We read in the Gospels that Judas betrays Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. But, I ask that we should give him a break. What could he be thinking in those days ahead of the passover, without any prior warning to what was going to happen. We know what the Gospels then would say.
Judas saw Jesus as a real Messiah for the Jews aganist the Roman Empire. Jesus wasn’t merely the son of God but Judas may have considered him more of a political leader capable of motivating a rebellion. To ‘pass over’ Jesus to the authorities, a more appropriate understanding of betray, could initiate a suitable response. Judas feels he had done everything to create the circumstances for such a move. His emotions are running high as his cynicism rises with the religious leadership, as well as with Jesus’ peaceful approach. Judas is lost, unsure what else he could do.
The feelings of depression are ones where emotional tiredness prevail, our cynicism can affect our understanding and we face periods where we are unable to see the situation clearly.
When we think of Judas this week, recall that 1 in 4 of people suffer from mental health issues, and some of those struggle from depression.
That black cloud of depression can descend and linger, or is always there, just not noticeable until it is too late? When it feels close the visibility decreases markedly, even the ability to manoeuvre seems restricted: but this sense of the cloud can vary in a non-linear timescale. On occasions it is dense, overpowering and static, whereas it can also be fleeting, if not still powerful. This state can change in a moment or last for days : it’s unpredictable… So, when it is wispy, merely passing by, there is a sense that it had been overcome, beaten even – and then it might strike.
Understanding Judas’ mental health would not have been an initial perspective. Could they have considered Judas to be a scapegoat when the Gospels and the book of Acts was written (decades after the Resurrection) as someone to blame? Those with depression may also be one to consider suicide.
Please think again about Judas then, and our mental health today.
I am loving the dialogue