Jesus For You: John 13:1-17, 31-35 - Maundy Thursday

A few weeks ago, a CNN journalist asked a very simple question: “Is Judas Iscariot in hell?”

For centuries, the answer has been a resounding “yes” for this wayward disciple who became one of history’s greatest monsters.

I remember reading Dante’s Inferno in high school.  Dante puts Judas is at the lowest level of hell—lodged in the mouth of Satan who’s frozen in ice all the way at the bottom.  

I think we’d all take a certain satisfaction in believing that to be true; like an injustice has been rectified. 

But the Bible does not answer the question…

That being said, the Bible does present us with facts that are at least as outrageous as concluding Judas is in heaven…

The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas…to betray Jesus.  And Jesus knows Judas’ evil plans full well.  But he’s in the upper room, with Jesus and the other disciples, to eat at Jesus’ last supper.  (I suppose if Jesus were to speak in greater detail of what he knew Judas was going to do, the other disciples would’ve beaten him to an inch of his life and the crucifixion might not have happened.)

But Jesus is hardly thinking of saving himself…  Instead, he gets up from the table, takes off his robe, ties a towel around his waist—then goes down on his knees and washes the feet of his disciples, one-by-one.  Including Judas…

We can only imagine what Jesus must have been feeling as he looked up into the eyes of a man whom he loved dearly, but who was going to stab him in the back.  The grief and anguish would have been indescribable.  Only Jesus could still love a traitor like Judas—and wash the feet that would walk him away from the supper table and straight to the men who wanted Jesus dead.

The love of Jesus is a love like no other—and that is the good news we celebrate on this bittersweet night.  Regardless of whether we’d like to admit it or not, there’s a Judas living inside every human heart, including ours.  We betray Jesus in any moment that love of self takes priority over love of neighbor.  We betray Jesus when we allow him to be pushed to the margins of our busy days, to cry out to him only when we need him.  We even betray Jesus in ways we are completely unaware and cannot explain. 

Sometimes, we get smug and proud—and think we have it all figured out; that we’ve achieved righteousness.  We think we can sit in judgment of people who fall short of our own righteousness.  Sometimes, we get tormented with guilt and shame over the things we’ve done to the point that we feel utterly worthless.  And sometimes, we’re neither here nor there; just dazed and confused about ourselves and God’s direction for our lives. 

But Jesus does not pass us by.  Instead, he’s right there, kneeling on the floor, washing our feet.  He sets us a place for us at his table.  The crucified Jesus says, “This is my body; this is my blood, given for you.” To think—no matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or even what you’re going to do, you belong with him. 

Make no mistake—every sin is a nail piercing Jesus’ hands and feet.  Each of us bears as much responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion as Pontius Pilate, Judas Iscariot, the religious leaders, and the Roman soldiers.  But still, he affirms that we belong with him—and that we belong to him.

If you know you need that love and that forgiveness, the table’s set.  The water is poured.  Come and Jesus will make you clean.  Come, and his love is going to change everything in your life.

Bear in mind that there are many empty places at the table, for the many souls who wander through this life questioning, doubting, doing their own thing; seeking but not finding peace with God.   There are souls who think they don’t belong with Jesus because of their past, or have been made to believe they don’t belong because someone said so. 

In the end, we all need to be washing each other’s feet; bound together and belonging to one another by these words from Jesus Christ: This is my body; this is my blood, given for you.

References

Gross, Craig. "Is Judas in Hell?" 14 March 2015. CNN.com. Article. 14 March 2015.