A despairing man - Judas, who slipped away from Jesus.
I think that Judas’ sad end of life at a rope's end is fairly well known.. was it necessary? why did he?
Matthew gives us the facts of Judas' untimely death. His end unfolds there in four scenes.
However, a little earlier there is a significant moment in John: Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.”
“Rabbi,” the disciples told him, “just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you’re going there again?” .....
Then Thomas (called “Twin”[a]) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too so that we may die with him”(John 11:7-8, 16 CSB). The omitted words are discussion about Lazarus of Bethany's serious illness (see following). So from that I learn that the disciples were all aware of a deadly threat to Jesus in Judea, including in Bethany and Jerusalem. I also take it that they all (including Judas) deliberately put themselves in harm's way to be with Jesus. (Not that anyone other than Jesus was utterly convinced about what lay ahead for him.) So, although they were not expecting Judas to betray Jesus, on some level they were expecting the worst. Judas was part of all this - had he been ruminating on Jesus' words of death by execution?
Lazarus had died and Jesus brought him from his tomb four days later. This was a highly conspicuous sign and actually made Lazarus a target as well as Jesus. The threat grew stronger. But it was not yet Passover.
Because of this plot against him, Jesus stopped going around in public. He went to the town of Ephraim, which was near the desert, and he stayed there with his disciples.
It was almost time for Passover. Many of the Jewish people who lived out in the country had come to Jerusalem to get themselves ready[a] for the festival. They looked around for Jesus. Then when they were in the temple, they asked each other, “You don't think he will come here for Passover, do you?”
The chief priests and the Pharisees told the people to let them know if any of them saw Jesus. This is how they hoped to arrest him (John 11:54-57 CEV).
Jesus must have had every intention of joining the Passover crowds in Jerusalem, as we see here: 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 feeling guilty, disturbed and exasperated in the climate of ceaseless threat to life?
But now look on to just a few hours before the garden, to the time after Jesus washed the feet of Judas and the others. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night (John 13:27-30 NRSVUE). What was Judas thinking as he went with his washed feet? What was he thinking about Jesus, the ready-for-death humble servant? The leader who had just given Judas his body and his blood by the symbols of bread and wine? The humble leader obsessed by death? The Rabbi who would not keep away from threat?
Judas made and kept his bargain*. Jesus was taken - see previous post. Do you think it is interesting that Judas had the role of conducting the arrest crowd to the exact spot? And that he specifically identified which of the small group of Galileans was Jesus? How well-known was Jesus?
At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them (Luke 22:66 NIV). The day had broken...
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 read with the preceding arrest and trial. There was deadly 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; visible daylight now exceeded the darkness. Just the same, morning was the time to get busy.
They bound him. Why? 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. Any revolution risk would concern Governor Pilate. Was Jesus a dangerous revolutionary - of thought? 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 Jesus' 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”. Remember there were some who believed in Jesus and followed him. So, a synagogue ruler, Nicodemus, Joseph. I want to call those rejecting 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). How did he see it? I suppose it was the sight of the bound Jesus being led away. Do you agree Judas did not expect that, nor want that? He knew well that Jesus offered no resistance to arrest - Judas lead the arrest party. Now, he saw. Jesus was accepting the work of the hands of "wicked men". Then he was remorseful (evidenced in his actions).
He returned the silver - why? What did Judas expect they, "chief priests and elders", would do then? Impossible to know.
Was it in fact a few representatives who turned Judas away? I doubt that many of the hierarchy would now want to bother with the turncoat follower.
I speculate (along with many) that Judas really had wanted to force Jesus' hand to act against the establishment, Jewish and Roman, but not to die. Then, he saw.
Judas had known it was no use trying to talk Jesus round. He could remember the day on the road when Jesus first came out with clearly "defeatist" kind of talk. How could anyone forget! Peter at that time had tried to get Jesus to just be their leader and believe in their campaign. They all heard how Jesus tore into poor Peter and said he was being a satan (see Matthew 16:21-27)! It had become harder and harder to hold on to believing they were backing a winner. The winner for their people.
Judas, and the whole disciple band, had seen what Jesus could do, even with the dead and dying. He had seen strongly on-side people pushing to take decisive action at last. He had also heard Jesus so recently speaking, and praying, in “defeatist” submissive terms again. He had experienced the pre-burial and the feet washing, and more. Jesus was acting less and less like the longed for Christ. Jesus was even expecting to be betrayed!
Jesus was effectively a "dead-man-walking" as he was trussed and led away. Judas felt powerful remorse. That is not the same as repentance. What would it mean to repent?
We have no information on where Judas was during the trials by the Jewish authorities. After the trials, somehow Judas “saw”. Somehow he gained information on what the highest powers had done. There was no turning back. Judas evidently knew then he had got it terribly wrong. He got it wrong, and Jesus would pay.
He knew that Jesus had not sinned. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? (John 8:45-46 NIV)
“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).
He never sinned,nor ever deceived anyone.[a]He did not retaliate when he was insulted,nor threaten revenge when he suffered.He left his case in the hands of God,who always judges fairly.He personally carried our sinsin his body on the crossso that we can be dead to sinand live for what is right.By his woundsyou are healed (1 Peter 2:22-24 NLT).
“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 - what is that to us?", 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 intended to take him. Judas had seen an opportunity. He did not see what it meant. By getting them to pay up, it had showed how serious they were. When he returned their money he demonstrated that financial gain was not his actual goal there.
So the religious unbelievers ended up with a problem. The money came back! (They actually had a bigger problem so soon to come... not only the money came back!)
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? A serious discussion. 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 had engineered Jesus' execution. 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.) "Still called the Field of Blood" - incidental indication of the closeness of the record to the event.
The opportune plan was developed to keep their treasury religiously uncontaminated.
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 27:9-10 NRSVUE). Matthew wants us to know God's plan was still God's plan.
A field for a cemetery. (Not that it would last long - Rome would lose patience.) So the money was valuable. Silver. Shekels. They probably would not use the questionable Roman denarius.
"Hanged himself". That action 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 and stupid mistake? A mistake with no remedy? Did he feel deservedly rejected by his former companions of the road? Had he picked that rejection up in the garden the night before?
Those companions were all scattered in fear, but I assume Judas had no reason to scatter when they did. I guess he lingered nearby, hoping... His hopes of victory were dashed by what he soon saw. But, sadly, 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. Many a time, Judas had seen Jesus forgive. But - Jesus was going directly off to death, so Judas had no chance to seek forgiveness, did he? Did he? How sadly wrong that is.
Judas may have had a defective and inadequate grasp of Jesus. We can know that he is risen from that death and bestows forgiveness on all who ask him. Today.
What really was happening, was God's operation epic forgiveness:
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 0Lifeline: 13 11 14Headspace (young people): 1800 650 890Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
May you be blessed by God
Allen Hampton
*The money
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.
Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd (Luke 22:1-6 ESV).
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations marked (CSB) are from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSVUE) are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021
Bible passages by copy and paste from
Bible GatewayBlue Letter BibleYou Bible
Photo by Mockup Graphics on Unsplash
Revised 04/04/26
08/04/26
10/04/26
No comments:
Post a Comment