I’m not sure how I’ve managed to avoid it for so long, but tonight I saw my first Lady Gaga video. Messing around on Youtube led me to the video for Judas and I have to say: I am in love with this song.

Amidst the pagantry and pomp that seems to be par for the course with Lady Gaga videos (I’ve been watching them obsessively since I found the first one) is a song that I can actually relate to. After all, who doesn’t want a little bit of bad biker boy in their life? Who doesn’t understand being torn between “should do” and “want to do”?

Besides, I always thought Judas got a bad wrap.

On the one hand, yes.. he betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Romans. Understandably bad. I get it.

On the other hand, he did what was necessary. No betrayal means no arrest means no trial means no crucifixion. Hard to have a storyline without Judas. Whether he betrayed Jesus for silver, for love of his country, for some preordained reason known only to God (and, it is hinted in the Gospels, known to Jesus as well) – Judas did what he had to do to keep the story going. It always seemed a little unfair to me that Judas was damned to eternal punishment for doing what had to be done. It can’t have been easy, betraying Jesus.

I’ll take Gaga’s Judas any day – a little bad, a little tempting, and a little dark. It’s more what I see when I read the biblical story. He’s much easier to forgive, and hard not to be a little bit in love with.