"My mind is clearer now. At last, all too well, I can see where we all soon shall be. If you strip away the myth from the man, you will see where we all soon shall be."
Judas, Jesus Christ Superstar

It's Easter time again, and this time around it's Judas who is making headlines. Extra! Extra! This just in! Judas believed to be a necessary part of the crucifixion! Not a villain, but part of God's plan! Jesus knew all along! Extra! Extra!

Ah, the crucifixion. It's the most disturbing and re-veered moments in Christian folklore. In one whirlwind week, Jesus is greeted as a hero on Palm Sunday, arrested, tried for his crimes against the state, crucified & killed in the span of five days. As a result, millions of people stare entirely too long at pictures & statues of a man suffering & dangling from a couple boards.

"Don't you think if Jesus ever came back to Earth, the last thing he would want to see is a cross?"
Bill Hicks, dead comedian

Of course, none of this would have happened without Judas Iscariot. His name practically means betrayer this days. Think of that former best friend who turned on you...that's your Judas. If you're lucky, you might get two or three. Mine occurred when I was 19, and my good friend (acting as landlord) evicted me and refused to give me a reason. We never spoke much after that. Fortunately, he didn't hang himself, and I wasn't crucified. It was more like "The Real World" than "The Crucifixion."

"While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him 'Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?'"
Luke 22, verse 47-48

More than anything else, Judas was honest. He may have been jealous, vindictive or downright villainous, but it's not like he didn't let Jesus know it was coming. Judas thought what he was doing was right. For the good of everyone, even Jesus. Of course, Jesus knew. That was one of the points he made during The Last Supper.

"The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born."
Matthew 26, verse 24

The debate this year is whether Judas was a Saint or a sinner for what he did. I say he was neither, but he was another 'S' word. He was a Symbol. We need our symbol, Judas. Jesus would have just been a crackpot with twelve friends if he hadn't been arrested. I needed to be kicked out the door to let go of my old high school friends and get on with the rest of life. You needed you Judas to let you know what those closest to you really thought of you.

Does that make them good people? Is every Judas redeemed for their betrayal just because they are destined to do it? NO! They are betrayers, they are Benedict Arnolds, they are spies, whistle blowers, and tattle tails. They are necessary in the scheme of life, but that does not make them good people.

I, myself, am a Judas to Christianity. I called out all the hypocrisies of the church. I deliberated all of the contradictions of the faith. I threw up my hands and left the flock. Now, the faithful do not miss me & I do not miss them. Judas Jungle walks a solitary spiritual path these days.

That's why Judas is all right with me. Because he is in me & he's in you, too. We have all played the martyr & we have all played the betrayer.

That's what sticks with me about the Christian mythology these days. Not the literal phrases of cryptic text. It's the stories & the characters & the symbols. There is a lot to learn from The Bible, and there is a lot to discard as well. Everyone should read The Story of Jesus. Martyrs like Jesus must be betrayed by Judas. Betrayers like Judas must be forgiven by Jesus. They needed each other, or we wouldn't be talking about them two thousands years after the story was first told.

Happy Easter, everybody. We Have Risen!

Chris Jungle also recommends The Book of Daniel for a good read.