The Jewish holiday of Passover began tonight at sunset. Today also marks the day when Jesus and his disciples had what came to be called “The Last Supper”. It is also the day that Judas betrayed Jesus.
Why am I posting about this on a Wiccan blog, you may be asking. Well, spirituality in general is important to me, and the Christian Holy Week is a very spiritual time. I think that the proximity of the full moon has heightened my feeling that there is something special about this week. (And, not to be too irreverent, but a long weekend helps too!)
Anyway, back to Judas and Jesus. As you may or may not know, there has been some brouhaha lately about the “Lost Gospel of Judas.” The National Geographic channel has been playing a documentary about it, and there has been discussions about on news programs, message boards, and, well, just about everywhere. After reading over it (A pdf version of the English translation is available here), I’m not really sure what the fuss is about. So, Jesus talked to Judas about the betrayal before it happened. That isn’t surprise if you believe that God is omnipotent, which I believe Christians do. Maybe people are wondering why Jesus didn’t talk him out of it, or run away, or whatever they may have done if they were in the same situation. I believe, if Jesus existed as Christians believe, that he knew what was going to happen and went into with open eyes and an open heart, hoping that his death would mean something. Even if he wasn’t the son of God, and was actually just a really smart guy, I think he would have went into it the same way.
I think that there are parts of Jesus’s teachings that are helpful to Wiccans and other non-Christians. He’s serenity when faced with an unthinkable situation, i.e. his death, is one of those lessons. Perhaps we can all learn to be more serene when faced with our own little crises.
BTW, this gospel really wasn’t that lost. It has been know about since at least 1983.
National Geographic’s website: The Lost Gospel of Judas
Wikipedia entry: Gospel of Judas
I'm a mom, wife, needleworker, knitter, wannabe writer, and most of all a spiritual seeker. I'm not sure yet what I believe, but I sure as heck know what I don't believe.
Ah you beat me to saying that that gospel has been known about since 1983…
I think that Jesus’s teachings were wonderful and that he was an amazing man. I think by reading about them one can add to their knowledge base. On the flip since of that coin I think what a lot of people do in the name of Jesus is terrible and if he is looking down at them from Heaven he is crying.
For some reason it is refreshing reading about Christain theology in a wiccan blog…