Judas is our beloved, part of the Body of Christ. Judas is right here with us, in those we love most, and in ourselves as well. The Body of Christ includes the betrayer. What do we make of that fact? What do we allow it to teach us?
In his classic short story “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” Oscar Wilde grotesquely illustrates Christ’s final point in this gospel: There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.
Some in the crowd now wonder if they haven’t been following a madman rather than a prophet, a healer, a miracle-worker. Just like that, his sayings HAVE proven too hard for some of his followers.
We cannot operate out of fear, but neither can we operate out of complacency. When Jesus comes back he is not going to compliment the pretty stones and monuments, the nice gated communities, the well-run businesses, and the lavish lifestyles of many of his followers.
in every nanosecond in which I am carried away by fear or anger there is the possibility of realizing that God is right there tugging on the leash, inviting me to disengage and take a breath. It’s up to me to become aware.
“I am happy to be a Buddhist now, but had I known this was available in Christianity I would never have become a Buddhist.”
This work of development and discipleship is challenging most Christians who are still practising the tradition and customs of FGM and violence to women and girls. This situation provides opportunities for church leaders and Christians to challenge this bad tradition and to fight against such violence.
The case has already raised uncomfortable questions about the connection between privilege and sexual assault, and between sexual assault in American colleges and in high schools.
Clearly, even with a divine teacher, education is a two-way street. Jesus does the teaching, but we must do the learning. We are the children of God… not the robots of God. Jesus does not program us. He reveals the will of God. He embodies the love of God. And we have free will to reject or embrace these teachings.
If there’s something that you have hoped would just go away, something you would rather not mention to God, this might be a good time to recognize it and remind yourself that every single thing about you is redeemed and loved.