Easter in Their Shoes: Judas

Welcome back traveler. I hope your journey was not long. Have you brought more questions for me?

Ah, I see, well that question was bound to come up eventually. Matthias did indeed replace Judas as determined by holy lot, but I feel that there is more to this question. Keep in mind that for many of the disciples this is still a sour topic. We try not to mention those events, but we see now that had those events never happened, neither one of us would be having this conversation. There is a scroll around here somewhere, ah here it is. I think the best way to answer your question is let you read this. They found it on his body and it somehow got back to us.

To whomever finds this get this to the followers of Jesus, or what is left of them.

I need to confess to the rest of you what happened and why I did what I did.

I am not sure when it happened, but I realized that Jesus was not who we thought he would be. I think we all knew that there were plots out there to somehow get rid of him. It was only a matter of time. Besides, I thought it could be a way to earn so extra money.

I basically walked up to the priests and told them my plan. They jumped at the opportunity in a heartbeat. They even offered 30 pieces of silver, which would have helped greatly in the community.

When the Passover meal took place, the plan had already come into action, I was just waiting for the opportunity. What I did not anticipate, however, were the actions of Jesus that night. I was just as shocked as the rest of you that he knew my plan. I shuttered when he said that it would be better for whoever did betray him to never have been born. Yet I could not back out of the plan now, I had to keep my end of the bargain. I slipped out when Jesus told me to and while you all thought I had some business with the poor, I was really heading to the temple to carry out my plan.

Why the garden? Simple, it was camp. I knew He would be there as we camp there almost every time we come to Jerusalem. I have to say, that entourage was a bit excessive in my eyes, but it was what the chief priest sent.

The act of betraying Jesus was not as easy. I tried to avoid eye contact as much as I could. There was no way I could face him. Yet his question cut me to the bone. “You betray me with a kiss?” It was the best I could think of in hopes that no one had caught on to what was really going on.

I want you to know that the events that followed, were not part of my plan. I had no clue that events of that night would play out as they did. That the man I had spent a significant amount of time with over the past few years would be hung on a cross due to my actions. It tore me up inside. All that guilt.

I tried to undo what I could. I went back to the priests admitting that what I did was a sin since Jesus was truly innocent of the crimes He was accused of. They would have nothing of it though. Since I did not want the money anymore. I threw it back at them and walked out. I only caught a few words of their conversation as I walked out. Something about “blood money” and “potter’s field” by now you may know more of that.

If you are reading this, you have found my body now cursed with hanging. I have taken my punishment upon myself. I hope one day you can find the strength to forgive me for my actions.

Judas

I hope that answers your questions, or it may have just left you with more. Either way let us take a break, perhaps later we can fill in more of the details of that night. Judas’ story is only the beginning of a very long couple of days.

May the piece of Yahweh be with you traveler,