The Death of Judas (Matt. 10:4b)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/9/2021 10:36 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  “The Death of Judas”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 10:4b

 

            Message of the verse:  “and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.”

 

            I keep looking at this last part of Matthew 10:4 and then think about that phrase “Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.”  What an awful epithet to have placed on ones gravestone.  I also think about Adam and what he is remembered for, the one who committed the first sin that plunged humanity into the curse that we all live with today.  I also think about the grace of God and how it was because of His grace that I too would have been like these two men.

 

            In today’s SD we want to look at the death of Judas and begin by quoting James 1:15 “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”  The sin that Judas committed in betraying our Lord caused him to sell out Christ, his fellow apostles, and his own soul.  Let us look at what happened to Judas after Jesus was convicted in a mock trial in the Sanhedrin and at that time was then turned over to Pilate.  “3  Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!’ (Matt. 27:3-4).”  John MacArthur writes “But remorse is not repentance.  Judas regretted what he had done and recognized something of its horrible sinfulness.  But he did not have a change of mind, and he did not ask God to change his heart.  He knew he could not undo the damage he had done, but he tried to mollify his conscience by returning the money he had been paid for his wickedness.  Because he lived only on the material level, he somehow thought he could resolve his problem by the physical act of giving back the blood money.   Then his unforgiven heart turned from vengeance against Christ to vengeance against himself, and he ‘went away and hanged himself’ (V-5).  That did not end the misery of his conscience, however, for his guilt and anguish will last through all eternity.”

 

            It is possible that even in hanging himself that he failed and Luke reports the consummation of his death.  It is possible that the branch to which the rope was tied broke and he fell over a precipice or perhaps down a hill.  “And falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18).  I have always hated reading that verse.

 

            So what about the thirty pieces of silver that Judas gave back to the Pharisees in the temple?  These Pharisees had no scruples about making false charges against Jesus and of unlawfully condemning Him to death, the chief priests’ conscience would not let them put the money back into the temple treasury after Judas threw it at their feet in the temple.  I suppose that this was not the only reason either as we read about this in Zechariah 11:12-13 “I said to them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.”  Now we will look at Matthew 27:7-10 “7  

And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9  Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; 10  AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.’”

 

            MacArthur concludes “God overruled the wickedness of Jesus’ betrayer and executioners and used it to fulfill His own Word.  Even those who bitterly opposed the Lord’s will found themselves unwittingly fulfilling His Word.”  I truly believe all of this but I will never be able to understand it fully while in this body on this earth.

 

9/9/2021 11:03 AM