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.   

Surely not I, Rabbi?

Surely not I, Rabbi?

Scripture:

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.  The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

Matthew 26:17-25

Observation:

It is the time of the Passover, a solemn festival for Jewish folk, who remember with gratitude the great exodus from Egypt, when God pronounced judgment on all the firstborn of the Egyptians while sparing all the Israelites, who proceeded to move from being a nation of slaves to inheriting a country of their own. Unknown to the Jews at that time, the Passover was also symbolic of the great sacrifice to come, which would see the Son of God Himself sacrificed as the offering that would bring salvation to mankind.

Arrangements are made for Jesus to celebrate the Passover with His disciples and a gracious host provides the place for them. No mention is made of the host of the premises or his name, but one thing for sure, is that the presence and holiness of the last Passover would linger on in his property, and how wondrous it must been for him to know he owned the site of such a sacred event.

The disciples are enjoying fellowship with the Lord, reclining at the Passover table as is customary when He suddenly declares “truly I tell you, one of you will betray me” Great sadness came upon them, and one by one, the disciples ask Jesus “surely not I, Lord?” The disciples cannot conceive how any of them could betray the Lord, all except Judas, who also pretentiously asks “Surely not me, Teacher?” Perhaps as a final warning to Judas, the Lord declares that although He would certainly suffer and die as prophesied in the Scriptures, how terrible it would be for the one who betrayed Him, so much so, that it would be better if he had not been born.

Application:

Little did the host who let Jesus use his premises know that such a sacred event was about to happen there. He was simply gracious and generous to the Lord and His disciples. In time to come, he would have told awe-struck family and friends, the Lord Jesus Himself and His disciples had the last Passover right here, in my own home. Many Christians who visit the holy land speak of feeling a deep presence of the Lord, knowing that they were standing where the Lord lived and preached and healed more than 2000 years ago. How much more blessed then to actually live and dine where the first holy communion actually took place.

Just like the host, we would do well to cultivate a generous and hospitable spirit towards others. Who knows what blessings we may miss simply by being selfish or unwilling to share?

During the Passover, a heavy weight fell upon the atmosphere when the disciples realized that one of their very own would betray the Lord. The betrayal of a close friend is a terrible thing. Many have fallen away and never recovered from such a betrayal. This was one of the sufferings that the Lord was given to face. He truly suffered just as we suffer. We know that He understands how we feel.

Did Judas have a chance to deny his role as the Traitor of the ages? Was he destined to be Traitor from birth? Or could it have been any one of the twelve disciples? Was it his fault to be born to fulfill such a destiny? There are many questions we cannot answer and the secret things belong to the Lord. However, we know that the Lord warned him, and Judas was given a fair chance although the Lord already knew he would not turn from his terrible destiny. The lesson of Judas is this – do not be so set in a way bent on error that we cannot stop and turn back. As long as we have breath, there is still hope! Stop and turn back! God is gracious and merciful. Remember the prodigal son! Whilst we have breath, there is no level so low that we cannot turn back and receive forgiveness

Prayer:

Praise You, Heavenly Father, for the greatness of Thy name. You hold all things in Your hands, Lord. Nothing happens apart from Your will. Teach me I pray O Lord to be a gracious and generous host like the host who prepared the Last Passover for You so long ago. How blessed he was to be involved in such a holy event.

We thank You, Lord, that You came to earth to behold and experience all that humans go through. We thank You, Lord, that You suffered more physical and emotional and spiritual pain than anyone, more humiliation than anyone, more strain than anyone. Yet, in spite of it all, You remained sinless, You remained pure. Therefore You are able to be our Great High Priest who knows our weaknesses and deepest needs.                                                                     

O Lord, some of us, like Judas are set on a path of error. Open up a way, we pray, enable us to turn back, to come back to what is right, like the prodigal son did. We bless You and praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

From heaven or human origin

From heaven or human origin

Scripture:

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. Matthew 21:23-27

Observation:

Sullenly the chief priests and elders looked at Jesus, all the people fixated on the Lord’s every word as He taught them. They were all still very angry over the episode where their friends, the moneychangers and dove merchants had been insulted and chased out of the temple. Then, they rudely began to interrupt the Lord. “By what authority are you doing these things?” one Pharisee challenged him. “And who gave you this authority?” an Elder bellowed. Calmly, the Lord looks away from the crowd and addresses His accusers. “I will also ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do this. John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it from heaven or of human origin?”

The chief priests discussed the question among themselves and realized they were caught in a Catch-22 situation. If they said “From heaven”, the Lord would ask them “Then why didn’t you believe him?” and if they said “Of human origin”, the crowd would turn against them because they all held that John was a true prophet of God. Unable to answer, they simply said “we don’t know”, and the Lord, true to form, replied “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things”.

In this passage, we are first drawn to the subject of authority. The Lord, just as John did before him, came from God in Heaven. He spoke with all the authority God the Father had given Him. In fact, the Lord spoke or did nothing apart from the will of His Father. When we serve in church or ministry, or wherever we are put in positions of authority or influence, we must realize that this authority comes from our Lord who has given it to us according to His will. Like the Lord, we need to learn not to speak out of human wisdom or our own limited intellect, but rather avail ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom God has given us. Therein we will speak out of His authority, His power.

Secondly, we are reminded of John’s baptism and John’s ministry. He baptized the people as a sign of their repentance. In going under the water, they were stating their intention to do away with their old lives, and as they came out of the water, they set out to live new lives for God, starting everything again afresh. John also called them to look out for the Messiah who was coming, who would save them from their sins.  

Finally, this passage also reminds us of depending on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in our dialogue with others, especially our enemies. The Lord promises us that we are to give no thought what to reply but rather receive what the Holy Spirit gives us to say. The wisdom of Jesus utterly confounded the Pharisees and Elders, who could say nothing. Sometimes, it is right to answer directly. Sometimes, we should answer a question with a question. And sometimes, we don’t need to answer at all. The occasion and timing of our answer are best left to the wisdom of our Holy Spirit, who is with us.

Application:

Remember that when we go out to serve as God’s people, we are His ambassadors, and we go forth in His authority, not our own. Therefore, we do not have to fear those who may go against us, or those who may try to despise and discourage us. Let us be true to our calling and lean on His authority, not ours. The policeman directing traffic raises his hand not on his own authority, but with the full authority of the government. Likewise, that should be our mindset even as we set out to serve the Lord!

Remember John’s call to repentance, that continues even for us today. We are human. We fall, we get distracted, we stumble along the way. However, the Spirit still calls us to come back to repentance, to come back to God and find the right ways,

In our encounters with others, where dialogues sometimes becomes heated, and we may even need to defend our faith, do not fear or worry but seek the answers from the Holy Spirit who is with us, who will teach us what to say. He is our precious Teacher.

Prayer

We praise You and thank You, Lord, for the great things You have done. You have given us authority in Your service, authority over every demon and principality and power, authority even over nature. Help us Lord always remember that it You who give us this authority. We have nothing on our own but only what you give us.

Help us we pray O Lord, draw us back to You again. Let our hearts continue in repentance, in turning to You as our Lord and God. Give us at the right time what we should say. Blessed be Your name O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen