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
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