Embraced by the Arms of Love

This is an icon of Judas and Jesus, what do you see?

Jesus allowed even Judas to come close. What does that say about God's love?
I was reading about Judas today and was reminded at how often I intentionally betray God. As I meditated, I wondered when was the last time I sold God out with a kiss? That is, when did I pretend to be a friend of God only to doubt in my soul that he really is the One? When was the last time my fear about trusting God to be who God claims to be allowed me to deny God? It is often when I lose perspective on who God is that I am so willing to sell-out, even for just a moment.

Betray comes from the Latin word tradere, which means "to hand over." Anytime I betray God I essentially hand myself over to my doubts, fears, selfishness, insecurities and systems of injustice. I look around my world and I recognize my indifference I realize that I am not living into the love of God. I am not trusting that love is the bigger, perhaps more difficult, way. This probably happens more often than I am aware, but the story of Judas demonstrates that I shouldn’t lose myself in my guilt and think that I am beyond God’s mercy and forgiveness for when I do, I essentially kill myself. The guilt that leads me into believing that God is incapable of loving me or forgiving me.

Like Judas, who returned the coins, there are those who sometimes want to remind you of your falleness; folks who want to keep you down for your indiscretions. Judas allowed those voices to remind him of his betrayal rather than his friendship with Jesus to remind him of his chosenness. We must hear the voice of love calling our names reminidng us that it is finished, to turn back and come home. Just as I need to forgive others to release myself from bondage or resentment, I need to forgive myself to release myself from the bondage of guilt. Forgiveness is not about accepting unacceptable behavior, but the release of the self-destruction associated with unforgiveness and the resentment and guilt associated with it. God did that for us.

Through Jesus, God did for humanity what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He removed the noose that we placed around our necks and smothered us instead in love and strangled hate, unforgiveness, and death forever. Reminding us that we are loved beyond our comprehension, even when we think we don’t deserve to be loved, no one is out of reach of the arms of Love that embrace us all like babes where we are made alive forever.