Judas Iscariot: hero or villain?

Traitor is the first word that pops into the mind upon hearing this name. It is synonymous with betrayal, deceit, greed, dishonesty and distrust. No mother would ever give her son this name, and no woman would attach it to hers in marriage. Down through the ages Judas has been portrayed as the greatest villain in Christendom, because he sold the Savior for 30 pieces of silver and then gave him the kiss that started the saga of suffering, which ended in a shameful and painful death on the cross.

Of all the characters in the bible, why Judas? What was behind the name? Who was behind him and who pushed and influenced his acts that caused the life of the Savior? How did fate place him in such a position for the role that he was to play? Let us see his profile. Judas was a true-blooded Israelite, and that means that he was a cousin of Jesus who was from the tribe of Judah. 

This means that he was a bona fide covenanter in the covenant that God handed down to Moses at Sinai. It also means that like all true-blooded Israelites he was deputized by Moses to watch out for covenant-breakers, to report such offenders to the church leaders and to execute punishment on the same. To top it all he was a Zealot – a sect of Israelites devoted to protect and uphold the covenant at all cost. They were the front-liners in the defense of the doctrines and traditions of the Jews, and they were sworn to perform their duties to the last drop of their blood.

From the Jewish leaders’ point of view Judas was the right and the most valued asset. A close friend of the ‘heretic’ and ‘blasphemer’ Jesus, and Judas was an active Zealot who had been upgraded in the latest tactics in espionage, investigation and execution. So when Judas reported his find to his superiors, 30 pieces of silver was just the right amount for a handsome bonus and incentive.

If only Judas wasn’t so much ingrained in our minds as a traitor it would not be hard to visualize him as the greatest hero. But how can his image make a transformation from villain to hero? Does this mean that throughout the centuries from Gethsemane the truth about him was concealed and he was unjustly portrayed and profiled in the books of history? Does it mean that all the while our concept of a traitor was wrong because actually he was a hero? Mind boggling indeed, but let me explain.

Let us try to place ourselves at a point were we could view the events starting from Lucifer’s defection. God in this situation had to device a plan to gracefully and justly show to the entire universe that love and justice will not be compromised while putting and end to evil. So he drew the blueprint, which included the separating of a special people, giving then a special covenant and empowering them to execute covenant-breakers. I could even imagine the script that dictated the creation of the Zealots and the picking of Judas to give the “kiss of death”.

This would only show that Judas’ act of betrayal wasn’t treason at all, but rather an acting out of the role he was designed to play. He even didn’t need the prodding of Satan, because it is not Satan’s nature to encourage people to obey their covenant with God. This shows that Judas’ act was not a sin, but rather an upholding of the God-given covenant that conferred righteousness when obeyed.

In the truest sense of acting Judas should have been given the “Best Actor” award. The best emoted piece by the ‘contrabida’ whose fame reaches even through the centuries from the act, and whose name has been a byword even if to denote high treason. What if Judas didn’t play his role? What if he quitted midway and failed to deliver the kiss? What if he was fully converted to Christianity and had denounced his Jewish covenant and his obligation to uphold it? Would Jesus ever be crucified? Would you and I be delivered from this world of sin?

Considering all the human actors in God’s drama for our salvation, who was the hero and who was the villain? If Judas was the hero then who was the villain? None! When God sacrificed his Son for us he saw to it that no one, not even Judas would fall victim to the plan of redemption. He made sure that all the participants; even the contrabida was not guilty of any crime. It was the sacrifice of Jesus that was needed for our salvation, and not the sacrifice of Judas or any of the other participants in this grand show of God’s love and justice.

“For of such is the Kingdom of God.”

"Let This Cup Pass"

At the night of his arrest, Jesus in his divine capacity previewed the events in the next 24 hours, and in his human nature felt the impending doom. In his divine capacity he saw himself rise from the tomb victorious, and yet in his human nature felt the torture that he was destined to go through before finally saying “tetelestai”.

Physically Jesus was 100% human with the same number and type of nerve endings like you and I, thus guaranteeing that he felt every lash on his back, every jab to his side, every thorn in his scalp, every slap on his face and every nail through his limbs. 

He heard every insult from the people he loved, he saw the disciples he trusted deny him, cower in fear and hide. He tasted the bitter vinegar on his parched lips, felt the spittle from the soldiers trickle down his face, smelled the nauseating mixture of sweat, blood and tears. He felt the dizzying effect of blood loss and the aching fatigue from carrying the cross through the city and up a hill, and he felt the weight of the whole world on his shoulders.

In the cool and quiet of Gethsemane, alone with his thoughts, his human side outweighed the divine and in almost desperate words asked his father to forgo their plans - the blueprint that they laid even before they created the world together. A plan that was necessary to solve a rebellion in heaven, but also had to take into consideration the display of their love and justice for the whole universe to see, without fraud or bias to anyone.

A plan that needed the sacrifice of the divine Son and yet without any of the participants committing sin and thus becoming victims of the plan. A plan that made sure that Judas didn’t sin because he was just being obedient to the Jewish covenant, that saw to it that the jeering crowd was not guilty because they too were simply fulfilling the covenantal responsibilities that they were taught and had performed down the centuries from Sinai, and that no injustice was done to the heathen Roman officials and soldiers because they were just carrying out their constitutional duties.

They had to make sure that Satan had no hand on the plan and that he didn’t have even the slightest or the least significant role, because he might botch up the plan and prevent the greatest sacrifice of all. They had to ensure that this grand plan of redemption would be flawless and perfect to the smallest detail. Such was their kingdom of justice, love and perfection.

In the stillness of that night, Jesus previewed the scene and saw to it that every character was in place, every role was followed to the very letter in the script, every weapon was sharpened, oiled and glistening, and every feeling ready to be emoted. That was when he realized the profoundness of the pain, shame and blame that he was committed to fulfill as stated in the blueprint, and in a trembling and almost inaudible voice cried, “Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt.” His human nature was ready to call it quits, yet his love for us surpassed all pain, and he willingly submitted everything to his father.

The cup was filled to the brim that night and then poured out the next day for the healing of the nations, for the forgiveness of sin and the defeat of evil.

Orphans for My Heart

 “We’re leaving tomorrow morning.” That was Terry Heuser on the phone, and it meant that we were taking off two days ahead of schedule. I wasn’t really sure why I was going on this trip for two reasons; first, I didn’t know Terry very well [he got my email address from Chris, a colleague of his who I have yet to meet, and he emailed from Australia 5 days ago (04Feb07), and we met for the first time in the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Bangkok, had dinner at a riverside resto two days ago, and that’s it]. Second, he wanted me to accompany him to northeastern Thailand on an inspection trip to see some orphanages, and this was something very new to me so I didn’t know where I would fit.

That night I tried to find some reason to explain why Terry came into the picture of my life, and why he needed me to go with him. I was imagining that he needed a guide and an interpreter or maybe a brown Asian as a deterrent against extortion or whatever. One thing I was sure of was that he was a Christian [AOG] and that he was representing Global Impact, an Australia-based company of Christians engaged in humanitarian work. I prayed that God would use me on this trip and then went to sleep.

The next day Rob Dunk – an Aussie, Founder and Director of Mercy International, drove us 380 kilometers to Lom Sak where I was introduced to another five Australians with very challenging accents [this is my first time to be around guys from “down under”]. They - Malcolm, Ron, Murray, Chris and Gordon, were volunteer “builders” who were in Lom Sak constructing a school building for Rob’s “Mettachanupatham” [School of Mercy under the patronage of the highest King], which is a support school for the orphans in the “House of Mercy” at Lom Sak. Pawinee, a hospitable and cheerful Thai Christian lady took us in and fed us.

The next day Ron, Gordon, Terry and I took Rob’s Toyota SUV and drove through the mountain ranges of northern Thailand to Khon Kaen 200 kilometers away to see the House of Mercy for HIV orphans. We could easily pass for a bunch of “farang” Desert Storm veteran commanders with a Thai guide, and yet unknown to the locals we were actually “soldiers of the cross” on active duty. The HIV+ orphans touched my heart when I realized that they had lost their parents due to diseases related to AIDS. Wendy, a sweet and gracious Aussie, was there to show us around and to update us with the plans and progress of the orphanage.

After lunch we drove to Payakhaphum Pisai, approximately 150 kilometers east, to Samuel House, an orphanage that is owned and operated by a young and dedicated Thai Christian couple – Nehami and Hannah Pawcome, who like Rob with the other two orphanages had only sheer faith and empty pockets to start with.

We drove back to Lom Sak the next day and spent the following day pouring concrete for the floor of the school building, and then back to Bangkok on the next. I only realized back home in Bangkok that I had traveled 1,400 kilometers in five days, and that I left my heart with the orphans. I also found the answer to why God wanted me to accompany Terry.

You see I grew up in a church [SDA, Philippines ] that doesn’t have a program to uplift the plight of the orphans, and has hospitals that cater to the middle class, insurance policy holders and the rich. We brag about our spick and span, well furnished suites, which only the rich and the church’s employees can afford but don’t have a single bed for charity patients [I trained in one of these hospitals and was a member of the Board of Trustees in another until my rebirth]. The poor and the underprivileged that live around these institutions know fairly well that they will be turned away.

With these facts you will know now how I was brought up and why God had to retrain me and teach me how He manages His kingdom. He had to reorganize my priorities and make me realize that it is the care of “the least of these my brethren” that places the saints on His right hand, and not the observance of a day of worship. He also had to bring me to the mountains of Thailand to show me that I had to "be about my Father’s business,” and to stop looking at myself.

Hallelujah!

Orphans for my heart

This album will showcase the orphanages and orphans in Lom Sak, Khon Kaen and Payakhaphum Pisai - all in Northern Thailand. God used these orphans and their 'parents' to make me a better man and Christian.