Holy Week with Judas – Resurrection Sunday – Even for Judas

Greetings Dear Reader,

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. I realize that those sentences are grammatically incorrect but they are what I mean to say. Paul pointed out that without the resurrection from the dead our faith is vain.

My faith is too hard won and too long cherished for me to not see the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. Judas has every right to the respect and love that we are to give to all other humans and I dare not violate this and celebrate this day. The duty to love for all men cannot be separated from the claim to follow Christ.

I will not belabor this but will end my Holy Week writing with this: If we do not love Judas and hope that he was secure in Christ then we dare not say that we love Christ.

May your Resurrection Sunday be filled with all the blessings that Christ has to offer.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Holy Saturday – All are Waiting Except the Son

Greetings Dear Reader,

We wait. I have found faith in Christ through long struggle and pain so deep that after 43 years I still feel it fresh and new. Other pains, some of my own doing haunt me every time I set fingers to the keyboard. My failures have their own price. The ways in which I have pushed God to do things my way at times are multitude. The cost of those failures is higher than I can carry at times and were I now bound to Christ I would take the same path Judas chose. Fortunately Christ is willing to carry me.

On this lonely waiting Saturday I look at the cost of my betrayal of my faith in Christ and wonder about my brother Judas. I have failed in two marriages. My beloved Sons will not attend church with me. The little difference I make is still far below my potential. I have gifts I do not use to their full extent. My heart is fractured into so many pieces that I fear it damaged beyond repair. I have been both a betrayer and been betrayed. Unlike Christ I sinned on both sides of the issue. Unlike Judas it took me much longer to see my own sin and seek out forgiveness. Am I truly any better than Judas?

The waiting is easy because I know the outcome. The waiting will end and someday Christ will return all things to the Shalom that he intends. This life, however, is void of the things dearest to my heart. Every Sunday in church, a very good church is painful and I have no one to blame but myself. Most Sundays I weep for the absence of my Sons. Every night when I go to my bed I miss the companionship and love of a spouse. Some have been hurt for a lifetime by my sins.

In contrast, Judas pushed Christ toward the cross. He moved wrongly but out of faith in what he hoped Christ would do for his people. He was greedy and impatient. This was the fracture in his faith. He did not believe that God could turn death into a fighting chance to live. It was also what God knew would happen and God planned accordingly.

I love Judas. Once long ago I judged him so harshly. Then a student, seeking hope, asked me about him and I took an honest look at who he had been. If I am to love the Lord with all my heart, then I must love Judas as well. I cannot hold him in judgment if I am to escape judgment for my own vast sins. I am far worse than him because I have his and so many other examples of what not to do.

So I wait. I wait for the next resurrection and hope to hold Judas to my breast as a brother and thank him for his faith and bless him for his courage. He did wrong but then is that not what the death and resurrection of Christ is all about?

I anticipate tomorrow and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ and I anticipate that day down the path when we are all gathered into a redeemed world where my sin and that of Judas are far in the past and forgotten by God.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Good Friday – At the End of My Rope

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am so often deterred from my actual intent
By distractions in a cellophane wrap
And the cruel voice that taunts me when I open them up
To find just one more box full of crap. - Waterdeep

How often have my intentions not met the results of my actions when those actions were not the right thing? How often have I tried to convince God to do things my way for my own purposes? Maybe daily.

So Judas follows whilst the other apostles flee. As the charade trials and abuse unfold he waits for more falling down and glimpses of power. As Jesus begins to bleed Judas begins to despair.

Judas goes to the priests. He is acutely aware of the law. He knows that he is guilty of innocent blood under the law of Moses. He goes to the priests with this and the response is to turn the law against him. They leave his sin on his head and their evil intent becomes his guilt. Those who are to be ministers of the law use it to truly betray Judas.

What despair he must have felt. He sees the end of Jesus and knows it is his end as well. The penalty for what he has done is death under the law. He has abandoned his God and the law has abandoned him. His failure to understand the heart of God’s law leads him to the only conclusion left.

Jesus lays down his life for Judas and all who need hope. On the same day Judas takes his own life in despair. Has there ever been a more painful moment in time?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Maundy Thursday – Misunderstood Ministrations

Greetings Dear Reader,

Jesus had told his followers earlier in the week that he would be handed over and crucified. His instructions when sending the disciples to set up the Passover meal was that “his time was at hand.” The response of all the disciples tells us that they did not really believe that their leader would die.

At supper they are arguing over who would be greatest in the kingdom. They are with God whose time is at hand. They all deny that they will deny him but one is honest enough not argue when confronted with his own plan. Jesus could have corrected Judas when asked if he was the one handing him over. Instead Jesus told him to go and do it quickly. Jesus knew what must happen and he knew Judas motive.

Judas must act or Jesus cannot. Judas wants him to act like a God. Jesus is about to do just that. Judas leaves. Jesus speaks. The remaining apostles sing a song with their Lord and adjourn to Gethsemane. The abandonment begins as the disciples sleep while Jesus communes with the Father.

Too late they fully awaken to what is happening as Judas arrives with soldiers and priests. It is late at night and few who truly believe will see the arrest. The two events in the garden that matter in our study are the reveal and the kiss.

When the soldiers say they seek Jesus, he simply says “I am.” The soldiers fall to the ground. We do not know why but they did. Imagine you are Judas, trying to push Jesus to act like God and you witness this. Judas advances on the King and kisses his cheek as arranged. He has just seen the power of Jesus and it is plausible that he believes Jesus is about to act.

Again we have the opportunity to see Judas through a different lens. If we see him in this light, it surely explains the events that follow. Tomorrow will be a cascade of horror for him.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Spy Wednesday – Putting things in Motion

Greetings Dear Reader,

Mat 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve apostles, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. He asked, "What will you pay me if I hand him over to you?" They offered him 30 silver coins. From then on, he looked for a chance to betray Jesus.

One must ask what the purpose is here. Theologians rarely do. For centuries most have been content to see the thirty pieces silver as the purpose and move on to other things. If we obey Jesus’ teaching to treat everyone with love, gentleness, mercy, and kindness then we must apply that to Judas. A part of that must be assessing his motive.

In verse 15 above the phrase “hand him over” is the same Greek word as is translated as “betray” in verse 16. The word is the one discussed earlier this week, “paradidomi”. Remember that translators impact the view one gets of others through the choice of translated words.

In the Septuagint, the translation of the Old Testament into Greek, the word “paradidomi” is used to mean that God provided (Genesis 27:20), to meet or encounter (Exodus 21:13), or even as a gift from God (Joshua 2:14). It is clear that the word has a broad spectrum of meaning in the biblical world; in the world in which Jesus and Judas walked.

So we return to the question of motive. I truly believe that Judas was trying to push Jesus into acting less like a carpenter and more like God. I think that he approaches the priests with the intent to move Jesus into a corner and force him to act. He knows that Jesus has passed through violent crowds unharmed (Luke 4:30). He knows the Jesus has power over life and death.

If we apply Christ’s teaching on judgment and love to Judas, we must consider that he is acting out of belief above greed here. We must consider that his fault is impatience rather than simple greed. Then again, is not impatience a form of greed?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Holy Tuesday – Planning the Push

Greetings Dear Reader,

Judas was with Jesus the previous day when Jesus cursed the fig tree. Today, as the troop makes the journey into the city they come upon the same tree. What had been green is dried up and dead. Judas listens as Jesus teaches them about the power of faith. He listens and learns that if one believes strongly enough one can do anything.

Again Judas follows Jesus to the temple and listens. Hearing how the Messiah condemns the blind guidance of the Pharisees he feels the storm of power building in Jesus. He sees how captivated the listeners are when Jesus speaks of the great commandment and the parables. He listens too, but misses a key point. He misses the primary current of love and respect for even the enemy. He misses that the way of this great conquest is through peace and sacrifice.

One must acknowledge that Judas possessed an undercurrent of greed. The apostle John reports him a thief. His impatience and lack of care for the poor is also noted. What he saw was power in Jesus’ and Jesus turning that power toward rebuffing the corruption in Israel. It seemed a small step to Judas to include Rome in the company of the dismissed and unworthy.

Judas watches and Jesus teaches and sees the hatred that some of the Pharisees hold for him. He watches the furtive whispers and sees the open gestures. He knows that the Pharisees want Jesus dead. He also knows that they will not move against him with thousands of his followers watching. He has seen Jesus pass through hostile crowds untouched. No one can harm him. He ponders that if he can push Jesus into the right situation, then Jesus will act more like a God and less like a lamb.

The little colour Jesus has shown is enough to motivate Judas. He will find a way to push Jesus into action. He will find a way to force the hand of God. He believes but does not understand and his zeal for the result make the patch unclear.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Holy Monday – Watching and Hoping

Greetings Dear Reader,

Mark 11:15-18
When they came to Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to throw out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers' tables and the chairs of those who sold pigeons. He would not let anyone carry anything across the temple courtyard. Then he taught them by saying, "Scripture says, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves." When the chief priests and scribes heard him, they looked for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him because he amazed all the crowds with his teaching.
What must it have been like?

We are first introduced to Judas in the list of apostles in Matthew 10:4. “…and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.” From the outset he is labeled as a villain in our Dramatis Persona. If one does not know the story of Christ and is encountering Judas for the first time, he is already branded as a betrayer.

As a writer the element of drama here is amazing. Unfortunately we lose something in the translation. The word “betrayed” here is paradidomi. According to the finest of Greek scholars one must dive deep into the meaning of the word to find any treachery. We will discuss this more later but for now, I want to be clear that I do not think that Judas’ actions were treacherous. What he sees on Monday, after watching on Sunday the triumphant entry into Jerusalem gives us a clue as to his motivation.

Each night Jesus and the apostles would leave the city and each morning they returned. Each day they went to the temple and Jesus would teach and perform miracles in the temple court. On this day, however, what Judas witnessed drove home that something big was about to happen.

Since the beginning Judas had watched and waited for the carpenter to act like a King. He had seen the power that Jesus wielded and he had yearned for Jesus to use it to overthrow Rome. He believed. He wanted Jesus as king and wished not to wait.

So as Jesus takes the lengths of rope and binds them into a scourge Judas watches. As Jesus overturns the tables and spills the money Judas watches. As he drives away all those who defile the Temple of God, Judas watches. When Jesus declares that his Father’s temple is a house of prayer and not a den of thieves Judas hopes.

Jesus spends the day teaching at the temple and the priests dare not move against him. They hear the Anointed Savior speak words of hope. Judas takes it all in as the Son of God, his leader, speaks of the kingdom and of the life his people can lead. Judas sees that the hope of his beloved nation rests on the actions of his leader, Jesus. The apostle realizes that Jesus has the loyalty and the passion of the people. He watches and hopes for him to act. He also knows that the priests want to kill them all. Gathered in that collection of facts we have the seed bed of what is to come.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Holy Week with Judas – Palm Sunday - Jesus Acting as he should

Greetings Dear Reader,

Imagine with me for a moment what it must have been like to be with Christ as he rode into Jerusalem. See him as the crowd lays done palm fronds and proclaims him the anointed redeemer king. Feel the energy in the air as the impromptu political religious rally fills bystanders with hope for the return of the King.

Imagine for a moment that you are Judas, a Zealot who hates Rome and longs for his nation to be free of oppression. We do not really know what it was like to live under Roman rule but we do know that it was a hard life.

Judas found a man to follow that he believed would lead his nation to freedom. He saw in Jesus what he wished to see; God coming to free his nation. I can see his elation as he witnessed miracles including raising the dead. He followed along for three years. He saw people fed and healed. He heard the talk of the Son bringing his kingdom. He heard him say that the purpose of the Kingdom is the reclamation of the world from death and destruction.

See the throng of hopeful worshipers laud Jesus as he rides into the city. Stand next to Judas with me a he smiles in satisfaction as Jesus finally begins to act as he should. Judas believes and he is ready for Jesus to act like God and destroy the enemies of his beloved Israel.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

On Past Choices

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the place where I teach I see so many struggle to have confidence in learning because of past failures. Students who have difficulty with learning usually are dwelling on the struggles they had in high school. I had one student who was so honed in on his high school troubles with math that he could not even begin to tackle his college algebra. He was so gripped by the fear of past failures that he could not see the maturity and focus his mind had developed. Once he took his eyes off of the past he was able to do well in his classes.

As I experience some of the consequences of past bad choices it causes me to wonder about the balance between learning from those choices and looking back too much. I must continue to examine my life. I must continue to weigh choices against consequences. I must not let those failures and errors be my guide. Often I have let pains and fears from the past keep me from trying new things or advancing who I am. Others have paid the price as well for my failures and some continue to do so.

I must not let my past failures keep me from moving forward. I have grown much in the last two years but I still have so far to go. It is a constant battle between the failure to have done right and the need to separate the failures from the learning. I must take the learning and leave behind the guilt and shame.

I see people around me hobbled by past pain and it moves me to continue forward even though my pain is a constant voice in my head to be less than I am. It is my need to follow Christ that gives me the strength and courage to move forward even when my feet are leaden and my heart is dark.

It is never too late to walk forward. It is never foolish to look ahead with hope and faith. It is hard to get past the fear and pain the longer we wait, but those around us watch and wait to see what we will do. I may not wish it but my faith or lack of it, my movement or stillness will be seen by others and modeled. I dare not look back in the wrong way and so hinder others. I have already done that enough.

"If your hand is to the plow to stay,
You can't look back and keep the furrow straight.
Never let yesterday use up today.
Never let yesterday make today unclear." – Oden Fong

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store.”

Oaths

Greetings Dear Reader,

You have taken oaths.

It is time to fulfill them;

To your King and to your land. – Return of the King

Whilst watching the Tolkien trilogy movies it occurred to me just how far we get sometimes from concepts like honor and fealty. Vows and oaths used to mean something. I and so many others have treated them like just words in our lifetime. It is far too easy within us to change our minds and move away from our oaths.

So often we mold our obedience to Christ around our current thinking, philosophy, or opinion of what is true. If I take an oath to serve Christ at any cost, should not that cost include my doubts or changes in my own reasoning? Instead new “truths” supplant my loyalty and faith to the detriment of my honor.

Whether I did it at six, thirty, or sixty, giving my life to Christ to use as he wills is not subject to latter changes in my own reasoning. It is too easy to decide that the basis of my oath is not real as an excuse to work out my own anger and disappointments. It is too common to abandon oaths and honor in place of current thought or desire. I have done this too easily in the past and in anguish I watch others do it now.

Following Christ is a life of faith fraught with challenges to that faith. We indulge our own reason, intellect, fear, and anger in forsaking that faith for both short and long term ventures into hollow pursuits. The terror is that we never act alone. We always damage someone else in our selfish journey away from path of Christ. I can see the long term pain of my acts of faithlessness coming to fruition in others.

We have taken oaths to our King. No thought or circumstance gives us leave to abandon them. Breaking them does not free us from them but rather further imprisons us in their debt. The only way to be free of our vow to follow Christ is to fulfill it.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Leftover Ever Pain

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the gas station restroom
By the condom machine
I heard the word of the Lord
He said, "Take off your shoes,This is holy ground too.
You know I came for the sick and the bored." - Waterdeep

The smell of last night’s drinking and spewing assaults my senses,
As I make my way to the urinal I can almost hear the raucous laughter and course jesting that filled the space last night.
Surrounded by flyers for bands from far and near I focus on the one above my target.
It simply says Ever Pain; the name of a band.
I am reminded sharply of the constant nagging pain that is this fallen world.
No matter how much beauty and grace I find in this fallen creation it is only a shadow of what once was and what will one day be again.
Those who have not found Christ and those who neglect his presence in their lives are in Ever Pain.
No matter how arrogant it sounds, there is no peace, no healing, no freedom, and no life outside of Christ.
There is so much imitation and counterfeit.
People seek to numb the pain with substances or divert the pain in self-torture.
They work out their anger and frustration in games and wars.
Only in Christ is there freedom from the pain and loneliness and yet we seem bent to try anything else.
The smell of last night’s drinking and spewing assaults my heart and I feel the collective unrelenting keen of those I know and may never know.
I hear them crying out over the din the of third rate band for someone, anyone to release them from the Ever Pain.

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Losses Long Past

Greetings Dear Reader,

I waited a day to write this so that I would have the full flavor of my feelings from yesterday. I do not talk much about losing my Grandfather but it is one of the five greatest losses in my life. Oddly each year that pain is fresh around the time of his passing. I have never truly recovered from losing him.

This year I miss him greatly. Other losses and pains weigh heavily on my mind. I am only eight years younger that my Grandfather was when he died. I realize how young he was now and it seems he could have done so much more had he remained. That, though, is not my place to say.

I often wonder what he would say to my children on certain matters. I know he would be vexed over the way the world is. I also know he would find great joy in things in the world. He always did.

Other losses surround this loss that are also painful. Someone who knows me well says there is a constant sadness in my eyes. This time of year may be the hardest on me. The northern hemisphere is coming back to life from its winter sleep but it is deaths that mark my calendar and memory. A sister and daughter are also lost to this time.

I do not understand the reasons behind these losses and perhaps it is best that I do not. I do know that my faith is stronger because of them. I have seen the loss used to push me closer to Christ. I know that the pain makes me more sensitive to the pain of others. I know that I love all I have lost.

The sadness is genuine and has other roots. The pain is not eternal. They are. It is more true to me today than ever that the grave has no victory and death’s sting is only temporary. So when you see the sadness, know that it works it way out slowly. Perhaps you can find solace in the truth that your own hurts and pains are shared by another. Even that makes it worth carrying for me.

I wore the day well but did not sleep. I was kind and gentle and able to focus on the needs of others. I am tired but perhaps I made a difference in a life or two yesterday. For now, that is enough.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

The Essence of Justice

Greetings Dear Reader,

So many conversations around me deal with social justice and the nature of following Christ in that justice. I know I have written about this before but as I was listening to yesterday’s sermon again this morning I was reminded of a vein of this thinking. Am I doing enough to assure that others see Christ in my actions in the area of social justice? Do I reflect not just the kindness and generosity necessary to assure that others have their needs met, but also do I do so in a way that draws them to Christ?

The very best things that I do are valueless if they do not communicate Christ to others. The entire purpose of justice is to lead us to the grace and faith necessary for us to see our need for Christ. Whether it is my family, my students, or a stranger it is vital that my actions be for the singular purpose of others seeing Christ more clearly.

There is a long and eternal path that unfolds from those glimpses of Christ in others. Mine began with my Grandfather. After him there was a painful time where there were no glimpses of Christ that I can recall. Then there was David, Bob, and Ray. They all reflected Christ to me in different ways and the combination resulted in the beginning of my true faith journey.

I have wandered so far and so often away from what matters. I see others for whom I should be an example wandering too. The things I would change in my life would be those moments where I chose my own desires and fears over giving Christ my faith and loving obedience. Every time I have or do sin against another I hinder the redemptive social justice that God desires.

I cannot be someone who denies justice to anyone and hope to help them see Christ. Neither can I offer simple social justice without the end being others seeing Christ through it. The ultimate purpose for social justice is redemption. I do not mean heaven and harps, but rather a clear redemption of all creation to the state which God intended. We see justice worked out in the penalty for our sin. We also see grace, mercy, and love in Christ being the propitiation and atonement for that sin. Once we embrace this, our need to work it out in others by treating them well becomes a part of the redemption process.

None of this works without faith. Nothing moves us closer to a redeemed creation without acting in faith. No personal theologies or theories of my own thinking matter. I must act in faith to show Christ’s redemption process through all areas of social and practical matters. “In him we live and move and have our being.”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

Teaspoons

Greetings Dear Reader,

Recently I found a kitchen item I have been missing for years. It is a simple thing but also important. Growing up in the south we always had long handled teaspoons in the house. They were at one time standard when one bought cutlery. After searching I found some excellent ones at a kitchen specialty shop. Although I do not drink sweet tea as much as I used to they are handy for mixing things in tall glasses. (It is important to note that proper sweet tea does not need stirring because one is adding sugar but because one is adding lemon or stirring in a mint leaf.)

It was hard to find the spoons but the search and result were worth it. As I pondered the search and result it brought to mind other things that seem hard to find in our world. Things that seem to be also slipping into the past are respect, kindness, patience, and generosity. It used to be that these were common in our society. It used to be that we considered others in our actions. This is as hard to find as a teaspoon.

I see far too much disrespect for others. Too often I see aggression replacing courage. I see arrogance instead of respect for societal and common sense rules. It is disheartening. Imagine the impact of true respect on others. Respect that comes from the heart that sees others as valued can render so much peace.

Kindness is also difficult to find. It is not that we have forgotten how but rather that we get too caught up in our own world to be aware of the needs of those around us in the moment. We do not make ourselves aware of the needs around us. It is a simple thing to act kindly in the moment. We just need to be willing to do it.

Patience is reflected greatly in its absence. The entire world seems in a hurry to get where they are going. People rush through traffic and the grocery store with little concern for the impact their actions have on others. The thought is for the personal agenda and schedule. Everything else is in the way.

All of these ills are culminate in the lack of generosity. There is rampant hunger in the world and needs around us every day. The truth is most of us has more than we need. In our disrespect, impatience, and unkindness we neglect the needs of others. It is so easy to be generous. It is so profound when we are.

If we were to exercise the grace necessary to be kind, patient, respectful, and generous, we would have to say very little about Christ for others to see him in us.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."