Holy Wednesday – The Night Judas Walks In: A HOLY WEEK ART SERIES

It was night; he was walking alone.
A man torn but determined.
What brought him to the point of no return?
He was much like you and me, yet still different.

He heard the whispers of the slippery jagged tongue.
How could he not know the deception of his own mind?
He was a friend of the king after all.
Still, he trudges on toward certain death.

Entering in, they laud his praises.
They tell him exactly what he wants to hear.
They give him exactly what he wants to hold.
Still, there must’ve been some hole in it all.

Was he convinced?
Did he know whether he could see it through?
He must’ve questioned.
Who, walking down a shadowy road, doesn’t question?

That night he took silver in exchange for a soul.
But, that wasn’t the final word.
Could there’ve been redemption?
After all, he was not the only betrayer of Truth.
A man torn by the decisions of a human heart.

“The Night Judas Walks In,” a poem by Tyler Sutton

Too Similar To Judge

As a man, I often see Judas as the purveyor of all betrayals. After all, he was the betrayer of the Messiah. But, then I remember Peter too betrayed, yet the Messiah forgave him. Often times we see the outcome and assume to know the heart (“oh Judas was of bad seed”). But, we treat Peter with reverence and respect.

I am only able to speak for myself, but I am too similar to Judas to judge. Too many times I have betrayed my word or betrayed my honor. I have lied, cheated, stolen. Who am I to look upon another and say he or she is unworthy? But, we teach that exact notion when we speak about Judas.

Judas, A Man Painted Black

Now, I am not saying Judas did not commit a horrible crime/sin. What I wish to convey is that we all have committed crimes and sins against God. Our society today likes to paint individuals in the black or white columns of life. But, God wants to do the opposite. He wants to shower His love on those we deem unlovable and unsavable.

Judas, much like us, was a man born into the world with great hopes and visions of a future. He walked with God and still chose sin. Unlike Peter, he chose to go it alone and not seek forgiveness. Yet, how many of us have chosen the same path?

It was Wednesday that Judas walked into the Sanhedrin. It was Wednesday that he took the silver coins. It was Wednesday that he set out on a path of no return. It was just another Wednesday.

Featured Art Work: “Remorso de Judas” by José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior. 82.2″ x 64.2″. Oil on canvas. 1880. [Cited: Creative Commons]