Deserters

Deserters

Matthew 26:14-35[1]

I’ve mentioned before that none of us lives up to our image of ourselves. It’s an inescapable fact of our humanity. No matter how good our intentions may be, we all fall short. Sometimes we do much more than fall short. Sometimes we crash and burn. When that happens, we tend to want to look for someone to blame. Someone besides us, that is. And so it is that throughout the history of the human family we’ve found it convenient to find a “scapegoat” to take the blame for our failures. Whether it’s the way we were raised, or how much money we have, or what kind of breaks we got in life, it seems we can always find a scapegoat to blame. But a scapegoat only really serves to let us off the hook so that we don’t have to look too carefully at ourselves.

I think the way the church has looked at Judas Iscariot falls under the category of “scapegoating.” He has been known as the one who “betrayed” Jesus. Unfortunately, that’s about all we know about Judas. The only things Matthew’s Gospel tells us about Judas is that he was “one of the Twelve” (Mt 26:47) and that he betrayed Jesus. In fact, he is known simply as “Judas the betrayer” in Matthew’s Gospel, much like John is known as “John the baptizer.” I must say I’m a little disappointed in that. After all, Judas was one of twelve hand-picked disciples Jesus chose to accompany him and to join him in his ministry. It makes me wonder what Jesus saw in Judas that led him to choose Judas as one of his original “apprentices” in ministry. It also makes me wonder why Judas, who took the risk to join Jesus in going to Jerusalem for the last time, would have done something like betraying him. The Gospels tend to say simply that he did it because he was destined to. But I wonder if there was more to it than that.

I think it’s important to recognize that not only was Judas among those Jesus chose to join him in his ministry, in all of the Gospels he is also present at the Last Supper. We see this in the fact that the story of the Last Supper begins with Jesus’ announcement that “one of you will betray me” (Mt. 26:21). While those shocking words likely came in the course of the meal, I don’t think we pay close enough attention to this detail. Talk about a way to kill a party! And as a side note, some of you may know that Da Vinci’s famous fresco of the Last Supper was intended to portray the reaction on the part of the disciples to that shocking statement: “one of you will betray me.”

If we read the story closely, we have to reckon with the fact that not only was Judas present at the Last Supper, but that he also participated in the meal! Jesus knew that one of them would betray him. I think Jesus even knew that Judas was the one who would do the betraying. And yet, in the Last Supper, Jesus offered Judas the bread that represented his body that would be broken on the cross. And he offered Judas the cup that represented his life poured out as a demonstration of God’s unfailing love. Yes, Jesus gave Judas the bread and the cup! Jesus offered his broken body and his life for the sake of one he knew was going to betray him.

Perhaps the early church was so disturbed by Judas’ betrayal they couldn’t see past that. But I think the human tendency to find a “scapegoat” may have also affected the church. By the time Matthew’s Gospel was written about 40 years later, Judas’ act of betrayal had so completely defined his character that they could not think of him any other way. But if we keep reading the story, we find that there was plenty of responsibility to go around. After the supper, presumably after Judas had gone to get the Jewish authorities, Jesus told the rest of the disciples that “Tonight all of you will desert me” (Mt 26:31, NLT). We should hear the full impact of that word “desert.” The word in the original Greek refers to those who are either unwilling or unable to put their faith in Jesus! It’s a strong word. That’s why so many English translations read, “You will all fall away because of me on this night” (NRSVUE). It was a serious matter. And they knew it!

Peter speaks for the others when he says, “I will never fall away” (Mt 26:33). But Jesus knows better. In fact, not only would Peter “fall away” on that night, Jesus told Peter, “you will disown me three times” (Mt 26:34). Peter would become a deserter and a denier! Of course, Peter insists he would rather die, as do all the others. But when the time came, they all deserted him, just as Jesus had warned them. And when the time came, Peter disowned Jesus. Three times. And the last time he did so with an oath and cursing! What I want to come back to is the fact that at the Last Supper Jesus not only offered the bread and the cup to one he knew was going to betray him. Jesus also offered the bread and the cup to the one he knew would disown him. And Jesus offered the bread and the cup to those he knew would desert him. Everyone around that table on the night of the Last Supper was going to “betray” Jesus in some way or another. And Jesus knew it. And still he offered them all the bread that represented his body that would be broken on the cross, and the cup that represented his life poured out for them.

We have this idea that the Lord’s Supper is only for those who are “worthy.” In fact, some churches insist on that. But if we’re taking our cue in celebrating the Lord’s Supper from what Jesus did at the Last Supper, then we’ve missed something important when we restrict who can take the bread and the cup. Jesus gave the bread and the cup to Judas, who would betray him. Jesus gave the bread and the cup to Peter, who would disown him. And Jesus gave the bread and the cup to the others who would all desert him. The bread and the cup are for everyone!

We all fall short. And sometimes we crash and burn. Too many times in my life I’ve had to come face-to-face with the fact that I am not always the man I want to be, not always the father I want to be, not always the disciple of Jesus I want to be, not always the pastor I want to be. I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only one in that predicament. But we don’t gather here to celebrate our worthiness. We gather to celebrate the fact that Jesus offered himself to the one who would betray him, to the one who would disown him, and to those who would desert him. We gather here taste again the grace of love we can never deserve, nor can we ever forfeit. We come because, whether we have betrayed him, or disowned him, or deserted him, Jesus keeps offering himself to us all!

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[1] © 2023 Alan Brehm.  A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 4/2/2023 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

Betraying Jesus

Betraying Jesus

Matthew 26: 26:20-25, 31-35[1]

I think most of us like to see ourselves as basically trustworthy people. We like to think that when we say we’ll do something, we do it. Being reliable is part of being good and honest, and I think most of us at least attempt to be that kind of person. Of course, we all fall short. We promise more than we can deliver. We let certain details slip amidst the barrage of information that comes our way each day. The more we have on our plate, the easier it can be to forget to follow through on something we promised to do. That doesn’t make us dishonest, it just makes us human.

But there are also times when we say things that we really don’t have any intention of carrying out. We may or may not be fully aware of it, and we probably would rather not have to admit it—especially to ourselves. It’s difficult and painful to face the truth that all of us at times can betray the trust that has been given to us. It is even more difficult and painful to face the fact that all of us at times have betrayed a trust. I would say, in our defense, that I doubt most of us normally set out to do so. But the hard reality is that being human means that we don’t always live up to the commitments we make. Not in the way we’d like to think we do. We all fall short at times.

Our Gospel lesson for this morning is a difficult passage to understand. How could it be that one of Jesus’ disciples—one of the ones he hand-picked to share the task of proclaiming the Good News of God’s kingdom of peace, justice, and freedom—would actually betray him? It seems monstrous. In fact, I think one of the reasons why we reserve the harshest punishments for those we deem to be “traitors” is because we want to keep betrayal far away from us. If we can shun traitors like Edward Snowden or Benedict Arnold or Judas Iscariot, then we can all feel better about ourselves. It’s a way to bolster our not-so-secure faith in our own integrity.[2]

But there’s an interesting detail in the scene at the Last Supper depicted in Matthew’s Gospel. When Jesus announces to the Twelve, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me” (Matt. 26:21), we assume he’s referring solely to Judas Iscariot. After all, Matthew’s Gospel tells the story of Judas agreeing to betray Jesus to the religious leaders just before this passage. And yet, there’s something interesting tucked away in the solemn interaction between Jesus and Judas. Matthew tells us that “they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ (Matt. 26:22). Of course, we could read that as a simple declaration of innocence on the part of the others. I think that’s the way we have traditionally read this passage. The other disciples were shocked and protested their innocence.

But I think there’s another way to read it. I think the reason why they responded to the shock that one of them would betray him by asking a question is because none of them were entirely secure in their devotion to him.[3] They had followed him, and had seen and done some amazing things. But all of the Gospels make it clear that before the cross and resurrection, even Jesus’ closest followers failed to understand him fully. And I think the fact that each of the disciples, not just Judas, responded to Jesus by asking, “Surely not I, Lord?” reveals their own doubts about their commitment to him.

I think this reading is confirmed after the Last Supper when Jesus says plainly to the whole group, “You will all become deserters because of me this night” (Matt. 26:31). Jesus knew what they all feared: the tension between Jesus and the religious authorities was reaching a breaking point, and when the time came, he would face his death on the cross alone, abandoned by those who had been his closest companions. I think the possibility of his arrest must have crossed their minds, and they all questioned their ability to stand with Jesus at that fateful hour.

Of course, as usual in Matthew’s gospel, it is Peter who steps forward and represents the disciples’ failure to grasp what was really going on. Thinking that this was the time when Jesus was going to ascend to the throne of David and take his rightful place as the Messiah, Peter speaks for the others and insists, “I will never desert you” (Matt. 26:33). In fact, he goes beyond that and pledges that “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you” (Matt. 26: 35). And Matthew adds, “So said all the disciples”! But the subsequent events told a different story: Peter emphatically denied even knowing Jesus. And in Matthew’s Gospel, not one of the disciples were anywhere near the cross while Jesus was drinking the cup he chose to take for us all. Every one of them betrayed him in their own way in the end.

The thought that we might betray anyone is painful enough to bear. But the idea that we might betray Jesus is truly a bitter pill to swallow. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that, like Peter and the rest of the disciples, we have all played the part of Judas. We have all failed as disciples of Jesus at some time.[4] But I don’t think that means we are beyond hope. Even though Judas never returned to Jesus, the others did, and they were forgiven and restored and commissioned to carry on with the work to which they had been called.[5] We all face the decision whether to follow Jesus—not just one time, but daily and sometimes several times throughout the day. I think the lesson for us today is that even though we may at times betray Jesus, we can come back to him and find grace, and forgiveness, and restoration that we may return to the path of following him.

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[1] © 2017 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 4/9/2017 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. Craig Barnes, “The Judas Chromosome,” The Christian Century (Feb 27, 2002):21: “Could it be that the real reason we show betrayers so little compassion is that we're afraid there is some Judas chromosome within all of us? We hate the thought that we too are capable of betraying trust.”

[3] Cf. Barnes, “Judas Chromosome,” 21: “When Jesus claimed that one of the Twelve would betray him, the anxiety within all of their souls rushed to the surface. ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ They might as well have said, ‘I’ve been worried about that, but I thought I had it under control.’”

[4] Cf. Barnes, “Judas Chromosome,” 21: “One of the messages of Holy Week is that sooner or later every disciple will betray Jesus. We will betray him in the workplace when it will cost too much to think like a Christian, and in our homes when the anger is so great that we hurt those who trust us, and in the sacred commitments we make that we simply cannot keep. We will betray Jesus by our indifference to the poor, by our refusal to turn the other cheek to our enemies, and by the deaf ears we turn to heaven’s call to live for higher purposes.”

[5] Cf. Barnes, “Judas Chromosome,” 21: “In the gospel according to Judas there is no forgiveness, there is just sin and the futile effort to make things right on your own. In the gospel of Jesus, there is always grace that can create a new ending to our lives. All we have to do is turn to him.”