Tuesday - Judas

Prayer:  Forgive us O Lord  when we forget about You.  Forgive us O Lord when we say “no” to Your call.  Forgive us O Lord when we turn away from helping those who need help.   Forgive us O Lord and grant us Your peace.  Through these readings we are given the assurance that we are always forgiven through Your Son’s death and resurrection.  Thank You O Lord.  Amen.

 

Read St. Luke 22: 1 – 6

 

Judas agrees to betray Jesus.  Ah rats.  We read this portion of Scripture each Holy Week.  We know that Judas will betray Jesus.  But just for once,  couldn’t Judas see the error of his ways and not betray Jesus?

 

As a disciple,  Judas had been taught about God and the Good News from Jesus.  But somehow he did not learn nor inwardly digest what Jesus was preaching.     The Messiah that Judas might have been looking for was a rebellious Messiah who would swoop into Jerusalem and cleanse Jerusalem of all Romans.       This didn’t happen.

 

St Luke states that Satan entered into Judas and Judas went looking for the chief priests and officers of the temple guard to discuss how he might betray Jesus.      Satan entered into Judas means  that Judas took himself away from the love of God.  

 

But what is odd about these verses is the word “betray”.    The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law already knew who Jesus was so why would they need someone to point out Jesus?      And no where in the Gospels does it mention Judas  making statements against Jesus.  Judas was not a witness at Jesus’ trail.  Judas was an accomplice -- an accomplice was forbidden in Jewish Law.  If Judas was an accomplice,  he would have been found guilty and also put on trial.

 

So why did Judas go to the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law?  Was it for the money?   Was it the Messiah of Rebels Judas was looking for wasn’t the Messiah of Jesus?        

 

So many questions and no answers.    But what is important for us today is how easy it was for Judas who had spent months and years with Jesus,  to suddenly turn away from the teachings of Jesus.      We point fingers and tsk tsk at Judas but we also need to understand how easy it is to turn away from God.   Separating ourselves from God leads to nothing-ness…. to emptiness... to isolation.   Yet this is our doing,  not God’s  doing.   

 

While God has already forgiven us,  this is why it is so important for us to pray each day-- to read scripture daily--  to worship-- to meditate upon God’s word.   We do all these things so that we do not forget the love of God.  We do all these things so that we do not turn away from God.

 

Prayer:   Almighty God,  may we never forget the great love You have shown to us.  We thank You for Your Son—our Redeemer.   Grant to us the strength and protection to carry us through all temptations of life.  But in everything,  may Your will be done.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.