NOTES for Tit 1:15-2:10
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. |
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. |
1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: |
2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. |
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; |
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, |
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. |
6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. |
7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, |
8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. |
9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; |
10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. |
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We love Christ very much, and often because of this love we feel so sorry for Him in His sufferings that we want so badly for Him to avoid them by some miracle. In a way, we become like Peter when he said, "This shall never happen to You" (Matt. 16:22), only we cry out: if only You could avoid such suffering. And in those moments it seems to us that if Judas had been stopped, nothing would have happened. Judas becomes the object of our involuntary desire for revenge.
But we must not forget the main thing. Christ's suffering was voluntary. In the whole drama, Judas played no decisive role; he was simply a victim, a victim of his own weakness. Therefore it is wrong to see him as the embodiment of world evil or anything of the kind. If Judas had not been there, everything would have happened according to another scenario, but the meaning of the Redemption, as the greatest event in human history, would not have changed.
Another question that often arises in connection with Judas concerns his free will. Was he merely an instrument in the hands of providence? After all, Christ says that he was the "son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled" (John 17:12). Of course, this is not so either. A person is never merely an instrument in God's hands; each person whom He created "in His image and likeness" is too precious to Him. Some exegetes believe that when Christ dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas, He did so not in order to amaze the disciples with His omniscience, but to give Judas a chance to come to his senses, since the conversation was quiet, as we can see if we read the text carefully (John 13:26).
Besides, Judas could have repented as Peter did. But he would have had to repent exactly as Peter did, by bearing worthy fruit of repentance. Judas does not manage to do this. And that makes him deeply pitiful. Pity is the feeling that should arise in us toward this man.
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