A prayer of Judas Iscariot for the servants of God

        The preacher holds up in his left hand an imaginary bible which he has opened randomly. He closes his eyes and proceeds with his right index finger to scan down an imaginary page until, at a fateful moment, his finger stops, his eyes open, and out loud, he pretends to read,

        "Judas went and hanged himself."
 
        After flipping pages randomly, he scans down the new page, stops, opens his eyes and pretends to read this time,

        "Go thou and do likewise."
 
        The preacher isn't seeking guidance from God, but he's ridiculing a manner of seeking guidance to which many resort when they are at their wit's end.
 
        Our preacher beholds the mote in his brother's eye. Let's consider the beam that is in his own.

        Jesus presented himself as one who came to save that which was lost. Further, he identified that which was lost as the son of perdition. (Matt 18:11; John 17:12)

        The tradition of men identifies that son of perdition as Judas Iscariot, but it rejects the idea of his salvation (and thereby Jesus as his savior, as Jesus presented himself).
 
        Ultimately, in their argument for the failure of Jesus to save that which was lost, they cite the phrase, "[He] went and hanged himself." (Matt 27:5)

        They interpret the phrase literally as an act of suicide and they regard the actor as anathema.
 
        Unfortunately for the tradition, the phrase is a figurative one.

        The phrase means that he laid down his life of sin by hanging himself upon the cross which he took up after he denied himself to follow Jesus.

        He did it in accordance with the teaching of Jesus that he might find his life.

        In this manner he hanged himself, after he confessed his sin (and Jesus) to men.

        This is his confession:

               
                 "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." (Matt 27:4)

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        "Judas went and hanged himself."

        "Go thou and do likewise."

        The first statement says that Judas followed Jesus. The second statement says that "thou" ought to follow him, too. 

        This understanding follows from the teaching of Jesus, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." (Matt 16:24)

        The cross is not just for show; the cross is to be used in the broader sense of the word "use", not in the narrower sense. Failure to see this indicates a beam in the eye.

        Our preacher has done many wonderful works in the name of Jesus, but that fact alone does not preclude his being a worker of iniquity.

        Consider these next words a prayer of Judas Iscariot for all the servants of God:

               
                They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head:
                they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty:
                then I restored that which I took not away.
                O God, thou knowest my foolishness;
                and my sins are not hid from thee.
                Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my
                sake:
                let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
                (Psalms 69: 4-6)

        I offer these words only in my own name.