Judas, Judas – the name Judas has a lot of power. If someone calls you Judas, you know it’s not a good situation. There are few other first names that you can call someone that instantly have such a negative meaning. Whenever we hear the name Judas, we automatically think of nasty things like greed, betrayal, and guilt. We all have our own experiences with these. We cannot get through life without encountering our own little Judases along the way.

In the context of Holy Week, Judas has a lot of power. One of the most jarring experiences of Holy Week is the emotional whiplash going from the triumphant glory of Palm Sunday to the desolate grief of Good Friday. It always begs the questions what went wrong? How could so much change in the course of a few days? Judas, and all that he represents, lies somewhere in the middle of it all.

As we heard in our Gospel passage tonight, Judas is frustrated on many levels. After Judas witnesses the Anointing of Jesus by Mary, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful and intimate scenes in the Bible, Judas responds by verbally expressing his frustration. Judas said that the perfume used to anoint Jesus could have been sold and that money could have been given to the poor. We are told by the Gospel writer that Judas is lying, he is really frustrated because he would have stolen some of that money. No matter what the actual source of frustration was for Judas, the fact is that he went on to betray Jesus not long after this incident.

Every Holy Week, I take some time to pray with this scene. I try to get in the heart and mind of Judas as he witnessed Mary take her hair and wipe Jesus’ perfumed feet. I try to imagine Judas filled with frustration as the air filled with a gorgeous smell. I try to think the same frustrating thoughts Judas must have had – thoughts of money, schemes, and feigned righteousness. I try to follow that frustration all the way to that fateful kiss Judas shared with Jesus at Gethsemane.

Every year, I emerge from my prayers of this scene with the same conclusion, frustration is dangerous. Frustration is dangerous and contagious. Frustration makes us do things we would not normally do. Frustration makes us forget who we are and blindly focus on what we want to happen. Frustration is the seed of betrayal.

So what do we do with frustration? How do we stop our frustration from spreading? How do we keep the devil at bay in a world often fueled by frustration?

Start by being honest with God, brutally honest. Ever since Adam tried to hide in the garden, we human beings have a weird tendency to hide ourselves, or at least parts of ourselves, from God. The funny thing is we think we can get away with it. Judas was not honest with Jesus and Jesus knew it. Jesus knew full well what Judas was really up to.

So be honest with God about your frustration. God already knows how you feel so you might as well be honest about it. Trying to hide it or deny it will only make things worse.

Second, check your greed at the door. I’m not just talking about greed for money, power, status or whatever, I’m talking about the greed we all have for what we want to happen. Frustration is born in the gap between our desires and reality. Our desires and reality will never fully meet and how we react to that gap determines so much of our life with God. Develop a habit of obedience in accepting the way of Jesus, especially when your way of doing things doesn’t match where God is calling you.

Finally, submit your life to the cross. Frustration is crucifying. Frustration is painful. Frustration pins us down and lifts us up exposed to the elements. The good news is that if you can take the pain and abide in the cross, you will be unbeatable.

Always remember that people have been trying to stop Jesus since before he was even born. They have all failed. We gather here tonight in victory. We know the power of God’s love is stronger than the power of evil.