Today’s scripture: Luke 22:47-53 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Kristin Hermann):
I struggle with the blood atonement theory, the theory that Jesus was the ultimate blood sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.
My exposure to this story about the kiss in the garden revolved around the notion that Judas committed the ultimate wrongful act, an act so vile that he came to be known in history as simply “Judas the Betrayer,” the one person it seems socially acceptable for Christians to condemn. We tsk, tsk, tsk at Judas as we read in the Bible about the kiss that begins a series of events that leads to Jesus’ death. However, a few pages later, we rejoice and thank God for sending us the son who had to die for our sins so that we could be forgiven. Why do we hate Judas’ kiss when it was necessary for Jesus to carry out the Lord’s plan?
The blood atonement theory doesn’t make sense to me, and I struggled to find a meaning in this scripture that I could apply to my own life. But then I recalled learning about a different theory of Jesus’ life and death in the Living the Questions text via an Oasis group at church. I learned about a moral theory — a theory that Jesus is an example of the human experience, a perfect example of how to love others and live one’s life for God. With this different theory in mind, I revisited the scripture for today.
The word “betray” carries much weight; it can mean turning someone over to an enemy. It can also mean revealing something that is hidden. (For example, “The tears in her eyes betrayed her insistence that she was not hurt.”) Both definitions indicate the revelation of new, truthful information about someone by someone/something else.
Judas kissed Jesus, a kiss that can be seen as turning Jesus over to the enemies of Jesus’ cause, or a kiss that simply revealed which man in the crowd was Jesus. Judas presented this information; Jesus did not. It’s not clear to me whether Jesus wanted this information to be shared.
However, what is clear to me is that I have been in and will be in situations where information is shared about me to others by someone else. More than likely, I will not appreciate the sharing of this information, and I will need to use today’s scripture as an example of how to respond. I hope I will have the peace of mind to ask the teller about their motive for divulging the information. I also then hope to focus on how those who received the information will use it.
I don’t believe Judas understood the ramifications of his kiss. If he did, I don’t believe he would have committed suicide. Those who love us will act in ways that seem to hurt us; there will be outcomes they don’t anticipate. That doesn’t mean they love us any less; just as my acts that have unintended consequences don’t indicate my lack of love for others.
Question for the day: What am I doing in my life to enable me to look at the Bible in new ways to help me to continue to grow?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.