Betrayal
March 25, 2007
Luke 22:3-6 and 47-48
Sealed with a kiss
I had to drag myself back into our preaching series again today. I will admit, I’ve never been so happy a series is coming to an end. Evil is hard work. It is hard work because it is sticky. I have always been pretty skeptical about giving evil much staying power and yet, the more we’ve poked at it this Lent the more it seems to stick to you, infiltrate your work, be around, steal your light. I can’t even imagine how hard it is for those who study evil all the time to stay centered in the light. This is sort of how I feel about those who work in the legal system at this point. So much lying, so much red tape, so much delay in consequences, so many consequences that have nothing to do with what is the issue at hand. I don’t know how people can go into that environment day after day and stay centered in the light. It is infectious, it is seductive and it permeates the other things you are doing in your living by slowly dimming your light.
Sealed with a kiss
We love to hate Judas. We love to point to his weak character and his dark plotting. We love to talk about how great Jesus was to him and how selfish Judas was. But, the gospel of Luke does none of this. Instead it does everything in its power to make this not about Judas but about leadership and authorities. Judas is placed in the scene saying, Satan entered him. And, after working on evil for 40 days, this seems to take on new meaning. When is that moment, when instead of working for someone you begin to work against them? When do we open ourselves up with our judgment, our ego, our commitment to our own understanding of things to holding onto our ideas instead of holding onto the Presence of God? It’s such an easy thing. I bet we all can think of so many times this has happened. We meet someone who is exciting and charismatic and we fall in step with her/him. And then that conversation happens where you end up in different places: two different sides of an issue. This happened in my first class in seminary. We were split up into small groups in my Ministry 101 class and we had to compare the mission of the church with groups of people. I quickly found myself aligned with a man we’ll call Steve. We seemed to be right in step with one another. Open the doors, open the church bring everyone in to the love. It was such an exciting dialogue. But after about 45 minutes it became clear that the function of bringing people in, even though we were both passionate about bringing people into community, we wanted this for two polar opposite reasons. I wanted to bring people into the community to help all find the healing acceptance of God and Steve wanted to bring people into community to change them from their sinful ways and turn them toward God’s ways. This was a new class one of our first meetings so we didn’t know one another and the final part of the exercise was to talk about who we were as people and what brought us to seminary. Steve was first to share and I was last. And, when it came my turn, in spite of having 45 minutes of exciting, illuminating dialogue when Steve found out I was married to a girl, he had a visceral reaction, the garage door of hate closed over him, shut him down and pushed me out. He was shocked. I was shocked. Our group was shocked. How could two people who had been so in step with one small revelation be repelled from one another. And, I think it is in this place that we find Judas. Jesus was a good Jew. But, he was pushing on the limits of what that meant. He didn’t want to do things as always. He was interpreting and stretching how to apply the laws beyond where they were allowed to previously go. I can see how Judas, was on board until that one thing and he sort of broke…and once that happens there is nothing we seem to be able to do to reverse that action. Because we begin to feed the fire of proving our point that this person will just not be able to measure up. We turn their words, their actions, their looks, their work all against them from our judgmental position. This is a dangerous place and I think we pick on Judas, but I think we do it all the time and then it’s sealed with a kiss.
Sealed with a kiss
Luke however, doesn’t hold this judgment at all for Judas. In fact, Satan enters Judas, and then he’s sort of off the hook. Luke repeatedly pushes that Jesus impending death is the will of God, the work of the powers that be. Unlike, my previous example Jesus does not play the game. In fact, Jesus welcomes Judas to the covenantal meal. Jesus barely mentions the betrayal in Luke and the meal will not be disrupted by darkness or evil. Instead, all of that is trumped by the covenantal love of the celebration. Instead of being trapped in judging another. Instead of being seduced to pin it all on Judas. Instead of making two different camps and building a case, Jesus simply includes Judas. He includes Judas as fully and openly as he can. He names where Judas is, not by name but in action by taking a moment to speak on the betrayal, but it is not central, and it does not draw Judas out. Jesus is not seduced by the pull towards breaking relationship, instead he offers yet another way to heal broken relationship and a new lens to view betrayal within. And, this whole chaotic scene that culminates in the betrayal illuminates Luke’s opinion that Jesus had a special relationship with his followers. That last scene is absolute chaos. The soldiers are arriving, the disciples are brandishing weapons and engaging in violent conflict, Judas is leaning in for the kiss. But, Jesus is central. In the midst of the chaos, he heals the ear of the slave that has been cut off, he stops the disciples from doing any more harm to anyone and they stop. And finally, he confronts Judas about this kiss. This sign of peace, this sign of hospitality and welcome that Judas has not turned into a weapon. Opening the man of Jesus up to judgement by the religious authorities. And finally, that last part that really is difficult. Luke doesn’t blame Judas. Luke works so hard to construct this story so that what Jesus is teaching is modeled every step through this scene. Judas is not in line with the teachings of loving neighbor and opening to a more extravagant welcome. But, Jesus doesn’t push him out, cut him off or convert him. Instead, he realizes, he models, he shows us that healing can happen with the ear, the man was willing to have his ear back, however, healing can not happen for Judas, he is not willing to divest himself from his opinion. And, this is all sealed with a kiss.
Sealed with a kiss
We are quick to demonize Judas. We are quick to say his actions were so enormously horrific that there is no way we could possibly forgive him or allow him back into the Jesus movement. And, yet, this dissention. This struggle to get people into the dialogue, even the people who don’t think like we do, Jesus seems invested in it. Not to win. Not to convert, but simply to model the loving kindness, to shine our light upon the possibilities of two people coming together to engage their persons. We use our mouths all the time to divide, conquer or unite. We are following in the steps of Judas when we do these things not in the steps of Jesus. This final week of Lent before Holy Week I pray that instead of demonizing Judas, we can own our own struggles with power, ego, opinion. I pray that we can push our sacred cows around a bit by questioning what we are holding on to in the name of faith, God, religion and follow that with who is it keeping away and who or what is it demonizing. Jesus didn’t demonize anyone. He rebelled against a system and the system reacted as he knew it would. But, the whole exersize, his whole work maintained even in the midst of the chaos, we do have the will power to not get sucked in. And, if we should. Just like Judas, as people of faith, we’re not the ones who are called to break relationships…in fact that is named in this story as the work of darkness or evil. We are called instead to restore relationships, renew relationships, build relationships. This last week of lent, I pray we will consider what we are sealing with our mouths as the way and reflect on what values those truths bring us face to face with.
Let us pray.