I had to laugh reading about the newly unveiled Gospel of Judas which, after more than 1700 years, is being displayed for the public in Washington, DC.

The bank it sat in from 1983 until 1999/2000 was in Hicksville LI, right next to Levittown, where I grew up and also very near Westbury, where I was living in the late 80's. I drove past that bank many times during those 17 years, and who could’ve guessed that a lost book from the earliest Christian writings of the New Testament was in there? I mean, of all the places in the world that this codex could've ended up.... that no frills, dinky little Citibank near Sears, just a few miles from where I lived.

Now a friend whose opinions I respect says that this historical find is of no major consequence, that the Bible is pure fiction, that God is made up to make people feel better about their miserable lives, that religion is just a way to control the masses and as proof of the ridiculous nature of the Biblical stories he asks, "How did Noah get a polar bear on his ark anyway?"

My argument against my friend’s view firstly, is that this document was written by people who lived on the earth nearly 2000 years ago so for that reason alone it is remarkable and of interest. One expert opined, “The revelations of this ancient document’s text will be discussed for hundreds of years.”

Secondly, God is an almighty and all powerful entity, so what seems impossible for people is completely possible for God. It just depends on whether or not you truly believe that a Higher Power is there. This is what Paul meant by "We walk by faith and not by sight." And it’s what I call being a true believer. If you agree with my friend, save time and stop reading here.

This lost Gospel tells us that Jesus entrusted Judas with the most difficult task of all: To point Him out to His enemies so that God's will could be done.

Judas showed the true nature of what obedience to God means. It certainly couldn't have been an easy request to fulfill. That's probably why he ditched the silver coins and killed himself, because his motivation wasn't greed or to sell Jesus out. It was about honoring Jesus' request for his life's purpose. It was about serving the Lord not the way he wanted but the way God wanted, though it would not only bring the wrath of the other apostles but the scorn of millions of Christians upon his memory for 2 millennia.

I think this rare find is telling us that the 2000 year old grudge against Judas should be dropped. He did what had to be done as directed by the will of God--what he should do, not what he wanted to do, and certainly not what would be the easiest or most advantageous thing for himself.

From this perspective, he who we have vilified for so long, is actually a far better person than most of us are. I mean how many people do the right thing just because it’s the right thing, even if it’s to their personal disadvantage?

So it's time to forgive Judas.

In modern day psychobabble, “He was misunderstood.”

"God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:13)

After 20 centuries, to me, a true believer, things have finally worked out for the good for Judas.

Interesting too, that 2000 years after dying on the cross, Jesus' life is still teaching us about forgiveness and obedience to God.