Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him – Matt 26:14-16.

Christianity continues to be betrayed, decline, and suffer most from her practitioners, treasurers, teachers, and leaders. His Eminence Sunday Mbang, a former Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, said, “I am not totally sure whether other religious persuasions had been battered by their teachers and leaders as in the case with the Christian religion. Some Christian religious practitioners either play games with the tenets of the religion, while others dilute it to suit their human sin and desire, while others shamefully denounce it as untenable and unworthy of anything in the name of scholarship.” Judas and Mary, models of two warring paths in the church, reveal that people can be involved in ministry, talk the talk, play the game, look the look even with collar and cassocks, but never humble themselves at the feet of Jesus in true repentance and surrender to His Lordship.

Any Christian practitioner (even church) who is not willing to break with sin has a price for which he or she would sell his or her Saviour. Judas’ symbolism points to churches and those whose Christianity only serves to satisfy their earthly desires or combine it with serving the world and thereby put the Saviour and His mission on sale. Mary, however, models that each Christian practitioner or church willing to break with sin has a cost to pay in worshipping Jesus in truth and spirit. The development above points to the two warring paths and the example of Judas and Mary in the church.

Many Christian practitioners with a Judas’ spirit of betrayal marked with affection are in the camp of the Gospel enemy because they are deeply rooted in the love of self and the world. Judas’ spirit as a Christian practitioner is eager to maintain the institution, acquire a reputation in the eyes of political authority, and reach a comfortable position in life.

Post-Easter reflection, therefore, reminds us of the church at war. In the Gospels, Judas Iscariot and Mary of Bethany represent two warring paths and contrasting responses to Jesus’ missional purpose. The two warring paths remind us of a great contrast between two sinners. While Mary wept for her sins, Judas betrayed His Lord. The war paths were based on Mary’s act of repentance and lavishing Jesus with her love, in contrast to Judas’ bargain and complaint of Mary’s act of devotion to Jesus. Mary, moved by love and gratitude, anoints Jesus with expensive perfume, a gesture of devotion foreshadowing his death. In objection to Mary’s devotion, Judas was ‘motivated by greed and a desire to steal from the moneybag.’ The war paths highlight the difference between faith and a heart that prioritises worldly gain over spiritual value,’ mission and evangelism.

The church is at war against sin, evil, and against the flesh. The church is at war against the antichrist within and without. The church is at war against Satan and all his representations (Judas) and demons. Post-Easter reflection warns us against the dark abyss of Judas’s heart, especially among some Christian practitioners. In deceit and silence, Judas walked beside Jesus for over three years while his love for money grew not only to ‘thieving avarice’ but his selfishness that hardened into hatred of Christ. The reign of hatred in the church today, especially among the leadership, is rooted in selfishness, lust for power, and greed.

Judas wore the mask of discipleship in deception, and his attitude ‘reveals for all time the mystery of the world’s hatred for the church of Christ. The Lord’s enemies feel rebuked by his true disciples’ behaviour, so try to get rid of them.’ Mask of discipleship in deception and deceit not only declines the church but also promotes fake Christianity. Judas, as a symbol of a transactional leader in opposition to a transformational and incarnational leadership model, a symbol of Mary, is incapable of understanding the passion and love that drives Mary for God’s mission.

The good news is that Judas’ deceptive agenda towards the poor and against Mary cannot go on forever. God is not asleep. Just as Jesus affirmed Mary’s missional act by saying, “Leave her alone,” every Judas putting your mission on sale would be disappointed. Mary’s anointing of Jesus is a missional expression of her love and gratitude for Jesus. The symbolism of Mary and her expensive perfume is a missional gift and generosity towards God’s mission without expecting any personal gain. The symbolism of Judas as a warring path against Mary points to greed and disregard for spiritual values. Judas’ love of money points to the roots of the evil of betrayal and prioritisation of worldly gain over trust and loyalty to Jesus.

Judas’ objection to Mary’s act is rooted in his greed, as he sees the perfume as a waste of money that could have been used for the poor. Judas’ comparison to a thief points to a reflection of many characters and practitioners in the church; two paths: Mary and Judas represent contrasting paths: Mary’s path of faith and love and Judas’s path of defection, deception, deceit, and rejection of Jesus. This post-Easter reflection calls you and me to examine your path – Judas or Mary carefully.