EXPLORING the story of Judas reminds us that human weakness is universal. While he is remembered for his ultimate betrayal, his story also teaches us about grace and forgiveness. Both Judas and Peter committed grave mistakes, but the difference was that Peter accepted God’s grace, while Judas allowed shame and despair to consume him.
It is easy to dismiss Judas as either a villain or a victim, but I am struck by the fact that, in many ways, he was just like me.
Judas was a follower of Jesus and a preacher of the Gospel, yet there was a double-mindedness within him. In the end, he abandoned the faith he had once professed.
The apostle Judas — believed by some traditions to be a brother of James and Jesus — began as a fervent follower of Christ. Then, suddenly, he changed. Christ no longer fulfilled his worldly expectations. Like Christ Himself, the Church is always loved by its faithful followers and hated by those who abandon it. That remains true today, regardless of one’s religious affiliation.
Judas did not leave the apostolic community to become a Pharisee or merely a critic of Christ. He left to become a traitor. Such traitors will always find fault or twist the truth to justify their actions. Judas gathered reasons from what he himself had heard and witnessed to rationalize his betrayal. We all know people like that — people who betray not only friends but sometimes even an entire nation.
A Jewish mob once tried to throw Christ off a cliff, but they failed. Soldiers attempted to arrest Him, yet nothing happened. The Pharisees repeatedly tried to trap Him, but to no avail. In the end, it took a friend to betray Him. He escaped all His enemies, but not the treachery of someone close to Him. That is why Jesus declared, “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born!” No such condemnation was directed even at Pilate or Herod.
The lesson for all of us is clear. A corrupt politician — or even one of our own neighbors — can become among the most destructive people on earth. Corruption is not confined to pagans or unbelievers; it is found wherever people abandon their conscience.
“Do not betray another person’s confidence,” the Bible teaches us. Yet Judases can be found everywhere. Just as fire cannot come from snow, those who seek worldly honor cannot truly seek heavenly glory. After all, have you ever seen snow catch fire?
The maladroit politician named Judas betrays voters with beautiful promises while corrupting an entire nation. The peace negotiator or peacemaker named Judas speaks of justice while applying double standards, allowing his own jackals and accomplices to kill and injure innocent countrymen. Even the neighbor who constantly proclaims love for his family while carelessly destroying the environment bears the mark of Judas.
Judas’ sins are not rare. In one way or another, we commit them every day. Whenever someone abandons the ideals of the Church and publicly renounces them, or leaves a religious community only to ridicule it before the world, “night has fallen upon his soul.”
When Julius Caesar was assassinated, it was not merely the blows of his enemies that wounded him most, but the presence of his trusted friend, Brutus. We may never realize it, but we ourselves could be carrying the kiss of Judas upon our lips.
Many times I have voiced people’s longing for guidance and decisive action from the Church as an institution. There are many examples. Allow me to quote the late Rev. Mariano C. Apilado of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, who took an important step many years ago when he said:
“Christian hope does never shield people, much less Christians, from disappointments, hardships and betrayals, nor does it provide neat and ready answers to the world’s problems. Christian hope empowers Christians to take responsibility in the establishment of a government that respects the law and protection of the people and their rights in the struggle for justice and development… Christian hope is not peanuts for it assures us: there is always a future looking forward to it. Without hope, Christian faithfulness is suspect and without foundation. With this hope, we sing, celebrate and work faithfully and courageously, believing, ‘that we shall overcome’!”
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