Title: Isn't It Me?
“I am not?”
Matthew 26:14-25, Last Sunday of Lent, April 17, 2011
Today is the last Sunday of Lent. It is also called Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday. The name Palm Sunday comes from the fact that people waved palm branches when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is said that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. On the surface, this is a wonderful scene that welcomes the king, but is actually a tragic scene. Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is a path of suffering and death. A few days later, he was crucified. We can only imagine how Jesus felt when he was about to die at the age of 33. Where did all the people who waved palm branches go to when Jesus entered Jerusalem? Why didn't the disciples stop their master's execution?
Next, Jesus explains what the burden of fate must be borne by the one who sold him. That person would have been better off not being born. There is no greater punishment than that. It's just that it didn't have any value at all. There must have been a theological controversy about this in early Christianity. It is an issue we have to think about now. If Jesus' crucifixion was the only way to save mankind, then Judas Iscariot's actions also followed God's providence in the end. If it had not been for Judas' betrayal, Jesus would not have been crucified, and ultimately, the salvation of mankind would have been impossible. This logic is plausible, but it is a view that views history only from an empirical point of view of cause and effect. The evangelist puts those views and controversies to rest in one word. The disciple who sold his master is destined to be worse than that of not being born. No excuses.
How did Judas Iscariot feel when he heard this? Anxiety that his conspiracies might be exposed may have overtaken him. Would you have lamented your own situation? Or maybe he was too busy devising a way out of this crisis? A shadow of despair must have been cast on his face. He asks: “Rabbi, am I not?” (verse 25) The other disciples had already said this. Judas would have said it too, but he must have wanted to double-check because his conscience was pierced. The saying that thieves numb my feet is true here. He wanted to emphasize his innocence. He goes on to say that he is not that bad, that he does not go against the truth, and that he is not a faceless person who betrays his teacher. The other disciples are no exception here. All disciples are open to the possibility of betrayal. In fact, they all ran away from the crucifixion scene. All but some women did.
After listening to the sermons up to now, do you think that it means that you should come to your senses and lead a religious life, or that you should keep the right faith? That we shouldn't be childish like the disciples. Yes that's right. If possible, try to keep the right faith. It is necessary. However, the message of today's text does not end there. As a result of the betrayal of Judas, who represented the disciples, Jesus was crucified. What do you mean? The crucifixion of Jesus is the betrayal of mankind toward God. Jesus' execution involved not only Judas, but also the Jewish religious leaders, the people, and the Roman Empire. They refer to the whole of humanity. To crucify Jesus means to crucify God. The slayer of God is a human being. Nietzsche's 1882 "Pleasant Learning" (Die fr