JUDAS AND THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD

Jesus movies have been notoriously difficult for Hollywood to produce over the last forty years. The problem has been how in an increasingly secular culture to tell the Christ-story honestly, but freshly, in a way that will engage the audience. Filmmakers have struggled with how to steer between bathrobe tableaus and angst-filled dramas. The Greatest Story Ever Told revered Jesus but distanced him from us and thus bombed at the box-office. The Last Temptation of Christ made Jesus human and thus more interesting to the viewer, but most find its portrayal unbalanced.

Last year, ABC television broke through the impasse with The Miracle Maker, an animated retelling of the Jesus story from the perspective of Jairus’s daughter. It was both winsome and faithful. This year, ABC is following up on Easter weekend with the premiere of Judas and Jesus. Again, we have the Jesus story told from a new perspective, this time focusing upon the life of Judas Iscariot and his relationship with Jesus. (The movie ends with Judas’ death on Good Friday and the filmmakers are hoping it is shown on that day.) Paulist Pictures, who have told the moving stories of such modern-day saints as Romero and Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, produced the film. Tom Fontana, the writer of the HBO series Oz, did the screenplay, and Charles Carner, a Catholic filmmaker was the director. We saw an early copy at Fuller Seminary’s Reel Spirituality Conference last fall and found the movie to be both cinematically and theologically engaging. We recommend you watch it this Easter season. Here is a film for you to see with your teenagers and then discuss around the table. The filmmakers hope you will be drawn into the power of the gospel as it is made accessible by its retelling.

The producer of the movie, Father Frank Desiderio, reminded us that the tradition of bringing alive biblical stories both by adopting a new perspective and by filling in gaps in the biblical narrative can be traced as far back as the second century. Christians told stories such as The Gospel of Thomas and The Acts of Paul, with greater or lesser faithfulness to the biblical record. This is Christian apocrypha, a twenty-first century “midrash” about Judas and the person he betrayed. With Judas and Jesus, the filmmakers have been careful not to tamper with the scriptural integrity of Jesus, but they have been free in filling in the life of the disciple who betrayed him. We are given an interpretation of what motivated Judas. We are shown his human side.

In this retelling, Judas thought Jesus was the solution to the Roman problem, the one who would rally the people to throw off the chains of oppression and help his people experience freedom. The movie opens with Judas as a boy watching his father be crucified as a rebel and insurrectionist. Judas will prove to be his father’s son, but that is to get ahead of the story. The adult Judas first sees Jesus in the temple angrily throwing out the vendors. Here might be the charismatic leader for which he has hoped. Judas soon links with him and a real friendship is born.

Jesus loves Judas; but Judas holds something back in this relationship. He is his father’s son and cannot stop being the revolutionary. When Jesus heals the Roman centurion’s son, for example, Judas is outraged. Judas wants Jesus to be the political liberator, and he is frustrated by Jesus’ lack of focus. He wants to help make Jesus more effective – even momentarily wanting to market Jesus’ miracles in order to raise money for their endeavors. In the movie, it is Judas who persuades Jesus to send out the disciples two by two in order to preach and perform miracles in Jesus’ name. Here is a way to extend Jesus’ ministry and reputation. And Judas wants the older Jewish leaders’ endorsement of Jesus in order to validate his leadership. Most of all, he wants Jesus to see things his way. When Judas asks Jesus if he is special to Jesus, Jesus responds that “Everyone is special to me.” Judas feels betrayed. And we know the rest of this tragic story. Or do we?

Actually, the movie continues to surprise us right to the end. Without giving away its surprises, we can note that the theological heart of the movie has to do with whether even Judas might have been forgiven? When we discussed the movie in a group of filmmakers and pastors, it was pointed out that many in the church have thought Judas the reprobate who must be in hell. But Ray Anderson, one of Fuller’s theologians who has written a book on Judas, challenged the audience to remember that though the biblical text links Satan and Judas, Jesus also once said to Peter, “Get thee behind me Satan!” And Peter was one of the founders of the church. Is it right to think that Jesus’ love for Peter was different than that for Judas? If so, are there others also beyond the reach of God’s love? What would that say about God?

The treachery of Judas’ act pushes our concepts of grace to the limit, doesn’t it? And this movie does not give easy answers to this vexing issue. Judas and Jesus will not easily let us off the hook. It forces us to reflect on the forgiveness of God – offered and available to all. Maybe even to Judas.

Robert K. Johnston
Catherine M. Barsotti

Robert Johnston is professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Robert's wife Catherine is an instructor at Centro Hispano de Estudios Teolgicos del Pacto Evangelico.

This was written in January, 2002 and appeared in the Covenant Companion.
The Judas film was originally scheduled to be released in 2002.