Loving Judas: Can You Share A Meal With Them?
Imagine you and your enemy are walking into a restaurant together. The feeling in the room is intense as you and your enemy stand side by side as the man behind the counter says, "How many?" After a look of disgust at the other person, you look back at the man at the counter and sigh before saying, "Two, please."
The night has not improved as you sit down at the table and stare angrily at the person who has made your life miserable. There is so much you want to say. You want to hurt them. You try your best to hold back the harsh words begging to come out of your mouth because you are in a crowded space.
Your enemy knows they have hurt you. They know your pain, and some enemies may enjoy the misery they are causing you because they are hurting themselves. Deep beneath the harsh words directed towards you is a broken heart longing for someone to care for them. They have hurt you because someone or something has hurt them, and they have nowhere else to turn.
Can you share a meal with this person? Can you sit down and look across the table at the person who has destroyed your reputation, turned others against you, or made you doubt your purpose?
In John 13:26-28, Jesus shared a meal with His disciples in what is known as the Last Supper. Hours before His crucifixion, Jesus shared some last thoughts with His disciples before He was to go to the cross. Who was there? Judas, the man who soon betrayed Jesus.
How could Jesus spend His last few hours with the man who would betray Him? Judas had followed Jesus for a while but let personal issues become more prevalent than focusing on growing closer to Jesus. Judas let his ways become higher than Jesus's ways. Judas betrayed Jesus.
Jesus loved Judas even in Judas's lowest moment. Judas betrayed Jesus, while Jesus loved Judas. Jesus loved Judas enough to share His final moments with Him before He would be punished by the men Judas would betray Jesus too. Jesus knew what Judas was going to do, and Judas knew that Jesus was aware that he would betray Him.
Still, in Judas's most sinful moment and the moment the devil entered him (John 13:27), Jesus shared a meal with him. Why? Because the death of Jesus opened the veil to God where Judas could find true forgiveness.
Jesus had a different perspective of Judas than we do our enemies. When we see our enemies, we see them with hateful and vengeful eyes. When Jesus sees those who have wronged Him, He sees them with loving and forgiving eyes.
Can you change your heart to how you see your enemy at the dinner table?