Machingura, The Judas Iscariot episode in the Zimbabwean Religio-Political debate...ing blame seals the blame deal when they said that: “‘And all the people
answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’” (Mat 27:25). The
above statement by Jews overlooks the Deuteronomistic (Deut 21:23)
ideology against the one who commits suicide, ‘Cursed by God is every-
one who is hanged’. Matthew puts the blame on all the Jews. The prob-
lem as already raised in the introduction is centred on the deliberate
scriptural allusion intended to explain the money aspect and not the role
played by Judas in the salvation economy.^21 When taken in the Zimbab-
wean context, the role of opposition politics in Zimbabwean politics is
then belittled and the image given is that of individuals sell their souls
on the altar of financial expedience. As a result of admission for wrong
doing by the Jews, it then implied that Christians could justifiably hate
Jews with impunity and persecute them with a clear conscience. They
could make their self-centered quest for survival appear to be an act of
morality and virtue.^22 The argument by some Christians is that, the Jews
acknowledged and asked for trouble to generations to come as shown in
Mat 27:25. The passion narratives and Easter celebrations by Christians
usually read anew the experience surrounding the betrayal by Judas and
death of Jesus. Mostly the celebrations are coated with emotions and
some to the extent of open and intolerable hostility against the Jews.^23 It
is the same context in the Zimbabwean politics where the Bible and
certain biblical characters are used as justification for violence, hatred
and denigration against opponents.
Judas Iscariot was the necessary figure who must be applauded in the
equation of the salvation of humanity even though it is something diffi-
cult for Christian theologians to acknowledge, but good for any biblical
scholar worthy of his/her salt. If democratic principles where freedom of
assembly and association are going to be appreciated in Zimbabwe, the
Judas character is an important character. Opposition politics act as a
catalyst of democracy just as Judas acted as a catalyst to the present sal-
vation that Christians pride themselves in. Karl Barth is right to argue
that, Judas’ election as an apostle cannot be rejected or reversed. Judas
and the other apostles belong together as closely as possible such that
what Judas did affects them also. The point being that, what was done by
(^21) Klassen, Judas, 98.
(^22) Spong, The Sins of Scripture, 209.
(^23) Spong, The Sins of Scripture, 209.