Not so much what the evangelists wrote of Judas directly, but what they wrote of the sayings of Jesus determines ultimately the understanding of the story of Judas.
Not the facts that he was a thief, and that he betrayed Jesus, and that he hanged himself, but the sayings of Jesus - that he was come to save the lost, that trespasses ought to be forgiven, and that to come after him one must take up his cross and follow him - these tell the story of Judas.
To deny the illumination shed upon the story by the sayings of Jesus is to deny Jesus himself.
Judas was a sinner. (John 12:6)
Jesus came to save sinners. (Mark 2:17)
Judas was lost. (John 17:12)
Jesus came to save that which was lost. (Matt 18:11)
Judas lifted up his heel against Jesus. (John 13:18)
Jesus washed it. (John 13:5)
Judas hanged himself. (Matt 27:5)
Jesus hanged himself. (John 10:18)
Judas found his life. (Matt 16:25)
Jesus took up his life again. (John 10:17)
Judas will be raised at the last day. (John 6:39)
Jesus will raise him. (John 6:39)
The condemnation of Judas by the world is a great falling away from everything Jesus taught. It stems from persistence in that spirit of Satan which opposed the delivering up of Jesus by his Father. The key to recognizing this spirit was given to Peter when Jesus rebuked his manifestation of it: "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." (Matt 16:21,22,23,24)
In rejecting the things that be of God, men reject God. And that which they worship is not God. Indeed, that man of sin, the son of perdition, is greater than that which they worship, because he overcame that spirit of Satan which entered him, but which they serve.
I offer these words only in my own name.
No comments:
Post a Comment