16 April, Wednesday — On Alternate Versions of the Truth     

Wednesday of Holy Week

Isa 50:4-9
Mt 26:14-25

Morning after morning, he opens my ear that I may hear

“Surely it is not I, Lord?… Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”

Subjective truth — the version of events that we tell ourselves, so we can sleep at night. A man cheats on his wife, but in his head, it’s her nagging that has forced him to seek comfort elsewhere. A woman commits adultery, but in her head, it’s her husband’s infidelity that has forced her hand. Judas sells out Jesus, but in his head, he probably thought that he was brokering a meeting with the chief priests to expedite a revolution against the Romans.

The version of events we tell ourselves is usually the one that justifies our actions, where we are the hero, setting off on a quest for justice. No one wants to think themselves a villain. We’re seeking a greater good, according to us. How can that be bad? In his own head, Judas probably thought he was being proactive, bringing things to a head, accelerating Jesus towards his ‘kingship’. And if he got paid for the effort, well where’s the harm in that?

Except, there IS harm when we think we know it all, when we are arrogant enough to think we have all the answers. We understand the world only as it relates to us, but God sees the whole picture, in more dimensions than we can fathom. And though these days, we pride ourselves on our ability to ‘game plan’, and studiously analyse the strategies of modern game theory, the fact is, we are limited, and can never consider all the scenarios. It’s a dangerous man who has some intellect, but not the humility to be coached by Scripture, or other points of view. We need look no farther than the world stage, to see how alarming this can be.

As we close out this Holy Week, let’s spend some time pondering on the plight of the Bible’s most despised villain, Judas Iscariot. Despite what we’ve been taught to accept at Sunday School, perhaps he’s not quite the greedy, one-dimensional villain we always assumed, but someone like you and I, who made a gross error of judgment and paid the ultimate price for it. What a cautionary tale for our time.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)

Prayer: We pray for God to guide us in all our decisions; may He bless us with prudence, wisdom and humility.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the Holy Spirit, the font of wisdom, clarity and good judgment.