John 13

Jesus has been on the run for a few chapters now. The Jewish leaders have tried to arrest him a number of times, but he has been able to escape and flee to safety. In the meantime, he had become Jerusalem’s Most Wanted.

The creator of the world came to live among the created, and we turned him into a fugitive because he healed people on the Sabbath, preached love and actually claimed to be the son of God! Jesus knew that he couldn’t keep running; that’s not why he came. He was prepared to be arrested and he was ready for whatever sentence was to come.

The Jewish leaders were ready too. It was the time of the Passover Feast, a time where millions of people came to Jerusalem. If the authorities were going to find Jesus they were going to need help. It would be like finding a needle in a stack of a million other needles. So they pulled Judas aside and worked out a deal.

In verse 27 Jesus whispered to Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” Then Judas left and set the wheels in motion.

I’m not sure what I think about Judas. I feel a little bad for him. If the story was going to play out the way it did, somebody needed to be the bad guy. John tells us that Satan entered Judas, but did Judas choose Satan? Did Judas know Jesus would be killed?

I can’t help but wonder what was going through Judas’ mind. Did he realize that Jesus would be dead in a week and think the last three years of his life were a total waste? Maybe he thought that he was on a sinking ship and was looking for a life preserver.  Was he looking for a way to get in the good graces of the religious elite? He might have joined Jesus because he thought he would be friends with a powerful person, and now he was looking for new powerful friends. Was he just greedy, and wanted the reward money? Money can make people do crazy things.

It’s easy to make Judas out to be the bad guy because we need someone to blame. Judas is guilty of being a bad friend, but he didn’t make Jesus a fugitive, the Jewish leaders did.  Judas didn’t crucify Jesus either, the Romans did.

Jesus didn’t die because of Judas. Jesus died because I’m a sinner.

I wish I could blame Judas, but if I'm going to blame anyone, I need to start with the guy in the mirror.