As if they were public defenders, looking to champion
The most absurd cause imaginable,
Some of them will even defend Judas Iscariot,
As if he did not go willingly into that darkness,
But had been forced there by virtue
Of having grown up in a bad neighborhood, perhaps,
Or having been mistreated by his dad.
Some are proud to posit that he betrayed Jesus
Simply on account of being rattled
By fear of radical change in the system.
And some say he did it not from wickedness, but to force
Jesus’ hand into overthrowing the government
As if such, were it true, were not also a wicked manipulation.
And it is intriguing to watch them have a go at it―
Each in his own turn, defending the man,
Denounced as wicked by scripture itself,
As if it were not actually possible
For any man to be wicked.
And it is at this point that I think I have
Put my finger on it,
For if Judas can be wicked,
Then so can any of us.
And this is a truth some are unwilling to admit―
Though I suspect it is not truly on account
Of a problem with the general idea of it all,
But with the specific implications as it
Regards the possibility of their own wickedness.
They look for a way around
The stark truth of the matter,
As if God himself could be outthought.
