Betrayal

'A similar obscure ambiguity surrounds the role of Judas in Christ's death: since his betrayal was necessary to his mission (to redeem humanity through his death on the Cross), did not Christ need it? Are his ominous words during the Last Supper not s secret injuntion to Judas to betray him? "Judas, who betrayed him, said 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' He replied, 'You have said so'" (Matthew 26:25). The rhetorical figure of Christ's reply is, of course, that of disavowed injuntion: Judas is interpellated as the onw who will hand Christ over to the authorities - not directly ("You are the on who will betray me!"), but so that the responsibility is put onto the other. Is Judas not therefore the ultimate hero of the New Testament, the one who was ready to lose his soul and accept eternal damnation so that the divinie plan could be accomplished?'

Zizek - The Puppet and the Dwarf

When taught about the bible in my Catholic primary school I always had a bit of a soft spot for Judas, he who tends to be hated and abhorred by the fervent Christian. I always found it confusing that people hated him when Jesus had to be crucified in order for Christianity to be founded. Not only did he have to be crucified but it seemed pretty much predetermined that God would send down his only son to be killed at the hands of his own people so that our sins would be forgiven. I found it difficult to accept the religious dogma that Judas was the great betrayer, that he was somehow evil and that to be called Judas was definately a bad thing. What Judas did was, as Zizek points out, a heroic act. He laid down his soul for the man he loved. Is this not a greater sacrifice than that made by Jesus? Jesus was promised a seat at the right hand of the father, he was part of the holy trinity and his sacrifice was one only inflicted upon his earthly body while Judas would be subjected to eternal damnation. An eternity in hell must be worse than a few days of torture for one who believes in a soul. I think that it was not Judas who was the betrayer, but Jesus. It always upset me to see images of Judas hanging from a tree when I thought about what Jesus and his God had done to him.

I am reminded as well of an episode of South Park entitled 'The Passion of the Jew' (very funny episode, everyone should watch it), in which Kyle has a crisis of faith because he has watched the 'Passion of the Christ' and he believes that the Jewish people are evil for killing Jesus. He goes to see Father Mackie and asks him why the Jews would have done that. Father Mackie tells him that Jesus was sent to earth to die for our sins. This is obviously confusing for Kyle who wonders whether, if Jesus was meant to die, the Jewish people should be held responsible.

It's confusing for me too.... if Jesus was meant to die so that our souls could be saved and Christianity should be founded then why should the people who are made out to be evil in the story of the last days of Jesus' life be the most hated and feared figures? Should they not instead be thanked by the church? If it wasn't for people like Judas, Pilate et al then there would not be any Christian Church. Jesus would have gone on happily living his life, been percieved as some sort of prophet but nothing particularly special. It is those who are seen as betrayers who are the key to the founding of Christianity, and in their betrayal they where themselves betrayed.

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