The sin of Judas has no parallel in history.  It was a sin against all bonds of discipleship and friendship, against light, against affection, against trust, against warnings, against his own promises and preaching.  Moreover, it was entirely deliberate and in no sense the result of a sudden temptation.  And it was contrived with a calculated skill and carried through to its conclusion with an unswerving tenacity.

Yet the case of Judas is unique only in its opportunity and form.  He is by no means the only follower of Christ who has turned traitor.  Let us always remember, Judas is a warning not to unbelievers but to disciples.  Our attention is so forcibly drawn to the part he played as traitor that we forget that once he was a loyal and devoted Apostle who had forsaken all for Our Lord’s sake.

As with many a Christian since, so it was with Judas: what he chose to regard as a small sin caused him to lose, first his faith in Our Lord and then his own soul.

In how many a lapsed Christian has this melancholy tale been repeated.  First there is the enthusiasm and loyalty of the Church member for whom religion in general and Our Lord in particular is a new chapter in life, supplying something that was lacking before.  All goes happily until an old sin reappears and becomes habitual: soon faith in Our Lord becomes weak and enthusiasm wanes.

Worship, once so regular when it sprang from love and loyalty, becomes fitful and grudging.  Holy Communion likewise is received less and less frequently.  Such a person at this stage has, in his or her heart, already left Our Lord just as had happened with Judas after Our Lord’s discourse on the Blessed Sacrament.  Finally, in spite of all the old associations with Our Lord and with his Church, both worship and Communions cease altogether.

There is now nothing to suggest that the person ever even belonged to Our Lord and to his Church.  The little leaven has steadily leavened the whole lump, and rejection of him has become complete.  The disciple has turned traitor.

And all Christians, however they begin, must always end either by being for Christ and with Christ or against Christ and without Christ.  There is no middle way.

During this Lent, therefore, let us take time to open our hearts to God and ask him to give us true self-knowledge, sorrow for our past disloyalties, forgiveness, and the grace to persevere as Christ’s faithful disciples to the end of our lives.

References

1. Bruce, A.B. (1831-1899) Training of the Twelve, cited in Hastings A. (ed) (1906) A dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, Vol I, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, p.912

2. Lavater, J.K. (1788-1799) Essays on physiognomy, cited in Hastings, A. (ed) (1906) A dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, Vol I, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, p.908