Would you ever consider naming one of your children Judas?

We name our children James and John and Matthew and Peter and Andrew and Thaddeus. You may not have thought of the apostles of Jesus when you gave these names to your sons. You may have been thinking of a father, or grandfather, but the names go beyond that, back to those disciples of Jesus.

But Judas! The name is not in our repertoire of treasured names for our sons. Yet, the name was common among the Jews. There are several Judas’ in the Bible. The name originally meant “Praise to the Lord.” But not anymore. It has become an accused name, always linked with what Judas Iscariot did. It is synonymous with traitor. It’s a label of contempt.

Today and the next two Sundays we are going to look at a person the drama of the crucifixi…