What does Judas, the villain of Holy Week have to teach us? There’s no way we would ever act like him. . . right?

Some Bible scholars surmise that Judas betrayed Jesus in part because he was disappointed in Jesus. Perhaps Judas had grown impatient waiting for Jesus to start acting like the messiah he had in mind. Maybe Judas was embarrassed by Jesus’ humility and lack of impressive appearances. Perhaps Judas felt he needed to jump ship before it sank. Jesus wasn’t moving in the direction of government take-over, in fact, the powers that be were decidedly against Jesus. There would be a showdown and Judas didn’t want to be on the losing side.

We don’t know for sure why Judas aligned himself with Jesus’ opposition, but we can assume that part of it was pragmatism. Money talks, and half a year’s wages speak loudly. (The amount he was paid to betray Jesus.) After all, hadn’t he been in the habit of looking out for #1? He surely deserved nice things, so he had been helping himself to funds donated for the group. Most of the others were country bumkins, he reasoned, who wouldn’t appreciate the finer things like he did. No one would notice if he took a little money here and there. Jesus was too busy teaching and healing the commoners when he should have been making power moves with the movers and shakers. The other disciples were too busy listening and watching Jesus. So he had been making his own way for a long time- taking things into his own hands, using whatever means were available to get what he wanted.  What he didn’t know was that what he thought was his own way was actually Satan’s way. And Satan’s path always leads to death. Judas, under the misconception that he was master of his own fate, was hurtling toward destruction.

But if Judas, who had spent a thousand days and nights with Jesus, could succumb to personal desire, we have to be on guard.  How easy it is to want what we want more than we want to be obedient. How easily we trip into the trap of believing the ends justify the means. We use the term ‘practical’, but it’s actually lack of faith in the power of God to act on our behalf. So we take matters into our own hands to get what we want. After all, waiting is never easy. Waiting tests our faith. But it can help us relinquish the control we only imagined we had. Waiting pushes us into the arms of the blessed Controller of all things. Or waiting can embitter us- why isn’t God doing what he promised? Where is God in this? Waiting can make us self-centered and drive us to desperate measures. We have the choice! Is waiting making you faithful or bitter?

Waiting has always been an act of faith. The prophets foretold the glorious reign of Israel’s Messiah. And everyone welcomed the promise. The prophets also foretold the heartbreaking death of the Messiah, but it was largely ignored, shrouded in mystery. How could the two promises co-exist? No one wanted their Messiah to die. Shouldn’t the perfect Servant of the Lord sit on his exalted throne, not be a public spectacle dying in humiliation? What self-respecting Jew would claim a dead Messiah? It was unthinkable. Yet tucked into prophecies of the eternal Ruler are incongruous references to his death.

“They have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat.
They divide my garments among themselves
and throw dice for my clothing.” David speaking not of himself, but of the Messiah in Psalm 22:16-18 and fulfilled at Jesus’ crucifixion

“But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
 He was whipped so we could be healed…the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Unjustly condemned, he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
 that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.
But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.” The prophet said the Messiah would die young without children, yet he would have children and a long life. The only explanation is that the Messiah would die and come back to life and bring many into God’s family.  Isaiah 53:5,6,7,9,10

During Jesus’ lifetime, those who still believed God’s promises were eager for their Messiah to come and reign. (Many in that time as today had moved past the Scriptures and refused to believe in the supernatural yet put on a religious appearance.) Not only did the believing population, in general, hold onto hope for their King, but Jesus’ disciples, especially, were hoping that he would take the throne. They had no concept that God’s Son would die. (Despite the fact that Jesus explained multiple times that it had to happen.) They had shut their eyes to the Old Testament references to a dying Savior. Only after Jesus came back to life, did they begin to grasp the cosmic plan of God to first send a dying Savior who would live again and only later begin his eternal reign.

“So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear . . .These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” (Psalm 32:20) and “They will look on the one they pierced.””(Zechariah 12:10). Recorded by John who was present at the crucifixion in John 19:32-37

“Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—  for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures [Old Testament] that said Jesus must rise from the dead.” Written by one of the disciples who came to Jesus’ tomb and found it empty. John 20:8-9

When Jesus appeared to his followers very much alive after his death, they immediately assumed he would now take his rightful place as King and fulfill all the promises of Messiah’s eternal kingdom. They had begun to understand that the Messiah needed to die but would have to come back to life if he was to fulfill both the prophecies of dying and ruling eternally. But they still couldn’t grasp that he wouldn’t take the throne immediately.

“So when the apostles were with Jesus [after his resurrection], they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”“ Acts 1:6

His answer wasn’t what they wanted to hear. And two thousand years later, it still isn’t what we want to hear.

“He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”” Acts 1:7

What hopes are you clinging tightly to? Are you willing to allow God to do things his way? On his schedule?

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