Judas

Today is recognized by the Church as the day Judas betrayed Jesus. Reflecting on today’s readings I wondered if Judas had a moment of pause when Jesus called him out. Matthew says from that moment on, he looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus. He’s thinking… looking… waiting… determining when. It had to always be in the forefront of his mind. Then as they are eating, Jesus announces to the whole room, “truly I say” meaning, I’m not joking, I’m not trying to determine IF someone will, I know for a fact that one of you is going to betray me. If that were me my heart would start to race, adrenaline would pump through my veins, and hairs would start to stand up on the back of my neck. My mind would race with thoughts like, how did he know… did he have me followed… is he really who he says he is? We know Judas had second thoughts but only after he followed through. Did Judas truly love Jesus? Or did he love the power he believed would come with the Kingdom and the Glory Jesus talked about? Did his pride get in the way? Where did he get the audacity to ask Jesus "is it I"? Thematically it feels a lot like the story I’ve heard about the fall of Lucifer… perhaps I’m just slow to come to that realization. It puts a different light on the work of the devil… not one that was unknown, just not focused on before.


Matthew 26: 14 - 25
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14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover?" 18 He said, "Go into the city to a certain one, and say to him, `The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples.'" 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover. 20 When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples; 21 and as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." 22 And they were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" 23 He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me, will betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Is it I, Master?" He said to him, "You have said so."