Lent 2022, Spy Wednesday



Having grown up in a non-liturgical tradition, the various movements of Holy Week are pretty new to me. It makes me sad that I’ve missed out on such depth and rich history. And cool names! Spy Wednesday ... wow. Of course, the “spy” of “Spy Wednesday” is no laughing matter: none other than that great villain of Scripture, Judas Iscariot. The one who betrayed his friend with a kiss. That guy.

My friend @d.a.v.i.d.n.y.c once taught a class on Judas Iscariot. It was fascinating to learn that the Gospels that were written closer to the actual historical events reported the story of Jesus’ betrayal very matter-of-factly. Only in the later Gospels does Judas start to become the caricature we know and hate. In Mark (written c. AD 66-70) the story of the betrayal is presented in a “just the facts, ma’am” manner. In Matthew (written c. AD 85-90) we get the facts of the story, along with the heart-wrenching moment when Jesus calls Judas his friend, even as he’s being betrayed. In Luke (and its companion books, Acts and John, written c. AD 85-90 and 90-110, respectively), we start to get more salacious details: Judas used their collective funds for his own gain, Satan entered into him, he died in a particularly nasty way, etc.

 I think that this is God giving us a glimpse of the Bible's human authors ... often, with the passage of time, we see the story differently, and sometimes we even try to explain the unexplainable. I’m not questioning the veracity of their reports, but I do think the change in perspective, the adding of details, is interesting.

So on this Holy Wednesday, I’m going to think about Judas, Jesus’ friend. What I know about Jesus assures me that he loved Judas and still considered him his friend right up until the end. That’s encouraging to anyone who has ever felt like she has let God down. You haven’t, and you can’t.

Comments

  1. grecSeptember 19, 2022 at 1:25 PM

    the point i so easily miss when trying to sort out all the details is how much and how often i'm JUST LIKE JUDAS - trying to use jesus in support of a favorite personal theme or agenda and, therefore betraying him.

    lord have mercy when my "judas gene" usurps all others.

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