In the Garden

I have been a long-time U2 fan.  U2's lead singer Bono is constantly wrestling with his faith in God.  One song in particular that has always struck me is "Until the End of the World" from the Achtung Baby album released in 1991 (lyrics here). 

Haven`t seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold, just passing time
Last time we met it was a low-lit room
We were as close together as bride and groom
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time
Except you
You were talking about the end of the world

I took the money, I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think
You led me on with those innocent eyes
And you know I love the element of surprise
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You, you were acting like it was the end of the world

In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
In waves of regret, waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you`d wait until the end of the world

At first, it sounds like a love song between a troubled lover and his loved one. Well it is, but not how it first appears.  Bono is singing as if he was Judas speaking to Jesus, whom he betrayed.

Bono begins in the present tense, when Judas meets Jesus again, after his betrayal.  "Last time we met, it was a low-lit room, we were as close together as a bride and groom."  Here Bono takes us back to the low-lit room, the last supper in Jerusalem.

From It Takes a Church, Tod Bolsinger writes, "In [the gospel of] John, Jesus just feeds Judas the bread of honor.  He loves and honors his betrayer.  In essence 'offering himself up' in that one act." 

"We ate the food, drank the wine, everybody had a good time, except you, you were talking about the end of the world."  Judas, before his betrayal of Jesus, is enjoying Passover with his closest friends, after a triumphant week.  He may believe that a revolution is about to begin that will force the Romans out and bring Jesus and his followers to power (see here).

The lyrics that really get me to contemplate Jesus's death on the cross the most is "In the garden I was playing the tart, I kissed your lips and broke your heart".  The beauty of this song is that Bono sings it from the perspective of the betrayer, not a bystander.  He wrestles with what it must have been like to be Judas, betraying his friend, teacher and God in the Garden of Gesthemane.  "In waves of regret, waves of joy I reached out for the one I tried to destroy, You, you said you`d wait until the end of the world."

For me, it is good to be reminded that I have more in common with Judas than I like to admit.  I, like all Christians, fall short of God's will in my life and, in effect, betray Jesus.  Unlike Judas, I wish to be closer to God's will and accept the free gift from the one with "those innocent eyes".

May you and your family have a blessed Good Friday.

Comments

[Tod Bolsinger]

Bill,

This is so, so good. I am going to dust off my old Achtung Baby album and listen to that song again today.

Thanks.

Tod

[Rachel Robinson]

Wow. Thank you for sharing.

A blessed Good Friday to you and yours!

[Ed Rice]

Judas is a representation of our negative aspects. Some of us, obviously, have more of Judas in our souls than others. Those of us who live wisely like to do our best to recognize whatever weaknesses we may find in ourselves and redeem them, turning them, hopefully, into strengths.
The great irony of Judas is that apparently his evil fit the divine plan. But in the end, that plan led to Judas' suicide. So he lost out. So do we all when we fail to remember that it is our destiny not to live foolishly, but to live wisely to the best of our ability and not to betray the best in ourselves and in others.