Judas

Dear God, I was listening to the Catholic Bible in a Year podcast from Ascension Press by Father Mike Schmitz recently when he was reading from 1 Maccabees. As a Protestant Christian, it was my first time to hear any of the stories. While I was listening, something occurred to me. Judas Maccabeus was a Jewish military hero less than 200 years before Jesus was born. There were two of Jesus’s 12 disciples who were named Judas. I don’t remember reading the name Judas in the Old Testament other than Judas Maccabeus. Is it possible that Judas was a common name to give boys during this era in Israel? Finally–and this one is a big leap–could Judas Iscariot have been wanting to live up to his namesake and frustrated by this fact even more that Jesus didn’t seem to care about Rome’s rule over Israel?

After that, I decided to see who else in the New Testament was named Judas. Just how common was this?

• Judas Iscariot (we all know him)
• Judas (not Iscariot): John 14:22
• Judas, Jesus’s brother: Mark 6:3
• Judas, called Barsabbas: Acts 15:22 [I wonder if he changed his name because of Judas Iscariot]
• Jude (author of Jude)–some debate if this might be a duplicate–Jesus’s brother
• Judas of Galilee: Acts 5:37–rebel leader

Yeah, I think this naming your kid Judas might have been a thing at the time. Of course, that went away over time. Judas Iscariot has become as abhorrent in Christian circles as Benedict Arnold or Adolf Hitler have become in our modern times. I don’t know how many people in Germany currently name their son Adolf, but I would be surprised if it was many.

Father, I don’t know what is in this story for me, but it’s interesting to stop and think about how little decisions, like what to name our child, might impact their lives. I have a few things happening today. Help me as I prepare to go through this day. Let your Holy Spirit go with me. Go with me to work. Let there be healing. Go with me to Rotary. Go with me to San Antonio tonight. Go with me as we strive to bring you glory for all that you do in our lives. Help me to be part of you bringing your kingdom and will being done into the world.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Jude 18-21

They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.Jude 18-21

Dear God, community and unity. That’s what we need to be about. That’s what I need to be about. Whenever my kids would tell me when they were little that they didn’t want to go to church because they didn’t get anything out of it, I would tell them, “Well, maybe God will have you there for someone else, and church is where that person will find you.”  

I was thinking about it while I was praying with my wife this morning. I have some friends right now who live alone. Some are widowed. Some are separated from their wives or divorced. They are sitting and making life decisions in a vacuum. And in some cases they are making bad decisions. I was also thinking about my own internal struggles and how I don’t think I would do nearly as well if I were didn’t have my wife to be there to help me think through things. I do NOT do well in isolation. 

Father, I worship you today and thank you that you use my wife, my friends, my family, and my coworkers to guide me. Help me to be what you need me to be today. Be glorified in me and though me so that others might find strength, wisdom, and comfort through submission to you. 

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen