Making allowances for a traitor
It has become fashionable to make excuses for Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus. Good Christians think they are not to pass judgment on other people’s actions or opinions. Compassionate people try to understand and make allowance for someone who betrays a friend.
There are theories about why Judas did it. The most likely one is that Judas expected Jesus to lead an uprising against the occupying Roman forces, because Jesus was not acting quickly enough Judas tried to hurry things by a confrontation that would compel Jesus to start a revolution. Yes it probably was just like that.
So he made a mistake! Was it so serious? Don't we all make mistakes? Judas was just trying to do what he thought best.
After all Jesus intended to make himself an offering to God, and was ready to die, so was it so serious that Judas would be the man who started the whole thing in motion? Would Jesus blame him for taking matters into his own hands? There was money involved and perhaps Judas had been deprived in his youth. Jesus would make allowances for him.
It comes as a shock to hear what Jesus said, "One of the people eating at this table with me is going to betray me, and it would have better for that man if he had not been born." How terrible. How did Judas react? He immediately asked Jesus if he knew who it was who was going to betray him. Jesus made it clear that he did, and then said, 'Go and do what you have to do." The other bit, the bit about it being better not to have been born, didn't seem to have registered on Judas. I suppose he was still thinking that he could explain it all when it was over and that Jesus would make allowances. Jesus understands doesn't he?
Judas probably reasoned that if Jesus didn’t want him to do it Jesus would have stopped him. Actually the warning should have stopped him, but it didn’t. It didn't go as Judas had planned, and before mid-day the next day, Jesus was dead. Judas committed suicide.
"Better not to have been born." was a warning. Judas chose not to think about it. Jesus issued a lot of warnings; mostly we don't think about them. They are so unlike the image we have of Jesus as a kind understanding person, making allowances for us.
The whole story of Judas is a warning, a present day warning. Like Judas, we prefer to trust our own wisdom and manage our own lives.
(Mark 14 verses 18 ff)
There are theories about why Judas did it. The most likely one is that Judas expected Jesus to lead an uprising against the occupying Roman forces, because Jesus was not acting quickly enough Judas tried to hurry things by a confrontation that would compel Jesus to start a revolution. Yes it probably was just like that.
So he made a mistake! Was it so serious? Don't we all make mistakes? Judas was just trying to do what he thought best.
After all Jesus intended to make himself an offering to God, and was ready to die, so was it so serious that Judas would be the man who started the whole thing in motion? Would Jesus blame him for taking matters into his own hands? There was money involved and perhaps Judas had been deprived in his youth. Jesus would make allowances for him.
It comes as a shock to hear what Jesus said, "One of the people eating at this table with me is going to betray me, and it would have better for that man if he had not been born." How terrible. How did Judas react? He immediately asked Jesus if he knew who it was who was going to betray him. Jesus made it clear that he did, and then said, 'Go and do what you have to do." The other bit, the bit about it being better not to have been born, didn't seem to have registered on Judas. I suppose he was still thinking that he could explain it all when it was over and that Jesus would make allowances. Jesus understands doesn't he?
Judas probably reasoned that if Jesus didn’t want him to do it Jesus would have stopped him. Actually the warning should have stopped him, but it didn’t. It didn't go as Judas had planned, and before mid-day the next day, Jesus was dead. Judas committed suicide.
"Better not to have been born." was a warning. Judas chose not to think about it. Jesus issued a lot of warnings; mostly we don't think about them. They are so unlike the image we have of Jesus as a kind understanding person, making allowances for us.
The whole story of Judas is a warning, a present day warning. Like Judas, we prefer to trust our own wisdom and manage our own lives.
(Mark 14 verses 18 ff)
posted by Jessie Coates at 4:39 PM
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