Was Judas simply the “chosen” one,
cast as the guy who would betray his friend?
Didn’t somebody have to play the bad guy
so that Jesus would get to complete his job as Messiah?
But the Gospel scene we just read
actually suggests an alternative interpretation:
Biblical scholars have an interesting take
about this scene at the Last Supper:
Jesus dipping a morsel of bread and offering it to Judas
wasn’t just our Lord resorting to some discreet way
of identifying his betrayer to John and Peter.
Could it be possible
that Jesus was extending Judas
this friendly–and even tender–gesture
perhaps to convince him to change his mind?
In other words, could Judas still have had a choice?
And could the Lord actually have been prompting his friend,
even to the last minute,
to make the right choice?