Title: The Suicide of Judas Iscariot
The suicide of Judas Iscariot
This is a story that actually happened in America. The bus stop going south was always crowded. Three pairs of lively young men and women frolicked as they boarded the bus, carrying sandwiches and pockets of wine. This bus was going to the famous Fort Lauderdale beach in Florida. As soon as all the passengers were up, the bus departed. The gray New York City slipped back and forth from the car window to the golden sands and the crashing white waves. The three pairs of men and women continued to laugh and chat about the excitement of traveling to unknown places. But by the time they were passing through New Jersey, they too had gradually regained their composure and were quiet. In front of them, a man in shabby clothes that did not fit his body was sitting silently, staring at the front like a stone Buddha. His age could not be guessed from the dusty face alone. He bit his lip firmly and kept a silence that was so heavy that it made the men and women chattering behind them.
After we finished eating, everyone got back on the bus, and the young woman sat down next to him again. And after a while the man slowly began to talk about himself with an anguished expression, as if he had raised his hands at the curiosity of the young woman.
The man's name is Bingo. After spending the last four years in New York prison, he was released and said he was on his way home. “Are you married?” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” “While I was in prison, I wrote a letter to my wife.” He narrowly opened his eyes and said. “I have to be away from home for a long time, so if you think you can’t wait for me for that long, if your children keep looking for your father, or if living alone is painful and difficult, I asked you to forget me. I can fully understand it, and it's okay to remarry. She is a wonderful woman. I just wrote you to forget me. I'm saying it's okay not to write a letter. Since then, my wife hasn't written to me. For three and a half years... … .” “But what about the way home now? I didn’t know what was going to happen or what had happened.” "exactly." He blushed a little.
“Actually, last week, when the decision on parole became clear, I wrote another letter. Once upon a time, we lived in a place called Brunswick, and there was a large oak tree at the mouth of the village. I said in the letter that if you are willing to forgive me and accept me again, hold the yellow handkerchief and tie it to the oak tree. I wrote that if a yellow handkerchief hangs on an oak tree, I will get off the bus and go home, if I am remarried or have no intention of accepting, forget everything, and I will forget. If I can't see the handkerchief, I'll just get on the bus and go somewhere."
The woman was startled. Her party, who heard the story next to her, looked at the picture of her wife displayed by the bingo, and showed great curiosity about the scene that would unfold after a while. In a picture of a wrinkled, worn-out bingo, his wife and three children were seated side by side. Although the woman had an ordinary face, a good heart and a gentle attitude were well expressed in her expression. The children in the picture are still young.
The bus kept running. Finally, a milestone indicated that Brunswick had only twenty miles left. Then all the young people rushed to the seat next to the right window and waited anxiously for the big oak tree that Bingo was talking about to appear.
This story was also passed on to other passengers, and as the bus drew nearer, the air of excitement flowed in the bus. And a strange silence filled the bus. Bingo sat quietly. He didn't show excitement or turn his face to look out the window. However, anyone could read the tension from the hardened face. It was as if he was mentally prepared for the moment of disappointment that would soon be upon his eyes.
The distance from the village was getting closer and closer. The stillness that seemed to be sprinkled on water continued. Only the sound of the car's engine was beating the eardrum with a constant rhythm. That was then. Suddenly, the shouts of young people erupted. The young people, you and I, jumped out of their seats, got up and shouted. Until then, there was only one person who kept the silence, Bingo. He had his eyes fixed on the oak tree he looked out of the car window, like a man in a daze.
The oak tree was all covered with waves of yellow handkerchiefs. Twenty, thirty, or even hundreds of handkerchiefs were waving wildly in the wind. While the youngsters clapped and shouted, the old ex-Bingo got up and walked slowly towards the bus front door.
This story is a widely known article called Yellow Handkerchief, published by Samteo by Dr. Oh Cheon-seok collecting real stories from the United States.
As I read the text today, this story came to mind.
1. Judas Iscariot was not forgiven.- hasty suicide
2. Not knowing Jesus - Jesus forgiving
(Matthew 18:22 - Jesus said to them, "I tell you, not seven times, but seven times up to seventy times.")
3. It takes courage and determination to ask for forgiveness
4. Friends who accompany people in sorrow and despair like passengers, Judas Iscariot, who had no neighbors - Responsibility of fellow disciples - Murder rather than suicide (Emil Durqq - Suicide theory) - Judas Iscariot was not close to his disciples (from the local area). Bullying this other person as a smart person)
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Anyone can be wrong. But realizing the fault is difficult. Judas Iscariot is one man so far. But it couldn't go one step further. It's about having the courage to ask for forgiveness.
Who is Judas Iscariot's friend today? yellow handkerchief. Now we must also hang yellow handkerchiefs on our hearts. We must live a life of forgiveness to live together with infinite forgiveness.