“A disquieting puzzle”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Tuesday, August 27, 2024

John 6: 60-71 (Forward, p. 29) CEV p. 1109

Almost from the beginning, people have been puzzled over the case of Judas Iscariot. And sadly, our Scripture references on Judas don’t help very much. Today’s text, for instance, tells us that ‘from the beginning he [meaning Jesus] knew who would have faith in him. He also knew which one would betray him” (verse 64). That same verse also says, “Some of you refuse to have faith in me.”

So, this raises a profound and bewildering question: why would Jesus deliberately choose someone as a disciple, as one of the Twelve no less, that he knew beforehand was unreliable, and worse, a traitor and betrayer? And, no less inexplicable, appoint him to the most trusted position, namely that of treasurer for the group?

Not only does this raise questions about Jesus’ thinking and motivation in so doing, but it also raises questions about Judas’ free will, his choices, in this matter—that is, if Jesus already knew. (But then, this poses a question for all us, namely, that if Jesus/ God already knows the future, our futures, how can it be said that we have free will?)

I do believe that Judas—and each of us—does indeed have free will, even though God does know ahead of time just what our choices will be. He knows the outcomes, but He doesn’t determine them. We are a tabla raca, a clean slate as it were, and what we inscribe upon that slate is totally our doing.

It is interesting, but not in the least conclusive, how the title appended to Judas’ name, Iscariot, can be interpreted. One interpretation is that it means ‘a man from Kerioth’, a place in Judea. Another, that it means ‘liar’ or ‘betrayer’, which surely is a nickname applied to him ‘after the fact.’ Another interpretation is that it means ‘dyer’, a person who dyed cloth, a rather important and lucrative enterprise. And still another interpretation is that it means ‘dagger bearer’, after the Semitic form of sicarius or dagger. The sicarii were, at the time of Jesus, a particularly zealous, fanatic, band of Jewish nationalists who were determined to root out the Roman occupation by whatever means it took. And so, secreting a dagger under their cloaks to strike down unobserved an unsuspecting Roman soldier or collaborator was entirely within their ‘repertoire’.

That Judas came from Judea, and not from Galilee like the rest of them, might have branded him as an outsider, or at very least, made him feel like one and therefore be resentful. As a dyer, he may have been accustomed to wealth and success, which he certainly did not attain to as a disciple. Maybe that motivated his interest in enriching himself a bit through his access to the group’s founds. And, certainly, success, position in the kingdom was something all the disciples were interested in. And then for the idea that he was an assassin, this too is plausible, when Judas realized that Jesus was not going to strike, raise up an army, when the time seemed right. Maybe the betrayal had all the marks of a frustrated or disillusioned follower.

But regardless of Judas’ motivation, Jesus did choose him as a disciple. Jesus must have seen some goodness, some potential in him. Interestingly, Judas would have seen and experienced Jesus’ miracles and heard His message. Even so, as Jesus pointed out in today’s text, Judas ‘refused to have faith in him.’ After all that, no less. It certainly gives us pause, reason to reflect. But, even so, let’s step back from it for a moment: Does having faith in Jesus, believing in Jesus, mean only that we have a mental assent to a set of truths, or does it mean putting one’s trust in a person, giving over your life to that person and depending upon him? I would suggest that Judas might well have had the first, but as for depending upon Him, no, he was going to depend upon himself and his own wiles and schemes. And, in similar fashion, can that not apply to us a well, the intellectual assent, but not the practice? Let it not be so. Amen.

Forward notes: “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’” (verse 60)

“I have a reputation for asking a lot of questions. One parish rector commented that my gift was asking the tough questions. I guess that’s a good thing, because I have questions about today’s gospel.

“When Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, the disciples have not yet shared in the last supper—the meal that we celebrate in the Holy Eucharist on Sundays. Jesus calls himself the true bread from heaven that we must eat to have eternal life. I am not clear on what exactly this means. So, how do I reconcile this?

“Have you ever listened to a lecture on a difficult subject by a teacher who made perfect sense of the material? That is, until that evening when you looked at the material and were confused all over again. Then, you return to the source, and it all makes sense again. I believe Jesus hears my questions and, like a good teacher, stands ready to answer again and again with words that give eternal life.”

Moving Forward: “How do you reconcile your questions about biblical teachings?”