The Gospel of Judas

“Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.”
—John 13:38

This scene from the gospel, where Jesus predicts Peter’s denial, comes just paragraphs after he predicts Judas’ betrayal. Judas gets all the attention for his violation of Jesus’ trust. He’s the one whom history has condemned. But Peter, the apostolic hero, the first pope, betrays him too in a particularly dramatic way. Poor Judas was overwhelmed with his guilt and could not find his way to redemption, at least not in this life. Peter did, and went on to walk the hard disciple road. But Judas and Peter were brothers in their betrayal.

And so are all of us. Judas has garnered media attention this Easter with the publication of a book on the apocryphal Gospel of Judas. I have no opinion on the thesis of the book, but I’m glad Judas is finally getting some limelight. For me, Judas is an archetypal figure. We are all Judas. Who among us has not betrayed God, has not betrayed our truest, deepest self? Judas did not carry out his betrayal for the thirty pieces of silver. His frustration with Jesus was because he did not meet his expectations (Judas wanted a revolutionary leader who would drive out the Roman occupiers). Who among us has not lost our way because God or the world did not meet our expectations?

Reading this entire passage from the gospel, you can feel how much Jesus loves Judas, especially in the simple act of sharing the bread with him. It’s almost a communion ritual, as Jesus hands him the morsel and says, in effect, “What are you going to do now?” What, indeed, are we going to do?