Was Judas Just Misunderstood?

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from The London Times, January 12, 2006, with the headline: “Judas the Misunderstood.” The following are excerpts:

“Vatican Moves to Clear Reviled Disciple’s Name. 

“Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss, is to be given a make-over by Vatican scholars. The proposed rehabilitation of the man, who was paid 30 pieces of silver to identify Jesus to Roman soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane, comes on the ground that he was not deliberately evil, but was just fulfilling his part in God’s plan. 

“Now, a campaign led by Monsignor Walter Brandmuller, head of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science, is aimed at persuading believers to look kindly at a man reviled for 2,000 years. Monsignor Brandmuller told fellow scholars it was time for a re-reading of the Judas story. He is supported by Vittorio Messori, a prominent Catholic writer close to both Pope Benedict the XVI and the late John Paul II. Señor Messori said that the rehabilitation of Judas would resolve the problem of an apparent lack of mercy by Jesus toward one of his closest collaborators. He told La Stampa that there was a Christian tradition that held that Judas was forgiven by Jesus and ordered to purify himself with spiritual exercises in the desert. 

“The move to clear Judas’ name coincides with plans to publish the alleged Gospel of Judas for the first time in English, German, and French. Though not written by Judas, it is said to reflect the belief among early Christians, now gaining ground in the Vatican, that in betraying Christ, Judas was fulfilling a divine mission which led to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, and hence to man’s salvation. Some Vatican scholars have expressed concern over the reconsideration of Judas. Monsignor Giovanni D’Ercole, a Vatican theologian, said it was dangerous to reevaluate Judas and muddy the gospel accounts by reference to Apocryphal writings. ‘This can only create confusion in believers.’ 

The gospels tell how Judas later returned the 30 pieces of silver, his blood money, and hanged himself, or according to the Acts of the Apostles, fell headlong and burst open so that all his entrails burst out.”

Tom: I’ve got to go with Monsignor Giovanni over Monsignor Brandmuller. And, you know, at least there is somebody there who is saying, “Wait a minute, time out. We can’t go this way.” I mean, come on, Dave, revisionist history here? “Let’s reshape Judas for whatever reason?” It’s really an abomination.

Dave: Well, it’s my understanding that the gospels are part of Scripture, and Paul tells us and Peter tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” They didn’t have shorthand account of this; they didn’t have tape recorders, so how are they writing down what Jesus said, and so forth? Because the Holy Spirit is inspiring them, all right? It’s the only way. I’ve either got to believe that that this is the Word of God, or it’s the word of men. If it’s the word of men, forget it. Why should I trust it? 

Now we’re going to rewrite the Word of God. The Word of God tells us the facts, it tells us Judas—it says that he went to destruction. It tells us that Judas was lost. It tells us that Judas did one of the most heinous crimes. Oh, you say, “Well, it had to be in order for Jesus to be crucified.” That’s true, but nevertheless, Judas did it. Judas was led of God to do this? No, but God knew what was in the heart of Judas, and God saw that Judas was in that position at that time to do what God knew he would do. He loved money; he was a thief, it says, and he went for this reward that the Pharisees had offered. Now then, Jesus tells him to go out into the desert and do spiritual exercises to purify himself, and Jesus forgives Judas?

Tom: But, Dave, you don’t understand—as they say here, we have to resolve the problem of an apparent lack of mercy by Jesus toward one of his closest collaborators. Let’s help Jesus’ character out here; let’s massage some things around; let’s go and look for the Gospel According to Judas, okay, or some kind of ancient document that supports what we want. 

“There’s a way that seems right unto a man, but the way thereof is the way of death.” It’s as simple as that. That’s what’s going on here.

Dave: Tom, this has already been written. You remember, we dealt with that in The Berean Call, and they pulled the book. Wasn’t that Navigators, or who was it that published that book The Gospel According to Judas? 

Tom: Yeah, I don’t remember.

Dave: But anyway, Tom, look, I have problems with—being one of Jesus’ closest collaborators? In fact, he was working against Jesus. He was an undercover agent for himself. He was stealing. One of Jesus’ closest collaborators? How was Judas one of Jesus’ closest collaborators? I’d like to know that. It simply isn’t true. 

Furthermore, Jesus said that He would judge the entire world. He will sit on that Great White Throne, Revelation 20. From His face the earth and the heavens will flee. We don’t even understand what sin is. Just the smallest sin is rebellion against God, and for that, just taking forbidden fruit, God threw them out of the Garden. And now we’re going to rehabilitate Judas, and Jesus is going to go against God’s Word?

Tom: Dave, it’s not just Catholics here that I’m concerned about, it’s evangelicals. We’ve seen time after time where you feed them just a little bit of information that seems different from the Bible, and they tend to go for it. We had The Passion of the Christ—they went for it in droves. I mean, multitudes went to that movie. We also had on TV Judas. In the movie Judas, on national TV, you have Judas in dialogue with Jesus, supposedly—I mean, these are characters—and Judas says to this character Jesus, “Man, I really liked what you did in the temple.” Okay, chasing out the money changers and so on, and the character Jesus looks at him and says, “Oh, yeah, I really blew it there. Don’t be commending me for that.” But people pick up on that and it alters the truth about the Creator of the universe. Unbelievable!

Dave: We reject Christ (which Judas did), we reject the gospel, we’re lost. And Judas, I’m not sure he really repented. He was sorry for what he had done. Exactly what that meant, I don’t know, but it said that he went to his place, and I think that means to an eternal doom.