Dec 22 2021 Day 258 Matthew 27:1–28:20



When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”



As we finish the book of Matthew, we hear of Jesus crucifixion, the soldiers who protected his tomb lest disciples remove it claiming he’s been raised, the soldier who recognized his divinity, the Marys’ discovery of the empty tomb, Jesus’ final commissioning to his remaining disciples, to make disciples of all nation, and his reminder that he’d be with them to the end of the age. As Christians, the Gospels have the most familiar, and most pithy sections of scripture. It makes sense.

And again this morning, I’m drawn to a section of Gospel that feels underattended. Judas repented.

Isn’t this what John the Baptizer was claiming we need to do? Repent. In my tradition the covenant we make in baptism asks “when you sin, will repent and return to the Lord?” I’m wondering who removed Judas from the list of disciples. I’m wondering if Jesus would have.

For us now to consider Judas an unmentionable seems to me to lessen Jesus’ message that there is nothing we can do that will separate us from the love of God. That God is with us always. That sin is what we do, and repent is what we’re asked to do.

I’m thinking about people who struggle with Christianity and its hypocrisy. We say love everyone. We act like that means everyone who agrees with us. We say all are welcome. We act like that means only people who won’t rock our bout. We say God loves everyone. We act like God cannot possibly love some because of their lifestyle or their excessive poverty or their excessive wealth. It seems like we have a good model for that hypocrisy. Jesus said, I am with you always, to the end of the ages. Scripture writers cast Judas into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What does this say to our brothers and sisters who aren’t religious? Who haven’t been saved? Who don’t know God’s all-merciful love? If Judas’ repentance didn’t keep him in good graces, who’s to say mine will? Judas betrayed. What about people who’ve murdered, or abused, or what about me and my myriad of sins? Is my returning to God sufficient? How do we tell people of God’s unearned love and forgiveness when it appears Judas was the exception? Can there be exceptions? Should there be?

I’m reminded of a story told by Madeleine L’Engle, author of the kids’ book, A Wrinkle in Time. 

She wrote, “After his death Judas found himself at the bottom of a deep and slimy pit. For thousands of years he wept his repentance, and when the tears were finally spent he looked up and saw, way, way up, a tiny glimmer of light. After he had contemplated it for another thousand years or so, he began to try to climb up towards it. The walls of the pit were dank and slimy, and he kept slipping back down. Finally, after great effort, he neared the top, and then he slipped and fell all the way back down. It took him many years to recover, all the time weeping bitter tears of grief and repentance, and then he started to climb again. After many more falls and efforts and failures he reached the top and dragged himself into an upper room with twelve people seated around a table. “We’ve been waiting for you, Judas. We couldn’t begin till you came.”


I know Madeleine L’Engle didn’t write scripture, but I do think her story tells of better Good News than some parts we read, or even some of the assumptions that are woven in all of scripture, like that of Judas. I’m not suggesting that he should be sainted, or churches named after him. Well, maybe I am. What would that say to the world about God’s love?