Alabama Church Draws Criticism For Reenacting Judas’ Betrayal Of Jesus With Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses”

Skits like this would have kept me engaged during Sunday School.

Today, churches are always looking for ways to keep their younger members engaged and want them to come back to church or Sunday school. While the teachings of the Bible are valuable for life, the language can sometimes be difficult for young minds to digest. This is no fault of the book; it’s simply a reflection of the time in which it was written.

In Sunday School, these stories are broken down so they are easier to comprehend and remember. I think I speak for us all when I say we remember key biblical stories the way they were shared with us in Sunday School, rather than the way they are written in the Bible. But even as adults, sometimes you need to hear these stories in a new light to fully understand them, which is what this Alabama church is doing.

The congregation of the Lighthouse of Praise and Hope in Altoona, Alabama, is going viral for recreating the story of Judas betraying Jesus with the help of a ’90s country classic.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Judas and his tragic life in the Bible. Long story short, Judas betrayed Jesus when greed and the Devil influenced him to turn him over to the chief priests, in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. He sealed Jesus’ fate with a kiss. However, once the Roman authorities took Jesus, Judas realized his horrible mistake and begged those he had made the deal with to let Jesus go if he returned the silver. But they did not care, and Jesus was sentenced to death. Judas then hung himself.

Although Judas never asked Jesus for forgiveness in the Bible, this Alabama church seems to be teaching the importance of forgiveness in this skit. Judas did confess his wrongdoings to the chief priests and elders. He showed remorse for his sins, but the Bible makes no mention of him seeking forgiveness.

With the help of the ’90s country classic “Two Dozen Roses” by Shenandoah, the church showed how Judas’ fate could have been different if he had sought forgiveness.

“Our Church has fun Sunday where we get to present the gospel or a Bible story in a funny way…. this is Judas and 2 dozen roses…”

The man singing the tune hilariously changed the lyrics of the song to fit the story:

“If I had two dozen roses
And an open bottle of wine
If I didn’t betray you,
Would it change your mind?”

It might be unconventional, but the way everyone is laughing, and with how badly Judas is singing, it’s safe to assume that this was meant to be more comical than a teaching moment. Shenandoah has some references to faith in their song, and frontman Mary Raybon covering the traditional gospel hymn “Beulah Land” on one of his solo records, so I feel like they would approve of this message.

Check it out:

While I thought this was a rather silly way to convey a message to a congregation, some individuals in the comments section who prefer more traditional interpretations of the word did not find it as humorous or entertaining.

But the creator reminded those in the comments:

“I guess no one here has heard of the spirit of laughter? Love and prayers to all!”

The woman who shared this video also reminded folks of the word in Proverbs 17:22:

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones.” 

Amen to that.