Matthew 27:1-9 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 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. 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.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 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, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
The above scriptures describe a man who possessed a hard heart toward God. Judas knew Jesus as a miracle worker, a person of powerful teaching. Jesus chose him to be in his closest retinue, but he failed to grasp the significance of Jesus and his words. He did not accept Jesus as the living Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) Judas did not envision this man Jesus of Nazareth as being divine. His world view did not include such a thing, so he rejected Jesus as God even though he had seen miracles that no man had done from the beginning of time. Judas rejected Jesus as God. As John writes, He (Jesus) was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. (John 1:10-11) Jesus called Judas out from the throng to be his intimate companion, but Judas had other views of life that he considered more important than following Jesus. As with Pharaoh who had a hard heart, no matter what Jesus did, no matter what miracles and wonders Judas saw, his view of life would not be hampered by such works. Pharaoh believed he was a god, that his understanding and knowledge about life superseded anything that might be considered God; therefore, his heart was hardened. Judas also believed his ideas of life and what is important superseded anything Jesus thought or did. He was not afraid to betray Jesus to those he thought could give him a better life; consequently, he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. But we do see him remorseful when he realized that Jesus was not only going to be arrested and beaten, but that Jesus his companion and leader for three years was going to be murdered. 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.” Even though he was a Jew with a hard heart, he knew what the Torah said about betraying innocent blood. If anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death. (Exodus 21:14) And, Cursed is anyone who kills their neighbor secretly. (Deuteronomy 37:24) The priests and the elite in Jerusalem also knew these scriptures, and that is why Jesus accused them of wanting to murder an innocent man. The Sanhedrin claimed to be law abiding Jews, but their intentions were evil, outside of the law of Moses. With a hard heart, an unbelieving heart, Judas hands Jesus over to these murderers in exchange for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave. If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death. (Exodus 21:32) God’s only begotten Son was not worth more to these men than the price of a lowly slave. A hard, unbelieving heart has no respect for God; for his power and eternal presence. Self-will means more to a hard-hearted man than the will of God.
Judas was the treasurer of this small band of followers of Jesus. He kept the money bag; he also helped himself from its contents. His willingness to steal from this small bit of money reveals clearly his heart was in the world. The wealth of this world blinded him to the truth of Jesus being the Messiah. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10) His desire to have money deceived him. Rather than bringing him success in this world, it plunged him into ruin and destruction. Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. Finding the reason for living through wealth is a deception. Such an idea will not lead to God but away from God. When the rich young man came to Jesus and asked how he could inherit eternal life. Jesus questions how faithful he is to the commandments in the law. He tells Jesus, “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” (Mark 10:20) Because no one can enter heaven with any faults, Jesus tells him that he has one more thing to do and that is to sell off his wealth and give to the poor. He cannot do that; therefore, access to the Kingdom of God is blocked to him. The rich young man knows this life is too dear to him, to give his life away for something he cannot see now. Jesus asked him the impossible, no one can do that completely, holding back nothing. The disciples recognize immediately the impossibility of such a thing, so they asked, who can be saved? (Mark 10:26) Judas quickly must have recognized this impossibility, giving his life away for nothing, helping others but not himself. Peter responds to Jesus’ teaching by saying, “We have left everything to follow you!” (Mark 10:28) Of course this includes Judas too. Jesus responds to them as he responded about leaving his own mother, brothers and sisters to follow God. “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50) The community of believers will be their reward and the houses and lands of these believers will also be shared with them, but their lives will contain persecution and for most of the disciples violent deaths. Judas also would have died by the hands of violent men if he would have continued with Jesus. Judas probably understood the probabilities of a successful future were not good for the followers of Jesus. He knew the Israelite leaders were marshaled against Jesus and his followers. He also knew Jesus was telling them that He would die at the hands of violent men. Betrayal of Jesus might have been a way of him parachuting out of this uncertain future. At least he would have money and would not be hunted down by the enemies of Jesus.
The chief priests knew they could not place the 30 pieces of silver into the temple treasury, for it was blood money, money that was used to murder an innocent man. Their rebellion against God’s law spawned from the hardness of their hearts. They had heard Jesus’ profound teachings; they had seen the healings Jesus had performed. They knew of the wonders of Jesus such as feeding the 5,000, but they would not accept his divinity, for their hearts were cold. They loved the world more than God as did Judas. He loved the world more than his faithfulness to Jesus. He wanted to save his life, not sacrifice his only life for the good of others. Success for him was not defined by caring for others, but in loving himself above all others. The Israelite priests for years walked with the praises of men in their ears. They knew the people gave them deference in every situation. They loved their flowing robes and displaying the phylacteries on their arms and foreheads. All of their customs and paraphernalia indicated they are God’s people, men who should receive honor and praise. Jesus was a threat to all of this deference the people were giving to the priests. Jesus even said that their glorious temple would be destroyed. How could they allow this man to exist? How could they allow their way of life to be threatened? As the priests understood, Judas knew that if he followed Jesus all the way to the end of his life, he would lose his life, his lifestyle. He would be laying down his wishes and desires for the will of others. He understood Jesus had taught to be great in the Kingdom of God, one must be a servant to all. What life is that when you are a servant to all? How could his bucket list be fulfilled by living his life exclusively for others? Paul tells us what a dedicated Christian’s life entails. I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7) Paul lost his life for Christ. Judas thought he would save his life for himself, but in reality he lost his life. Paul had a crown of righteousness stored up for him. Judas had nothing but the reward of a hard-hearted man: eternal death, away from God. His ears would never hear, “Enter into my kingdom, my good and faithful servant." But for Judas, who was with the disciples who did miraculous exploits, will remember these words. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. MANY WILL SAY TO ME on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) Breakfast companions, let us not be in the many but in that group who willingly do the will of our Father in heaven, looking for the glorious return of our Lord and Savior.
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