The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire a consideration of the nature of zeal and the motivation that may have been behind Judas decision to betray Jesus.
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The passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah reveals the zeal for the plan of salvation through the Lord’s Suffering Servant.
* [50:4–11] The third of the four “servant of the Lord” oracles (cf. note on 42:1–4); in vv. 4–9 the servant speaks; in vv. 10–11 God addresses the people directly.1
Psalm 69 depicts the suffering of the innocent, just person vividly. It is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts.
* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Ps 69:23–29). Despite the pain, the psalmist does not lose hope that all be set right, and promises public praise (Ps 69:30–36). The Psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Ps 69:5 in Jn 15:25; Ps 69:22 in Mk 15:23, 36 and parallels and in Jn 19:29. The Psalm prays not so much for personal vengeance as for public vindication of God’s justice. There was, at this time, no belief in an afterlife where such vindication could take place. Redress had to take place now, in the sight of all.2
The Gospel from Matthew describes the identification of Judas as the Betrayer of Jesus.
* [26:21] Given Matthew’s interest in the fulfillment of the Old Testament, it is curious that he omits the Marcan designation of Jesus’ betrayer as “one who is eating with me” (Mk 14:18), since that is probably an allusion to Ps 41:10. However, the shocking fact that the betrayer is one who shares table fellowship with Jesus is emphasized in Mt 26:23.3
Mariana Miller reflects that we come to Lent in different circumstances with different hopes and struggles every year and God’s invitation is always the same: “I love you no matter what, love one another as I love you.”
I reflecting on today’s gospel, it struck me how easily I blamed Judas for Jesus’ death and how fast I was to judge him. Then I remembered his circumstances. He wanted the liberation of Israel, he really thought that Jesus was the Messiah, he had followed him for a while, but he did not know him that well. Judas probably wanted for the kingdom of God to come in order to be liberated from Roman power, he interpreted God’s promise only as political, he did not understand that Jesus’s power was not of this world, although it was also meant to transform this world. Judas wanted for this political liberation to happen fast and he lost his patience in Jesus. He probably thought that giving him up would accelerate the process, he misunderstood his call. Jesus wanted the conversion of hearts, Jesus showed us with his life how to love our enemies, to feed the hungry, to visit the incarcerated, to heal the sick, to console those grieving, to walk with one another in friendship and love. Jesus’ life was not about efficiency, but about love in service, trust and patience. Unfortunately, Judas missed the point and regretted it later.4
Teresa White FCJ, a member of the European Province of the Sisters of Faithful Companions of Jesus, contemplates the motives of Judas as portrayed in The Taking of Christ, one of Caravaggio’s most celebrated works. It is arguably the most famous depiction of the arrest of Jesus.
Judas does not look cruel and spiteful. Rather, he looks worried and uncertain, as if he is ill at ease in the role of traitor. It is thought by some that Judas agreed to betray Jesus because he was sure that Jesus, when pushed to the limit, would reveal his power and free himself from his captors. It is possible that Caravaggio took this view, for in the painting, there is a kind of grim determination on Judas’s face. ‘If I do this,’ he seems to be telling himself, ‘Jesus will show what he’s made of. He won’t let the authorities take hold of him. He’ll show them that he is the Messiah, the King of the Jews, and he’ll deliver all of us from Roman domination.’5
Don Schwager quotes Origen (185-254 AD), a bible scholar and early church father, who comments on Judas' betrayal.
"Let us consider what Judas said to the Jewish priests: What will you give me if I hand him over to you? He was willing to take money in exchange for handing over the Word of God. They do the same thing who accept sensual or worldly goods in exchange for handing over and casting out from their souls the Savior and Word of truth who came to dwell with them. Indeed, it would be fitting to apply Judas's example to all who show contempt for the Word of God and betray him, as it were, by committing sin for the sake of money or for any selfish motive. People who behave in this way appear openly to be calling out to the powers of the enemy who offer worldly gain in return for the sin of betraying God's Word, saying, What will you give me if I hand him over to you? And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.The number of coins they gave Judas was equivalent to the number of years the Savior had sojourned in this world. For at the age of thirty, he was baptized and began to preach the gospel, like Joseph was thirty years old when he began to gather grain for his brothers (Genesis 41:46). Just as at that time the grain was prepared by God for the sons of Israel but given also to the Egyptians, so also the gospel was prepared for the saints but preached also to the unfaithful and wicked." (Commentary on Matthew 78.)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 50:4-9 recalls “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard.” (Isaiah 50:6) The humility and generosity of the servant in this verse beautifully captures Jesus’ heart as he endured his entire arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Being human, Jesus naturally experienced great distress about what was awaiting him. But then in his divinity, he could pray with complete confidence: “The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced” (Isaiah 50:7). So while he certainly felt great apprehension over what lay ahead of him, he also found strength knowing that his Father would never abandon him.
There’s a parallel here to our lives. We can’t see into the future, but we do know that we all have our own share of hardships to deal with. It could be major, like the death of a loved one, or minor, like being stuck in a traffic jam for three hours. The magnitude of the challenge is not as important as how we deal with it. We can either fret about it or try our best to place it in the Father’s hands as Jesus did.7
Friar Jude Winkler reviews the background of the 3rd Song of the Suffering Servant, written during Babylonian Exile. Saint John Paul II cautioned that we should not assume Judas is in hell. Friar Jude offers a few responses to the question of “Why did Judas betray Jesus?”
The consequences of betrayal are often very grave. Our relationship with Jesus affirms that even Judas is welcomed to return to intimacy with Christ.
References
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(n.d.). Isaiah, chapter 50 - usccb. Retrieved April 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/50
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(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 26 - usccb. Retrieved April 17, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 17, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(2014, April 17). The Betrayal | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain. Retrieved April 17, 2019, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/betrayal
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 17, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). Wednesday of Holy Week - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved April 17, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/04/17/
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