The Love of Jesus for Judas

Yesterday was “Spy Wednesday,” so named because it recalls Judas’ decision to betray Jesus.  Luke 22:1-7 says:

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. 

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

So sometime right before the day of the Last Supper, Judas agreed to betray Christ.  Last year, I noted that depictions of Judas’ betrayal coincide with the depictions of the Eucharist.  The first time Christ predicts Judas’ betrayal, it’s tied to Jesus’ Eucharistic proclamation in John 6.  Christ has just finished explaining that He means the Eucharist literally because “My Flesh is real food and My Blood is real drink” (John 6:55).  This wasn’t a one-off comment — if you read through John 6, you’ll be struck by the manner in which He says it over and over again.  After the crowds have left in disgust (John 6:66), Jesus asks the Disciples if they’ll leave, too (John 6:67). At this point, for the first time, Jesus announces that He will be betrayed (John 6:70-71). This is right before the Passover (John 6:4), and it’s at this time the next year, when Jesus fulfills His promises in John 6 at the Last Supper, when Judas gets up to betray Christ.

This year, I wanted to point out something equally fascinating.  The incredible love that Jesus shows for Judas.  It’s easy to miss, so let’s look at a few key passages.  First, there’s John 13:21-30, at the Last Supper:

After Jesus said this, he was very troubled. He said openly, “I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me.” The followers all looked at each other, because they did not know whom Jesus was talking about. One of the followers sitting next to Jesus was the follower Jesus loved.24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus whom he was talking about. That follower leaned closer to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” 

Jesus answered, “I will dip this bread into the dish. The man I give it to is the man who will turn against me.” So Jesus took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus said to him, “The thing that you will do—do it quickly.” No one at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas. Since he was the one who kept the money box, some of the followers thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast or to give something to the poor. Judas took the bread Jesus gave him and immediately went out. It was night.

Jesus is telling Judas He knows what Judas is planning, but He’s doing so in a way which is both (a) discreet and (b) intimate. Jesus’ words become obvious to the Disciples after the deed has been done, making it clear that He knew exactly what was going to happen, and did not resist it. But at the time, the Apostles are confused by it, and think He’s sending Judas out for more food, or to give alms.  So even as Judas is about to betray Him, Jesus avoids humiliating him publicly. But look at how Jesus signals him: by feeding him bread.  It’s one of the most intimate actions imaginable, and it’s done both knowing Judas will betray Him, and letting Judas know the same.  Despite this, Jesus still shows incredible love to him.  Judas’ willingness to simultaneously take Jesus’ love and betray Him is when we see the forces of darkness take control: “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him” (Jn. 13:27).  It’s fitting that it’s here that John announces: “It was night” (Jn. 13:30).  The double meaning is clear: it’s both literally night, and we’re beginning to see the forces of darkness launch their final assault on Christ, through Judas.

Jesus explained why He chose this means of signalling who His betrayer was, saying, “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.‘” (Jn 13:18).  He’s quoting Psalm 41:9, so it’s worth seeing the full verse:

Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.

The allusion wouldn’t have been lost on a Jewish listener.  Jesus is saying that not only is the traitor someone who has dined with Christ but is someone He considers a close friend.  What a shocking thing for Jesus to say about Judas, given that He’s been well aware of the coming betrayal, as passages like John 6:70-71 make clear.

Now, just as Jesus chose the intimate signal of feeding Judas to signal who the traitor was, Judas chose an intimate signal to signal to the arresting party who Jesus was: “Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the Man; arrest Him.”” (Matthew 26:48).  It’s sickening here.  When Jesus did it, He was showing affection to the morally sick man who was in great need of a showing of Divine love.  Judas, having rejected that love, now uses an intimate sign as an ultimate betrayal.  He thinks he can trick Jesus by a show of affection, silently betraying him.  The sheer depravity of this particular signal is so cruel that St. John’s right to point to the influence of Satan himself.  But even here, Jesus’ response is remarkable (Mt. 26:49-50):

Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.

It’d be easy to read Jesus’ reply as sarcastic, but that reading would be wrong.  It’s Judas who feigns intimacy, kissing Christ and calling Him “Rabbi.”  In doing so, as one of my friends noted last night, he shows his lack of faith.  Throughout it all, he always refers to Christ as “Rabbi” (see, e.g., Mt. 26:25, Mt. 26:49), instead of calling Him “Lord,” as the others do (see, e.g., Luke 9:54, John 11:12, Jn. 13:37).  He still thinks Jesus is a mere teacher. Jesus’ response is devastating love: He again shows Judas that He sees through his deceptions, and once more calls Judas to intimate friendship.

Certain Protestants, particularly Calvinists, claim that God hates the damned.  This is the historic view of Calvin and Luther, although it’s one proclaimed today largely by fringe groups, like the Westboro Baptist Church, who claim that God hates gays, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, and most other people. But Christ clearly does not hate Judas.  And of this same Judas, He said at the Last Supper (Mt. 26:21-25):

And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”

Again, note that the others call Jesus “Lord,” while Judas will only go as far as “Rabbi.”  More importantly, note that Jesus makes it pretty clear that Judas is inviting damnation by betraying Him.  If anyone in Scripture is depicted as damned (and the Church stops short of declaring any specific person damned), Judas comes the closest.  Yet Christ isn’t hateful towards Judas.  Instead, He tries, constantly, to bring him back gently, by warning him about his sinful ways, and by inviting him to loving intimacy with Himself. Quite plainly, Christ loves even His enemies. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t have died for any of us, who had made ourselves His enemies through sin (Romans 5:10).

13 comments

  1. My love & understanding of Judus, is more than I can articulate in words. And I truly do believe that Jesus was homosexual. I personally find it quite interesting that Jesus never “personally” ever spoke of or condemned homosexuality, yet we find it not in the Commandments where you think it might be, but in another part of the bible, perhaps added by someone else with views against it. I feel that there is more to the bible that the Catholic Church has deemed detrimental to Christian faith and Christianity as we know it or have come to believe it. I myself am an Atheist and personally don’t adhere to anything Christian, but I see the divisions that religion has created. Just what has been hidden or omitted from the bible, we may never ever know. But certainly there are questions about Jesus that have not been answered and perhaps if they were would put an end to so many questions about homosexuality in those times. As I said earlier, my love for Judus is not spiritual or even religious, but personal. As I see him as a man that may have had stronger feeling for this person called Jesus, and that those feeling have never been fully disclosed to the world. Christians want to portray him as a “traitor” or the “devil”, but was this really so? If in fact, Jesus was sent to die for the sins of man, obviously he couldn’t commit suicide. According to the bible that would have been sinful in itself. So how was it to be that this man called Jesus would die for the sins of the world? Someone had to do the dirty deed. Therefore, why paint Judus in such a light, as he was supposedly “chosen” as the one to betray. And then why did he then kiss Jesus? Wouldn’t a hand shake or nod be sufficient? And why would Jesus open his heart to a man such as Judus, knowing full well of what was to come? Again, I strongly feel that there was much more to the two of them then is mentioned. And if the real truth were to come to light, the stronghold of the Church, Christianity and perhaps the morality of mankind would lose it’s grip on those that follow and believe in this book as the “words” of their God. Or maybe they just don’t want to know the real truth. Satisfied with, perhaps, the words not from this so called “God”, but perhaps just the words of men, long gone from this world, having written a book that would confuse, confound, create, feelings, beliefs that would do more harm to the world than good.

    1. You have great understanding for Judas but do not understand they did not shake hands in Judea in the time of Christ? a kiss on the cheek was the way to greet. Romans clasped forearms but this goes to your point about homosexuality, Romans were stationed in Judea they had not yet colonized it. There were no baths, no circus, no brothels yet. It was a time of incredible intensity in the wake of multiple rebellions. There was no internet. Judeans were not well aware of the pagan Roman’s proclivity towards bisexuality. You’re right that Jesus never spoke about the sin of homosexuality and I personally believe Christians have become overconsumed by this particular sin. Jesus and the other apostles did speak about marriage and did promote “divine marriage” which was of course heterosexual, non-incestuos, and singular. You have to know that around them cultures practiced marriage in all these ways. Christ makes it very clear these marriages are not of God. But if you as a Christian hate homosexuals, gay marriage, or wish anything but good will for them you are doing something wrong IMO. Many of us live with some sin we simply cannot overcome. It is between us and God. Maybe it will simply take them longer to find their way to the light of the lord after death. I don’t know. As a former atheist it pains me to hear you say you are one as well. My life in Christ is so much better than my life without God its hard to put into words. Even though I make about half as much money as I did as an atheist software salesman. Christ as anything but what he claims he was makes no rational sense. It doesn’t make political, cultural, or historical sense. Jesus of Nazareth was the only prophet to hold no political power. Buddha was a prince, Krishna was a king, Muhammad was a war leader etc. His influence makes no sense unless he was who he said he was. He makes no cultural sense. Rome had a religious heritage 4 times as long as the Christian heritage of the United States, and yet overnight(in a sociological sense) they nearly all convert to the worship of a man they executed. A worship they struggled to understand. Any fair-minded sociologist will tell you this makes little to no sense. If Christianity was basically a political con job as many atheists claim it to be wouldn’t the early church fathers made the concept of God and Christ a bit easier to understand? many Christians today still don’t fully grasp the Trinity, and that’s a good thing if you ask me. the nature of God should not be easy to comprehend. Finally Christ makes no historical sense. Rome was conquered by Germanic pagans. For a thousand years the Goths had lived under a heritage that said if you lost in battle it meant your gods had no power, and those gods would be banished. So Alaric and Odoacer’s conversion to the faith of the people they just conquered makes no sense…unless Jesus was who he said he was and the Church has power. We seem the same miracles played out in the conversion of the Vikings and the Picts of Scotland.

    2. I’ll pray for you Burjs. You need it. I think you’re just twisting things to justify your life choices. That isn’t how it works. You can’t apply modern standards to 2000 years ago. But, for example, do you think French men who kiss other men on the cheek are gay? Your entire comment is nonsense. Please read more scripture and pray for better understanding.

  2. What about the part where it says “The man I give it to is the man who will turn against me?” Is that not clearly Christ revealing Jusas as the traitor, thus humiliating him?

  3. Judas’ willingness to simultaneously take Jesus’ love and betray Him is when we see the forces of darkness take control: “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him” (Jn. 13:27).

    The above verse describes part of the reason the church vilifies Judas. Clearly he was a traitor. Later he was destroyed in the desert because of his evil deed (not suicide).

    If you’re going to critique a bible story, you should probably read it first.

    1. Judas is made to claim to have authored John’s Gospel and also the Disciple that Jesus specially Loved – he only dies in Matthew’s Gospel – that reveals the clearly mythical Jesus who is CALLED Christ – to be a False Prophet and the 666 Beast in REVELATION – the Anti Christ! The Creator of the Bible’s Creators – the Writer of this mystery play that we unconscious Extra Celestials are being Cosmically Directed to perform our scripted parts in – has a truly wicked sense of humour…he is called Captain Rainbow – The God Most High above the Bible’s Gods, Lord Gods and Lords who effectively Produce and Direct His Scripted MysteryPlay to the Letter.

  4. Such ignorance in some of these posts. Wondering Jew all I can say is I’ll pray for you too. Also you should stop using drugs. I don’t think you can handle much more.

  5. You remark about the ignorance of some of the posts and your comments to Burjs & Wondering Jew are mean and unloving yet, you say you will pray for them.

    1. If someone was lost and headed towards danger, would you point out the safest way for them to go or keep quiet?

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