Scripture readings for today's Mass are here
Michiel van der Borch, Last Supper Christ gives a piece of bread to Judas, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, 1332
My post on this from 2011 is here
In the first three gospels there is no one at the foot of the cross to comfort the dying Jesus. except women and John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved", watching from a distance.
Yet Jesus never abandoned anyone; he always offered forgiveness.
Jesus I pray that I may always be close to you and that you will never let me stray from your love.
Teach me to try and extend the same compassion and forgiveness you have for me to others who I feel have acted unjustly against me and/or others.
Teach me not to be weak and follow my own crooked thinking or the convenient ways of the crowd.
One of my favourite hynns
Michiel van der Borch, Last Supper Christ gives a piece of bread to Judas, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, 1332
REFLECTIONS
My post on this from 2011 is here
Throughout Holy Week I find myself torn between wanting to keep my distance from Judas out of a natural fear of being caught up in his crooked mindset, and trying to find some point at which I can forgive him.
After so recent an immersion in the crowds of palm Sunday, shouting joyous "Hosannas to the King " I'm well aware how soon this was replaced by the bellicose cries of "Crucify Him" on Good Friday and how susceptible we all are as humans to being caught up in the prevailing crowd mentality.
There are other cries down the centuries that uncomfortably echo the same knee jerk human propensity for self -justification of vengeful retribution and the need to punish in ever more horrific visceral ways.
We as humans seem painfully doomed to scapegoat whenever we cannot settle differences justly by non-violent means.
I think that modern sensibilities try harder to explore the reality of the experience and motivations of Judas and how that plays out with the bare facts of his deeds: treachery and betrayal against his friend for a paltry amount of money.
It's interesting how the historical imagery in art is used to portray Judas and is used to condition our perception of Judas as the consummate and convenient archetype of pure evil.
It is rare to see images which portray Judas as a regular looking guy.
Without invalidating the horror of what Judas did, the stereotyped figure of Judas can so easily become the carrier of all our individual shadow projections and self -denials of what our human nature is capable of at its worst.
It poses a potent example of how easy the transformation from willing disciple to traitor can be. Judas is always a great person to use for candid self -examination.
I doubt whether evil is always that simple; trite and predictable maybe, but never simple.
The image above deliberately diminishes him as a slight, weak, puny individual set apart from the other physically more solid and robust disciples on the "other side of the table."
It's an intriguing and disturbing image to see the singularly haloless Judas being fed the morsel of food directly into his mouth by Jesus who cannot bear to look at him.
There is a potent symbolism of the "sinistre" or left hand of Judas simultaneously grasping at the plated fish that perhaps signifies what the gospel writers are intent on conveying about his principal motives for betraying Jesus - greediness and possession by evil.
This second image below serves much the same purpose - The dull eyed furtive look of Judas as he leaves the scene is set against the piercing almost accusatory gaze of the remaining disciples.
This despite the Gospel of John for today which says
"After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him."
In the image above, Jesus has his back turned from Judas. Significantly he has already acquired his crown of thorns, which conveys what the painful experience of betrayal by a friend is like and helps us understand the stabbing pain Judas inflicted on Jesus at the very outset of his Passion.
Meanwhile the pointed accusatory fingers of the other disciples serve the purpose of exclusion and isolation of Judas from the group and reinforces their self- containment around Jesus.
The jagged angular figures and use of grey and black add to the ominous tension building up and there is an uneasiness in the faces of the disciples.
The angled plank is suggestive of the future as yet unseen crucifixion.
What's that smaller cross on the wall ?
Image Marienkirhce Berndorf First Station of the Cross
After so recent an immersion in the crowds of palm Sunday, shouting joyous "Hosannas to the King " I'm well aware how soon this was replaced by the bellicose cries of "Crucify Him" on Good Friday and how susceptible we all are as humans to being caught up in the prevailing crowd mentality.
There are other cries down the centuries that uncomfortably echo the same knee jerk human propensity for self -justification of vengeful retribution and the need to punish in ever more horrific visceral ways.
We as humans seem painfully doomed to scapegoat whenever we cannot settle differences justly by non-violent means.
I think that modern sensibilities try harder to explore the reality of the experience and motivations of Judas and how that plays out with the bare facts of his deeds: treachery and betrayal against his friend for a paltry amount of money.
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| Judas Iscariot (Photo credit: Missional Volunteer) |
It's interesting how the historical imagery in art is used to portray Judas and is used to condition our perception of Judas as the consummate and convenient archetype of pure evil.
It is rare to see images which portray Judas as a regular looking guy.
Without invalidating the horror of what Judas did, the stereotyped figure of Judas can so easily become the carrier of all our individual shadow projections and self -denials of what our human nature is capable of at its worst.
It poses a potent example of how easy the transformation from willing disciple to traitor can be. Judas is always a great person to use for candid self -examination.
I doubt whether evil is always that simple; trite and predictable maybe, but never simple.
The image above deliberately diminishes him as a slight, weak, puny individual set apart from the other physically more solid and robust disciples on the "other side of the table."
It's an intriguing and disturbing image to see the singularly haloless Judas being fed the morsel of food directly into his mouth by Jesus who cannot bear to look at him.
There is a potent symbolism of the "sinistre" or left hand of Judas simultaneously grasping at the plated fish that perhaps signifies what the gospel writers are intent on conveying about his principal motives for betraying Jesus - greediness and possession by evil.
This second image below serves much the same purpose - The dull eyed furtive look of Judas as he leaves the scene is set against the piercing almost accusatory gaze of the remaining disciples.
This despite the Gospel of John for today which says
"After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him."
Meanwhile the pointed accusatory fingers of the other disciples serve the purpose of exclusion and isolation of Judas from the group and reinforces their self- containment around Jesus.
The jagged angular figures and use of grey and black add to the ominous tension building up and there is an uneasiness in the faces of the disciples.
The angled plank is suggestive of the future as yet unseen crucifixion.
What's that smaller cross on the wall ?
But we know that it was not
only Judas but all of Jesus’ disciples who finally turned away from
him.
I too betray, deny and abandon Jesus every time I turn away from Him.
Jesus
confronts Peter and warns him, against Peter’s protests, that he
will deny him.
Soon afterwards, in the garden of Gethsemane, every one of the disciples runs away.
Jesus goes to his death betrayed, denied and
abandoned. Soon afterwards, in the garden of Gethsemane, every one of the disciples runs away.
In the first three gospels there is no one at the foot of the cross to comfort the dying Jesus. except women and John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved", watching from a distance.
Yet Jesus never abandoned anyone; he always offered forgiveness.
Jesus I pray that I may always be close to you and that you will never let me stray from your love.
Teach me to try and extend the same compassion and forgiveness you have for me to others who I feel have acted unjustly against me and/or others.
Teach me not to be weak and follow my own crooked thinking or the convenient ways of the crowd.
One of my favourite hynns
Reflection here using Judas as the speaker in the first person to us all after his betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethesemane.
The final extract of the above article is below: a sober and challenging read.
"Without wanting to
sound as if I’m playing down what I did, I believe you and I are not so very
different.
A little ignorance of the Scriptures,
a little distrust in how much Jesus has your best interests at heart,
a little greed and selfishness,
a little too much love of money and unnecessary concern about security,
a little blindness to the love that Jesus has for you, undeserved as it is,
a little envy and jealousy,
a bit of unjustifiable anger -
and you could be well on the road to becoming another Judas.
Now that sounds a bit harsh,
doesn't it? That may be so, and I’ve been deliberately blunt.
Look what happened
to me. I didn't intend doing Jesus any harm during the previous 3 years.
I
wanted to be a disciple, but there were too many things that crept into my life
that made life with Jesus more and more difficult, if not impossible.
None of
the reasons that led me to betray Jesus were deliberate, they happened because I
lost sight of what Jesus meant to me.
In fact, in the end I fell into such
remorse I couldn't accept the fact that he still loved me. He still accepted me
as a "friend".
I am telling you all of this so
that you don’t fall into the same trap. Without a doubt, Jesus is a "friend". He
wasn’t just saying it.
And when I hear the word "friend" I understand someone
who loves me with a love that will keep on loving me even though I don’t deserve
it. I wish I had realised it then, that’s the kind of love that Jesus had for
me.
He is your friend. He died on the
cross to free you from all your guilt and sin. He went through all the suffering
and pain because of his love for you.
And so when the burden of your sin gets
too much or the trials of life become too heavy, you know you have a friend to
whom you can turn.
Things would have turned out differently for me, if I had
recognised Jesus’ love for me.
My friends, his love for you is
unquestionable.
Let nothing come between Jesus, your Saviour, and you."
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