Can you trust Judas?

Would you really trust him? Today I ask myself this question much more than you who are reading this post. Am I at a place where I am willing to trust someone who is not trustworthy, someone who I know will cheat me and abuse the trust I have placed in him?

It’s not a difficult question to answer. Common sense would say, “Beware of such people. Keep them away!” It only seems right that way, doesn’t it? No man in his right mind would want to place trust in someone who they know may or may not betray him. But, I wonder why the wisest man to ever walk the face of the earth would allow somebody like Judas to not only be the treasurer to His ministry finances but also call him His disciple.

Now we all agree that Jesus does not make mistakes and even in choosing His disciples He did not. It was a prayerful decision to include Judas in his disciples. In Luke 6:12-13, the Bible confirms that to us “¹² Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles”.

The all knowing God, who knows the end from the beginning was aware that Judas would rob money from the ministry account someday and even go on to betray Jesus. Still, He chose him, loved him, ate with him and invested three and half year of His life into Judas. Jesus knowing everything, never pushed Judas away, He continued loving him, ate His last meal on earth with him, even washed his feet. That talks volumes of Jesus’ unconditional love and gives us a lot to model after.

The list did not begin and end with Judas but Jesus showed unconditional love towards Peter who denied him, to the rest of the disciples who fled when He was arrested. In fact, they were nowhere to be seen during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion; even more towards us, people who have been freed from the law and saved by His grace and sacrifice on the cross. We are no different from the disciples and Judas.

I have come to realise that this is not just love but that Jesus was teaching us something more. Jesus did not just love. He loved with intent. And the intent was to guard His own heart. The bible says, guard your heart as out of it flow issues of life. Jesus did not allow the hurt of betrayal to overtake the better of Him. He knew he had to keep a tender heart and the biggest proof of it was when He prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them as they know not what they do”.

That prayer was not just for them who were nailing Him to the cross but for everyone who had ever spoken against Him, robbed from Him, for enemies who plotted against Him and for friends who betrayed and left Him alone in the most difficult time of His life.

As much as our hearts desire that everybody around us to be our friend, the truth is we will always have someone who will betray us some way or the other. There will always be people who will fight you for no reason. Yes, it’s true; these people exist. Sadly, they exist in the church as well.

But in all this, as painful as it may be, can we guard our hearts from hurt and forgive? Can we continue to love at the risk of getting hurt again? The body of Christ suffers a great deal today because we have guarded our hearts not from just hurt but from people who have hurt us.

Allow me to encourage you and myself to trust your Judas with your heart once more. Forgive your Judas even though he once caused you pain. Love your Judas with the love of Christ once more.