Wisdom and Wellness

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… – Hebrews 12:1 (NRSV) 

At a conference a few years ago, attendees were challenged not just to remember the brokenness and mistakes of our ancestors, but also to call and rely upon their “wisdom and wellness.” The words stuck with me, almost like a mantra. “The wisdom and wellness of my ancestors,” I repeat to myself while making a decision, or driving the car, or prepping an email.  

In some traditions, Wednesday of Holy Week is called Spy Day. This is because scripture doesn’t have much to say about what happens on this day, but tradition says this is the day that Judas betrays Jesus to the religious leadership and eventually to his death.  

So today, we look into that great cloud of witnesses and spy our ancestor Judas. Where did his wisdom and wellness lie? He must have been good with numbers—he kept the books. He must have followed Jesus closely—in a non-canonical Gospel that bears his name, Judas is the one to whom Jesus reveals the true meaning of his life, death and ministry. He must have loved and been loved—he greeted Jesus with a kiss.  

When we look for clues to Judas’s wisdom or wellness, we do so not to release him from the horrors he committed. But we do so in order to understand him as a whole, nuanced person. Like all of our ancestors, and like us, Judas was neither a saint nor a monster. He was a full person who followed and learned and loved and also made at least one terrible mistake.  

Prayer
Jesus our friend, we come to you with the assurance that, to you, none of us is defined by the worst thing we have done. Thanks be to God! Amen!

About the Author
Rev. Jennifer Garrison (formerly Brownell) is a writer, spiritual director and pastor living in the Pacific Northwest. Her published work most recently appeared in the book The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, available from The Pilgrim Press.