Judas, Tragic Betrayer of Jesus

A despairing man - Judas who slipped away from Jesus.

I think that Judas’ sad end of life is fairly well known.. was it necessary? why did he?

We are given the facts in Matthew. The story unfolds in four scenes.

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor (Matthew 27:1-2 NRSVUE).

This scene might be joined with the preceding arrest and trial. There was more activity during that night. However, the day had dawned and it was time for business to be conducted. Probably daylight meant formal procedure could be followed. The days were lengthening; daylight now exceeded the darkness. Just the same, morning was the time to get busy.

And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, (Luke 22:66 NLT)

They bound him. That is curious, I think. Surely Jesus presented no physical threat. He went “as a lamb to the slaughter”. He had only to be led. Why the binding? Did they want the Romans to immediately picture him as a dangerous revolutionary? That does fit the allegations they made. Was Jesus a dangerous revolutionary? Did he overturn the accepted ways of knowing God? Did he seek to turn things on their head? Did he refuse to conform? How could he insist that he is the way to the Father? None of that would interest Pilate.

They conferred to bring about his death (at Roman hands). Apparently they could not execute someone.“All the chief priests and elders”. That sweeping statement reminds me of John’s repeated “Jews”. We need to remember there were some who believed in Jesus and followed him. So, a synagogue ruler, Nicodemus, Joseph. I want to call those chief priests and elders "the religious unbelievers”. At that time it could have included the man from Tarsus, Saul (Paul), but it appears to me he was not there. Do you also have the impression of a stacked court, with no dissenting voices?

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. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself (Matthew 27:3-5 NIV).

Judas saw. He saw what he did not want to see. What did he see? Jesus condemned (to death). Do you agree Judas did not expect that, nor want that? He saw.

I speculate (along with many) that Judas wanted to force’ Jesus hand to act against the establishment, Jewish and Roman. He had seen what Jesus could do, even with the dead and dying. He had seen people pushing to take action at last. He had also heard Jesus so recently speaking, and praying, in “defeatist” submissive terms. Jesus acknowledged the division but was sounding less and less like the longed for Christ.

Hr felt powerful remorse. That is not the same as repentance. What would it mean to repent?

Let me now go back a little earlier: Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus--the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said,  “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor--he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial (John 12:1-7 NLT). 

John has Judas vocalising anti-waste sentiment shared with others. I dare say the fact of Judas’ crime came out later, when they regrouped after Jesus’ resurrection. Note that Jesus referred again to his dying. Had  Judas been guilty, disturbed and exasperated?

To return to the story of Judas: After the trials, somehow Judas “saw”. Somehow he gained information on what the highest powers had done. There was no room for reprieve. Judas knew he had got it terribly wrong. He got it wrong and Jesus would pay. He knew that Jesus had not sinned. “The Lord will reward him with honor and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us” (Isaiah 53:12 CEV).

“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 ESV).

"Innocent blood"? That’s down to you, they said. Were they blame shifting? Had not they hunted Jesus and called for information to lead to his arrest? One way or another they would take him. Judas saw an opportunity. He did not see what it meant. When he returned their money he demonstrated that financial gain was not his actual goal there. By getting them to pay up, it had showed how serious they were.

So the unbelieving Jews ended up with a problem. The money came back! They actually had a bigger problem so soon to come...

Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.”  After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood (Matthew 27:5-8 NLT).

Extraordinary! They wanted to keep the Law? They knew it was money they had paid for murder. For murder? Pilate exercised his authority and had Jesus executed. But they knew what was really happening - it happened at their behest. They may have convinced themselves Jesus was a mere carpenter claiming to be God. Under their law a blasphemy deserving death. Unless. Unless Jesus is God.

However, that would not interest Pilate. (Jesus was sent to him as someone trying to overthrow the government.)

A plan was developed to keep their treasury religiously uncontaminated.

“After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me”” (Matthew 27:7-10 NRSVUE). Matthew wants us to know God's plan was still God's plan.

A field for a cemetery. So the money was valuable. Silver. Shekels. They probably would not use the questionable Roman denarius.

Hanged himself. That came entirely from Judas. Was it his realisation of what he had done? Did he feel an overwhelming sense of shame and regret? Of having made a terrible mistake? Did he feel deservedly rejected by his former companions on the road? Had he picked that up in the garden the night before?

Those companions were all scattered, but I assume Judas had no reason to scatter when they did. I guess he lingered, hoping... His hopes were dashed by what he saw and he threw away his life before he knew the truth. In fact, he played a part in God’s actual plan. Judas was not liable for the death. And, most importantly, Jesus is in the forgiveness business. He forgives all who really ask him.

Here is a clear statement from some years later: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV). That may be spiritual death.

Who is there who has not failed as a follower of Jesus? So God wants sorry with repentance. Can you see it? Surely we are able to repent, if we will.

If any reader is drawn to act like Judas, please stop, and get help.

In Australia we have help at the end of a phone.

Emergency: 0 0 0

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Headspace (young people): 1800 650 890

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 

May you be blessed by God

Allen Hampton

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