Judas is the antithesis of Mary.
He was the one who criticised her for pouring her expensive perfume over Jesus feet at Bethany. He was the one with connections in high places. He was the one who held the money bag for the Twelve - and who helped himself.
But why did he betray Jesus?
The answer to that question remains a mystery. Was it jealousy, disillusionment, greed or despair? Was he trying to force Jesus' hand by putting him in a position where he had to reveal his true power and set Israel free? Was it simply an act of madness that led him to take the soldiers to Jesus in the dead on night and betray him with a kiss?
Whatever the answer, one thing is for sure. There was a fight going on inside Judas, a struggle for supremacy between the Judas who chose to follow Jesus and the Judas who ultimately betrayed him.
That fight goes on within us all, to a greater or lesser degree.
We want to follow Jesus but we also have our own plans, dreams, and ambitions. We come to the one who calls us to unconditional surrender to God, and yet we want to retain control. We sometimes wish that God would act according to our time-scales and our judgements, and we get disillusioned when he doesn't.
For Judas, the fight inside finally led to his downfall. The betrayers kiss, the guilt and despair, and finally the place which he hung himself.
But the fight is there within us all...
Today's song comes from American band 'Red' and is called "Fight inside".
(If you get an inane advert at the beginning please don't give up - the song is worth waiting for)
To view the other Soundtracks for Holy Week follow the links below:
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