The remorse of Judas

The remorse of Judas

Scripture:

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and sdthe elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. ² So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” Matthew 27:1-10

Observation:-

The Lord is duly condemned by the very people He came to save from condemnation. Gleefully, the murderous chief priests and elders make plans how to execute Him and proceed to hand him over to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor. Judas, the great traitor, is filled with great remorse and returns the 30 pieces of silver, horrified that He has betrayed the innocent blood of Jesus. The chief priest and elders refuse to take it, asking Judas to bear his own responsibility. Unable to bear the horror of his guilt, Judas throws the money into the temple and then hangs himself. The chief priests ironically decide that the money should not be put into the treasury being blood money, when they themselves serve with hands drenched in innocent blood. Instead, they use it to buy the potter’s field and make it a burial place for foreigners. Unknown to them, their very act fulfills prophecy as Matthews quotes Zechariah where the Lord Himself is valued only at 30 pieces of silver.

Application:-

Imagine the hearts of the chief priests and elders. Here, they had finally caught the man who had been provoking them, who had won the hearts of the masses, whose popularity had far exceeded what they could ever have hoped to achieved. At their apparent mercy, these evil men now sought to vanquish Jesus once and for all. Even then, they had at their choice numerous ways to kill Jesus. Why did they have to choose the most cruel way – the Roman execution by the cross? Didn’t they have any compassion in their heart at all as a human being? They knew for sure that the Lord had done nothing at all deserving death. How could men who studied the Scriptures day in and day out exhibit such wickedness and ruthlessness when they professed to follow the God of love? Our hearts are deceitful beyond cure… All of us are capable of great wickedness for our own selfish ends. Pride, anger and revenge can lead us to do the most inhumane things. The dark side of human nature lies within us. Therefore, we need to never cease to be grateful to God for His incredible grace to wretched creatures such as us…

What happened to Judas? Did he not realize what he was doing? Couldn’t he blame the devil? Couldn’t he blame the Lord for not living up to his expectations? What was actually in Judas’ mind when he betrayed the Lord? Was it purely money that triggered his actions? There is no doubt Judas was a lover of money, as he helped himself to the ministry funds in secret. Perhaps he started off with good motives, sincerely believing the Lord was the Messiah. Nevertheless, narcissistic motives must have come in, and the selfish part of Judas must have become increasingly alarmed at talk of the Lord going to Jerusalem to die. The incidence of the Lord’s response to the woman who poured perfume on his feet also triggered something within Judas. He probably decided it was time to cut losses from all his time invested in following Jesus, and just get the most he could before leaving Jesus, who was expecting to die anyway.

However, it was only after he betrayed Jesus and saw the Lord bound as a condemned criminal that the truth really hit him. He, Judas, had allowed himself to become the primary tool in bringing Jesus to this current state. The blood of the holy Lord would first and foremost be on his head. Incredible guilt must have hit him, and the accuser no doubt would be Satan, the same tempter who led him to make this error in the first place. Was Judas beyond salvation? Theoretically, No! Even the prodigal son was accepted back by his father. Even at that point, the Lord would have redeemed Him, just as He redeemed Peter.

That is the way of the devil. He tempts us to fall into horrible sin, and then jumps back right in to condemn us and load us with tons of guilt. Those who cannot handle it even commit suicide and become lost forever in eternity. Praise God that we have a Savior who will save us! We have hope, even in the most hopeless situation! We have the promise of forgiveness, even when we have committed the darkest sins. The Lord showed us this by redeeming Paul, the murderer of Christians, and making him the chief of Apostles.

Prayer:-

We praise You and thank You, Lord, that You are able to save us, even from the lowest depths, even when we have no hope and no light. We thank You Lord that by Your sacrifice, You prepared the way for us to be forgiven of all our sins, no matter how hideous they are. You saved us when we were wretched. You gave us hope when there was none. You gave us eternal life when we least deserved it. Let us hold on to You, Lord Jesus, and make our faith strong in You. Forgive our sins, and make us right with You, O Lord. Sustain us, and help us even as we look to You. In Jesus name, Amen.