2nd Scriptural Station of the Cross

Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. (Mark 14: 43-46)

Prepare your setting. Are you in a distraction-free place? Do you have a timer? What about a prayer journal and pen? Where can you sit or kneel comfortably?

Take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly. Set your timer if you have to end your prayer at a certain time. You may want to use the timer only on the contemplation step to be sure you don’t short-change it.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Then pray: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Invite Jesus to visit with you. Tell Him of any concerns that are on your mind.

“Read” the image. Look from top to bottom, left and right. Look over it a second or third time. What strikes you? What people and objects do you notice? What symbols do you recognize? Ponder the message of the artist. Ponder what God is saying. I’ll share my thoughts as an example [in brackets], but your thoughts are what matter.

[This picture looks a lot more chaotic than the holy card pictures showing only Jesus and Judas. Even the paint strokes in the sky look frantic. I see the people on the right are the religious leaders based on their fine robes and the shofar (the ram’s horn that was like a bugle or trumpet used by the Hebrews.) In this case, I guess it’s a bugle, a call to war to defend their faith from Jesus. It looks like a woman is there as well (no beard). It’s nice that the artist considered how important religion is to women although at the (artist’s) time, women were discriminated against. I wonder if that’s a particular woman since most women in that culture would be at home that time of night.

It’s easy to identify Jesus from His special gold halo that is outlined in bronze. The next halo to the left must belong to Peter because he is cutting off the ear of one of the guards. I know that story from the Bible.

Judas is the central figure; his cloak stands out. I see yellow, the symbol of a traitor. It’s so bright and center stage. Even without the title, I would know exactly what the artist wanted to focus on: Judas betraying Jesus, and doing so with a kiss. That makes it worse.

There is a splash of yellow on Peter’s garment. Jesus reprimanded Peter for cutting the man’s ear off (and I know from the Bible that He reattached the ear to the man’s head). Jesus didn’t want violence, even in His defense, so maybe the yellow in Peter’s cloak indicates he was a traitor to Jesus’ nonviolent ways. Oh wait. The man dressed in black is pulling on a rose-colored cloak on someone standing behind Peter. I don’t want to over-interpret the painting or symbols, but the color of the cloak is rose–symbolic for “almost here” (like the rose color candle on the third week of Advent.) Maybe the artist is saying, ‘Judas betrayed Jesus in this scene and Peter gets all huffy about it, but not long from now (that night, in fact) Peter will betray Jesus too.’ Is that a message to me, Jesus? Are you asking me to consider if I criticize–even punish–people for things that I myself do?

The torches are lit because it is evening but to me they add tension because they are so crudely made. They don’t look like fancy torches someone might use to walk home with, but look more like sticks and wood pieces made in a hurry by a lynch mob. It reminds me of werewolf movies when the town’s people went out seeking to kill the animal at night. They’re treating Jesus like an animal. A mean animal. Not like a friend. Not like someone with a different opinion. They hunt Him down in the dark instead of arresting Him humanely in the daytime.

And that sky again. So messed up. Chaotic. Not pretty. Blotched. And all the black color in the helmets. The sin of the world that Jesus had to redeem us for. All the conflict. It makes me weary and I’m only thinking about it. I’m not living it like Jesus did.

There’s something about the look on the faces of the religious leaders on the right that bugs me. Those little white lines, which I assume are there to separate one face from another, sort of make some of the faces look like masks. If it was a modern painting, I’d say that the artist took magazine pictures and pasted them on bodies that were painted. Maybe it is a deliberate message–the false faces of the religious leaders who preached one way and acted another. Hypocrites. I know I wear a false face sometimes …]

What do you notice in the picture? How does the symbolism strike you?

Meditate. Talk to God about the holy image. Tell Him how you feel and why. Talk to God as you would a friend. Continue talking to Him, to wrestle with any questions or lessons until you’ve said all you have to say. You can write your conversation with God in your prayer journal now if you care to do so.

Pray. Lord Jesus, help me to be courageous and stay faithful to you even when its uncomfortable to do so. Add more from your experience if you care to. [Help me not stand in judgement of the Jewish people as it is not my place to do so. Help me have a nonviolent courage of my convictions especially when I’m alone in my opinion. Thanks for all the times you helped me keep my temper.]

Contemplate. Now relax. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly. Close your eyes or gaze upon the image. Your work is done. God is working now. Lose yourself in the moment. Listen with your senses. Sights, sounds, emotions, thoughts and images that just pop into your head. Enjoy God’s presence. The timer will tell you when you need to end the prayer and get back to your usual activities of the day.

Write  After the timer rings, write something to keep in your heart until your next prayer session. Or just commit it to memory. It may be something you promise to do or simply a feeling you don’t want to forget. An answer. An insight. Remember, you might hear God best in an unguarded moment after your prayer has ended. If so, make note of what God says then.

Thank Jesus for visiting with you. End with the Sign of the Cross. Amen.

Thank you for joining us for this meditation. I look forward to praying with you again at the next Station.