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
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
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.
