Was Judas a traitor?

Both our readings tonight mention Judas Iscariot:  one of the twelve Apostles, especially chosen by Jesus, one who was with Jesus throughout his ministry up to and including the Last Supper, one whose name over the centuries has become synonymous with treachery and evil.  

I suppose it?s almost inevitable in this age of debunking theories, finding the clay feet of heroes and publishing the failings of anyone in the public eye, that those who have always been taken to be the villains are being exonerated, even praised.  So it is with Judas.  Headlines last month told us he was not the villain he?d been taken for.   I expect you have heard of the so-called ?Gospel of Judas? which the National Geographic Magazine revealed in its April edition.  It makes out that Judas was really the apostle closest to Jesus, only doing what Jesus had asked him to do.   With the popularity of conspiracy theories nowadays - as in the ?Da Vinci Code? ? how convenient - here is another conspiracy.   It is claimed that the church has covered up Judas? innocence for 2000 years.

The Gospel of Judas really is a 2^nd century document ? unlike some things quoted in The Da Vinci Code.  But in the second century the accepted version of the story of Jesus, as told in the first century gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, was being re-written by people with a very different world-view. 

They were called Gnostics (gnosis means knowledge).  They believed that:

spiritual things are good and  material things evil and that secret knowledge, given only to a few, led to escape from this ordinary material earth into a pure, spiritual life.  They lived in the multi-cultural and multi-religious world of the Roman Empire.  Gnosticism was like New Age religions ? many different forms rather than one religion.  They used the pick-and-mix method so popular today; taking parts of different religions that appealed to them and rejecting the rest.  But those who claimed to be Christian Gnostics had a big problem.  If our material bodies are evil, how could Jesus have become a man (and therefore evil)?   They decided Jesus was all spirit, not human at all.   So they had to re-write the gospels.  In several of their writings Jesus takes one disciple aside and gives them the secret knowledge.  They couldn?t agree who - in some writings it?s Peter or Mary Magdalene or Judas or another.

The early church fought against various false teaching (Paul does so in many of his epistles).  In 180 AD Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons lists the ?Gospel of Judas? among other false pseudo-Christian works.  The document disappeared until 1970, when fragments of a copy made in the 4^th century were found in Egypt.  Scientific tests show it is genuinely 4^th century, but of course that doesn?t mean it?s true.

Jesus spoke about his death and rising on the third day as he led the disciples towards Jerusalem.   In the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing he was going to die in agony on the cross, Jesus was afraid - but he didn?t run away. If Judas hadn?t betrayed him, Jesus would soon have been found and arrested.  But it was still betrayal, as is made clear in all the canonical gospels. 

I think it all pivots on Judas? motives.  Matthew says: ?When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he was filled with remorse?.  He gave the money back and hanged himself.  That doesn?t sound as if he was doing what Jesus had told him to do, nor that he meant to betray Jesus to death.  So if Judas didn?t mean Jesus to be condemned and die, what did he expect? 

Judas wanted Jesus to become his sort of Messiah: to use all his undoubted powers to convince everyone who he is, to force belief and obedience through miracles, to lead the Jews to victory over the Romans.  Judas was trying to force Jesus? hand to be the wrong sort of Messiah, relying on miracle and power in exactly the same ways as the devil did during Jesus? temptations in the desert.  Luke tells us the devil intended to return at a more ?opportune time? - and later Luke writes ?the devil entered Judas? so he betrayed Jesus.  I wonder how many times Jesus fought that temptation? Even Peter objected to the thought of Jesus? dying and was met with the words ?get behind me Satan!?.   But Peter didn?t try to force Jesus.

Judas was very down-to earth.  Remember how he handled the finances and thought the perfume the woman used to anoint Jesus was a waste of money.  It should have been put to better use.   How could such a man understand Jesus? sacrifice of his life, charisma, skills and powers?  He would see it as a monumental waste.  He can?t have thought that Jesus would really go through with his crucifixion.  So when Jesus refused to defend himself and was condemned, he realised and was filled with remorse.  No, I don?t for one minute believe what the Gnostic ?Gospel of Judas? says about secret knowledge and Jesus asking Judas to betray him.  But I do think we can see Judas? motives.

Judas? betrayal was - putting his own ideas and aspirations before those of Jesus and trying to make Jesus do what he, Judas, wanted him to do.  Choosing part and rejecting part of Jesus? teachings, much like those who pick-and-mix religions today.  Judas, in his pride, was trying to force Jesus into being his own idea of who Jesus should be.   Betrayal is the opposite of following and obeying.

We will never be in a position to betray Jesus as Judas did.  But if we choose to be Christians, if we choose to follow Jesus then it is the Jesus described in the NT who we must follow.  Not a version made up by us, taking what we like and rejecting what we don?t like, however much that fits our society?s emphasis on individuality and choice.

The same goes for Jesus? teachings.  We mustn?t use some teachings to condemn others and ignore his teaching about not judging others.  We mustn?t ignore teachings that challenge our comfortable way of life, giving lip-service only to his command to love our neighbour, especially those on the margins of society, those we don?t approve of and those who are ?not like us?.   That would be betraying his love for us.  For Jesus loves us all despite our failings, he wants us to do the same.

In prayer we can easily slip into telling God what to do.  Then become disillusioned when our prayers aren?t answered.  When we pray for someone, we are putting our own prayers alongside God?s will for our world, or placing others and ourselves in his hands.  Some prayers are cries for help, because our world can be a cruel place, or we need his help to do the things we know we should do.  Through prayer we show our trust in his care and guidance. 

Judas? story is a vivid warning to us not to put our will above that of God.  So in the Lord?s prayer, that Jesus taught us as a pattern for our prayer, we pray ?Thy will be done?.

In our reading Jesus prayed that God protect his disciples, not to take them out of the world where they would suffer, but to protect them from evil.  To help them avoid temptation and follow Jesus? example.  We pray for this every time we say: ?lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil?.

As we look forward to Pentecost we remember that it is the Holy Spirit who gives us that protection, and guidance and strength to help us to put aside our individualism and our pride in our own abilities, to align our will with God?s will and to follow Jesus.  The Jesus who taught us how much God loves us and commanded us to ?love our neighbours as ourselves?.

                                                                                                                        Amen