answers. Matthew and John suggest the reason was greed. (In Matthew’s gospel, Judas asked “how much” the Pharisees would pay him; John tells us that Judas regularly helped himself to the “common purse” that supported Jesus’ ministry.) Luke writes that “Satan” entered his spirit, which leaves us to ask if Judas had a choice in the matter, or whether it was all preordained. (Was this an “unclean spirit” that possessed Judas, or was it a “temptation” to which he fell prey?)
Scholars have added their own interpretations over the years. Some cast Judas as a disillusioned man. He had followed Jesus with dreams of the “new kingdom” Jesus proclaimed. When Jesus failed to capitalize on the Triumphal Entry and to lead the people in an uprising against Rome, Judas turned against him. Others suggest Judas was a true believer, but impatient. From this viewpoint, Judas wasn’t trying to betray Jesus but to force his hand, to incite the revolution that Jesus seemed hesitant to begin.
Whatever the reason, it seems clear that Judas did not foresee the full consequences of his actions. Perhaps he thought Jesus’ arrest would end in imprisonment; maybe he thought it would light the flame of revolution. But when the arrest led to Jesus’ crucifixion, Judas couldn’t live with the memory of his betrayal. He tried to return the money, but the Pharisees refused to remove his guilt from him. In despair, he hung himself. Perhaps this is why Jesus said, “Woe unto him by whose hand the Son of man is betrayed!”
When Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray him, the disciples all asked: Surely he doesn’t mean me? But maybe the more faithful response would have been for each disciple to confess—“Surely it is me!” Each disciple would betray Jesus in their own way. And each of us has shared in that betrayal as well. Like Peter, our faith sometimes falters in moments of fear and weakness. Like Judas, we don’t always see the full consequences of our actions. Every single one of us shares in the sin that nailed Jesus to the cross. It was for our world and for our shortcomings that Jesus offered his life.
So what do we do with that knowledge? We can imitate the disciples in denying our guilt and casting the blame on others—their sin is much worse than mine. We can join Judas in despair, convinced that others merit God’s grace but not ourselves. Or we can humbly give thanks, for even despite our consistent failures to live a life that pleases God, we are still welcomed and invited to the table of grace.
Jesus died even for Judas, and he died for you and me.
O Merciful Lord, You knew the betrayal of your closest friends, and You know the betrayal of my own heart. Yet You still choose to love us, and You invite us to trust in Your grace. When my own heart condemns me, remind me that Your gracious heart forgives. Amen.