The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-02, Page 26EMM ODER CH; IGNAL STAR, WEIPI` SDAY, APRIL a,1980
ister's study
Judas was sincere inhis betrayal
BY TSE'
REVEREND
G.
-
G. L. ROYAL
The very name Judas
Iscariot invokes many
responses. We think of
him as the villain in a
holy piece. The word
betrayal becomes hateful
in our -nostrils. He ac-
tually delivered good into
the hands of evil. All
beneficial traits trust,,
loyalty, sincerity - fly to
the wind when we think of
Judas. How could he? In
his act, he denounced and
forsook a great and
loving friendship. We
shudder at the very
thought.
Our lives are spent in
seeking to avoid betrayal,
be it husband -wife,
parent-child, ‘employer-
employee relationships.
Betrayal is the nastiest of
nasty words. We
remember • with what
shame Simon Peter arose
from his denial - it was
mere disloyalty -. and
never again - never
again! - would Simon
Peter stoop so low. In
fact, it made the man.
In the light of all this, I
must ask the question,
has Judas Iscariot been
over -maligned? Do we
get a certain satisfaction
out of "keeping him in his
place?" Is there more to
the story?
He felt Jesus was
wrong; he felt Jesus was
tempting fate; he felt that
Jesus was a reformer and
was moving against all
the traditional values.
Something must be done!
One thing that is hard
to do is to believe that
Judas was sincere.
I have no 'doubt that he
was: He -felt duty lay'
before him and he was
accomplishing that duty.
We stress too much the
few pence he received in
compensation.
Remember, he did try to
give them back. He did
come to the realization
that he was wrong.
Did he repent? There is
evidence that he' did. He
tried to give the money
back, and he removed
himself, horrible as it
must sound, by self-
destruction from the viey✓
of other persons.
Are we sympathetic
when we study these two
items? Did Judas try
desperately to make
recompense?
The very act of
betrayal has personal
implications. It is like a
•cancer within. It hurts for
it is self-destructive. It is
a deeper act than
disloyalty for disloyalty,
can be an act without
design and can be un-
conscious.
In a manner of
speaking, we can say that
disloyalty may be in-
nocent. Something that
turns out disloyal can be
something that was not
planned.
Betrayal, on the other
hand, is planned and
initiated, and although it
may be distasteful it
seems necessary. It
works in the personal soul
and the one experiencing
it tries 'to convince his•
inner being that it is right
even when conscience is
striking and the sickness
grows worse.
It is what betrayal does
to the person that is so
terrible. Self-respect and
one's honour and stature
as a child of God are
SUPERIOR
MEMORIALS
ESTABLISHED
OVER SO YEARS
Goderich Area
Representative
ROBERT McCALLUM
11 Cambria Road
Goderich -
524-7345
ClInton-Seaforth
Area Representative
MICHAEL FALCONER
153 High Street
Clinton -
482 -9441 °�.-
,d
destroyed. We became
listless and Minty. It is a
horrible and horrendous
state to be in. No release.
No escape. We are
"weighed in the balance
and found wanting."
Martin Luther felt
himself a betrayer of
God's love when he could
find no satisfaction or
happiness in , ob-
servances, until that
sublime moment when he
learned of "Justification
by faith alone."
The act of betrayal has
public: implications. It
involves others. It is anti -
God. Can we measure
what the act of Judas did
to Simon Peter, or
Andrew, or John, or,
what of the Son of God?
These men, all of them,
and the Teacher, were his
friends. The terribleness
of betrayal is found in
what it does to those who
have been called friend.
What turned Judas
from wrong to right? Did
he hear the voice of Jesus
out of the past speaking
and saying "I call you
friends," or "Greater
love hath no man than
this, that he lay down his
life for his friends?"
Did Judas hear the
voice of Jesus in the inner
depths? "Ye are My
friends," and how those
words must have haunted
this poor, blighted
creature. He would
reflect, and how
damaging the question
would be, "Have I been
wrong?" In the personal
sphere, he had 1,ost his
own self-respect, and in
the public he had lost the
respect -of "his friends."
Trust departed by the
closest window. He had
betrayed the One who
was called Master.
Betrayal does
something to others; it
hurts them. When this is
realized betrayal
becomes a ghastly guilt -
trip. We seldom think of
Saul of Tarsus as a
betrayer; there was_that
day in which he held the
cloaks of those who
stoned Stephen and who
can ever measure ,the
memory of that man? Did
this memory stimulate
the inner man of Saul and
drive him to the ex-
perience of the Damascus
Road? He did go down
that road "breathing out
threatenings and
slaughters" against the
Christian people and who
is to say this was not a
blinding shield against
memory? He too, thought
he was doing the right.
His moment came in the'
glory of Christ's risen
Presence - what, then, did
he think of the role he had
played in the
assassination of Stephen?
There is a public aspect
to betrayal that leads to
the knowledge that others
are suffering besides
myself. Betrayal is
contrary to God's Law for
it is anti -people.
The act of betrayal is
dishonourable. Jesus,
Master, Teacher, Rabbi,
was given over for a few
pence into the hands of
evil. He was delivered to
His death. And Judas
knew it.
There is that sad
happening in the garden
when "the kiss of
betrayal" became a blot
on history. The betrayal
was aimed at the Friend.
to all. Somehow, at some
time, Judas • relived his
actions, and found
himself to be grossly'
wrong. Take the money
back! He could not undo
the wrong. He realized
the magnitude of his
traitorous act. He could
not shut out the damaging
light. His guilt forced the
immensity of his crime
against him,
Why? Because, more
often than not, the crime
of betrayal is against
innocence. In his ex-
tremity did Judas realize
this? We must imagine:
suddenly and strangely
his love for Christ en-
compassed and enfolded
him; his betrayal was
the betrayal off the
Best Friend he had ever
had. Take back the,
pence! Let me undo what
I have done! This is the
terribleness and
dishonour of betrayal. It
cannot be undone! It is
for real, and it is lasting.
Life for Judas Iscariot
became a scenario with
two characters, himself
and God. He could hide
nothing from God: his
secret was an open,
festering secret before
God, especially before
God. His betrayal
reflected his complete
dishonourableness. He,
was a shatterer of the
holy image (Imago Dei)
and in his being he drank
the dregs.
Dare we pick upthe
pieces? Judas Iscariot
can be forgiven if we, who
are alive and are tempted
to experience like Judas,
can forgive him. Must he
dwell forever in the outer
pale? the one superb
persona non grata? Do
we feel an act of
forgiveness taking form
within us? Will God
forgive him? that One
who desires more than
anything else to be man's
Friend?
He, Judas, did try to
give back the money, and
there is repentance there.
There is even repentance
in his own self-
destruction. We hear
little of Judas and his
crime by name in the
Acts of the Apostles, the
Pauline, Johannine,
Petrine epistles, the Book
of Revelation.
Did his confreres
forgive him? Strangely, I
believe so. They did not
speak_,of.his indescribable
act - they let it rest -.what
was done -was done - let it
lie.
But, it fitted beautifully
as a die that is cast into
the Plan of God - Christ
crucified - for the
salvation of the world.
We can't ignore. Judas
for there is too much of
him in each one of us.
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