In today’s reading, we witness the ill-fated moment that will lead to Jesus’ arrest and execution. Judas, driven by some bitterness or disappointment, resolves to betray his master, who had called him to be among his closest followers. Jesus had been warning his disciples about what was coming, but now we see the wheels decisively set into motion.
None of us wants to identify with Judas. We read this passage and say to ourselves with indignation, “How could he?!” And yet there might be more than a grain of truth in the assertion of Dostoyevsky’s Grand Inquisitor that there is a traitor in all of us. The other eleven disciples may have been self-aware enough to realize as much. They do not outright deny the possibility that they might betray Jesus. Instead they ask, “Surely it is not I, Lord?" The hard truth is they will all abandon him in the end (with the exception of John). Judas’s betrayal was the most egregious, but he was not the only one with a guilty conscience on Good Friday.
Would we have done any better had we been in their sandals? Surely, we would like to think so, but today’s Scripture - like Lent as a whole - is a provocation to examine our hearts. My intention here is not simply to stir up those feelings of guilt that are evidently a hallmark of Catholicism. Jesus assures us that he comes not to condemn but to show us mercy (Jn 3:17). We hear this message repeated throughout Lent. When the woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus, he does not condemn her (Jn 8:11). When the pharisees and scribes grumble against Jesus for welcoming sinners, he tells them a story of a father who runs out to welcome back his son who has grievously insulted him and squandered his wealth (Lk 15).
So what do we do with today’s Gospel… with Judas? I do not believe Jesus would have us condemn Judas and distance ourselves from him. I am confident Jesus would have welcomed Judas back and forgiven him - just as he did Peter - had Judas given him the chance. He always gives us another chance, and he would have us extend the same forgiveness and hospitality of heart to one another. Most of us struggle with this. The pharisees and scribes certainly did. They criticized Jesus for showing hospitality toward sinners, but it is lucky for us he did, for we are all in need of God’s mercy.
