"Only One Was Lost" (John 17: 6-9)

The lectionary is a three-year schedule of scripture readings used in many churches. When we read from the lectionary in worship, we read the same scripture or scriptures as many other congregations around the world. Which is kind of cool! I mean, if your brother in Schenectady goes to a church that uses the lectionary, and if we also use the lectionary, and you call your brother Sunday afternoon and tell him that you heard John 17 read in worship, he can respond: “Me, too!”

In the lectionary, each Sunday has four suggested readings. One of them is always from one of the gospels, and what we just heard was today’s lectionary reading from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus prays for his disciples, giving thanks to God that none of them were lost, “except the one destined to be lost.”

Only Judas was lost.

If we were to read all four of the lectionary readings for today, we’d hear from Acts how the remaining eleven disciples chose someone to take Judas’s place, so that the number would again be twelve.

If we were to read all four lectionary readings, we’d hear an epistle reading that refers to those who do not believe in God or the testimony that God has given concerning Jesus, and how they do not have life.

And, if we were to read all four lectionary readings, we’d hear a psalm that begins, “Happy are those who do not take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers.”

Now I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that these readings are all designed to focus our attention on Judas and his sin of betrayal.

Back to John 17: in addition to mentioning Judas, “the one destined to be lost,” Jesus prays for the remaining disciples, saying that “they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.” Jesus prays, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.”

This makes me wonder: Was that Judas’s problem? Did Judas belong to the world?

A lot of what we know about Judas is speculation. Why did he do it? Why did he betray Jesus?

Some theories are that he actually thought he was helping Jesus’s cause. Jesus kept talking about a new kingdom, which certainly was a subversive, revolutionary idea. This excited Judas, and yet Judas, when he looked around, he didn’t see it happening. Where was Jesus’s army? Where were the arms, the swords and shields? And most importantly, how would they build an army and secure weapons if they didn’t have any money?

Judas probably thought, I’m the treasurer, and good thing, too, because it seems I’m the only one who understands that money is required for this revolution to happen.

This is speculation. We don’t really know much about Judas’s motivation. However, there is one earlier incident in John’s gospel that may shed some light.

In chapter twelve, a woman named Mary comes and annoints Jesus with expensive perfume. Jesus welcomes this, but Judas is furious. “Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii–“ that’s a huge amount of money, by the way. Tens of thousands of dollars… “Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii, and the money given to the poor?”

I would have asked the same thing, and I’m often confused by the gospel writer’s condemnation of Judas here. Already, the gospel writer has cast Judas in a negative light. In fact, he’s never just Judas; he’s always Judas the Betrayer.

Here, Judas asks a question that I myself would have asked, but is judged harshly because of it. Why?

1.  Is that what Judas really wanted the money for, to help the poor? There is no definitive answer to this. But possibly, what Judas really wanted was to keep the money in the treasury for the army he was hoping Jesus would be building.

2. Maybe Judas really was concerned about the poor. If he was, I find that really hard to criticize. But maybe that’s because, like Judas, I find it much easier to see the price of things, and harder to see the value. Judas saw the price of the perfume; Jesus saw the value of the act of anointing.

Apparently, it’s not always about the price. It’s not always about money. A glass of water on a hot day can have a very high value, even though the price is low. I suppose if one is thirsty enough, that glass of water can have a higher value than a pile of gold.

When Mary anointed Jesus with that expensive perfume, it was a highly symbolic act, filled with meaning. That has value. Great value. Jesus saw that. Judas did not.

I pray often to God that I don’t miss the value of acts like that. It’s too easy for me to miss the value of acts like that.

Judas knew that, in this world, it is money that makes things happen. Without money, it’s very hard to accomplish anything. That’s the way the world works. If you want to make any kind of an impact in this world, you need money. That’s the way the world works.

And yet, in his prayer Jesus says that his disciples do not belong to the world.

The 2016 presidential campaign is kicking into gear. And already, one of the most-asked questions is: how is each candidate doing on raising money?

This question is asked even more than what each candidate stands for. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what the candidate stands for; if he or she doesn’t have enough money, the campaign won’t succeed.

To make an impact in next year’s election, you have to have money.

I even think that money is more important to the candidates than principles. Principles won’t get you elected. Money will.  Politicians depend on big contributions from corporations and billionaires. They may tell you otherwise. They may promise campaign reform, economic reform, tax reform, but they aren’t going to do anything to jeopardize their sources of funding.

Because without the money, they won’t get elected. Without money, their movement won’t succeed.

Judas wanted Jesus’s movement to succeed (I think). He wanted to see the new kingdom. And he knew how the world works: money makes things happen.

Which is why he was so concerned about 300 denarii. Or 30 pieces of silver.

For comparison, let me share with you some of the recent news about the two people who have declared themselves candidates for the Democratic nomination. The news, of course, is about money: how much each candidate has raised.

Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will tell you that real reform is needed in this country, that economic and tax policy and loopholes that favor the wealthy need to be changed, and that money plays too big a role in politics. They’ll both tell you this.

A deeper look, however, shows that Hillary Clinton has been more than willing to accept the big donations that will help her get the nomination. Throughout her political career, she has accepted nearly $800,000 from Citigroup, over $700,000 from Goldman Sachs, and nearly as much from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

By contrast, Bernie Sanders’ has never accepted any corporate money. His top donors are all unions, and none have donated more than $100,000.

And no one – not even Sanders’ most ardent supporters – think that he’ll get the nomination. The pundits have pretty much written off Sanders as a serious candidate, based on the common wisdom that any candidate who so aggressively takes on the financial and corporate elite will fail to pick up mainstream voters.

In this world, money speaks. In this world, money makes things happen. In this world, the Golden Rule is “those who have the gold make the rules.”

If Jesus were running for president, he wouldn’t have a chance of being elected. The only member of his campaign team who seems to understand how important money is, is Judas. The only one who seems to understand how the world works, is Judas.

But that’s not quite true. Jesus does understand how the world works – and he wants no part of it.

Jesus prayed, “I do not belong to the world, and my disciples do not belong to the world.”

It is a difficult thing, sometimes, to follow the teachings of Jesus. We want to be a part of this world. We see everything that this world glorifies – popularity, material wealth, etc. – and we want it.

But Jesus calls us to live differently.

[Reference: “Sanders is the primary challenger Democrats need” – Carl Gibson, Al Jazeera, April 29, 2015]