Judas The Betrayer (Part Two)

JUDAS THE BETRAYER (part two)

Last week we saw that Judas actually started out well. He was chosen to be an apostle, he was chosen to be the treasurer and he was sent out by Jesus with the others to heal people and drive out evil spirits. But somewhere along the way, he changed and allowed Satan to come in and take over. We looked at some possibilities as to why.

He may have thought Jesus was going to be a political Messiah and start a revolt but when that didn't happen he got upset with him. He also became a thief and started dipping into the money bag. When he objected to Mary's costly act of devotion he had a bad reaction to Jesus' firm rebuke and he went to the chief priests and sold Jesus out.

Then we looked at the different ways Jesus exposed Judas to the others. He said one of them was a devil, he said not all of them were clean when he washed their feet and he made it clear that one of them would betray him and then revealed it was Judas.

Today we continue our account with the aftermath. How did the betrayal effect Judas? How did things turn out for him? Spoiler alert-not very well.

1) What have I done?

It appears Judas regretted his decision to betray Jesus.

Matt. 27:3-5, "When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins 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." Judas was seized with remorse; he was gripped with shame over what he had done. That's how the vicious cycle goes. We give in to temptation and when the deed is done we're gripped with remorse. “I have sinned…I have betrayed innocent blood.”

It's good that Judas realized he sinned but when he says he betrayed innocent blood it made me wonder what Judas thought Jesus was guilty of? Maybe it was all the things the religious leaders accused him of. As a companion of Jesus, he heard what the religious leaders said against him.

Though Jesus had answers for their accusations and he rebuked them publically along with warning the disciples to watch out for them, perhaps Judas gave too much attention to what the religious leaders were saying about Jesus. So when Jesus rebuked Judas in the perfume incident he found some sympathy for the religious leaders.

When we are disappointed with Jesus we will start to see him in a different light. That's dangerous because if that isn't addressed it will get easier to continue to see him in a negative way. Then we'll find ourselves agreeing with the world. Regardless of Judas’ actions here he wasn’t truly repentant. His feelings had changed but his heart did not.

The Fourfold Gospel commentary, “There are two Greek words which are translated "repented," the one properly so translated, metanoeo, which means literally "to know after" and therefore means a change of mind or purpose; and the other, metamellomai, which is used here and which means literally "to care after," indicates a sorrow for the past. The first should be translated "repent"; the second, "regret."

Trench draws the distinction thus: 'He who has changed his mind about the past is in the way to change everything; he who has an after care may have little or nothing more than a selfish dread of the consequences of what he has done'.

Considering the prophecy which had been uttered with regard to Judas' act he had good reason to fear the consequences. While he testifies as to the innocence of Jesus, he expresses no affection for him.”

Judas didn't have a repentant heart, he had a remorseful heart. Remorse is okay if it leads to repentance but if it doesn't it's just worldly sorrow. 2nd Cor. 7:10, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

With what happened after Judas threw the money back at the moneychangers, we see he only had worldly sorrow, not godly sorrow. Notice the difference between Peter and Judas. Peter denied knowing Jesus. But when the rooster crowed he and Jesus locked eyes. Then Peter remembered that Jesus told him he would betray him and Peter thought that would never happen.

When the truth hit Peter he went out and wept bitterly. When the truth hit Judas he went out and hung himself. Peter's remorse was more about what he had done to Jesus, Judas' was more about what he had done to himself. Although part of it had to do with being sorry he betrayed Jesus, the focus turned to himself and his fears. They both had guilt and shame over what they had done but Peter stayed and Judas fled. He couldn't live with what he had done so he ended his life.