It is Through Him

Matthew 27:1-10

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. ² They bound him, led him away and handed him over^(B) to Pilate, the governor.

³ 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. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶ 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.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel,¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2027:%201%20-%2010&version=NIV1984

We may ask, “What was Judas thinking?”  a question we may need to ask ourselves from time to time, “What was I thinking?”  You have to wonder if Judas thought that Jesus would put up a fight, after all He was the Son of God and He could control these wretched men.  He could bring these men to justice and in doing so, he might have thought, the money he had gotten from them could be given to the poor.  He might have justified doing this as a way to help out the ministry of Christ.  Does that happen in today’s society?  I believe it does.  Does it happen in our churches?  I believe it does.

But, when he saw that Jesus was being convicted of a crime that He did not commit, Judas confessed to the chief priests and elders.  Yet, those who were the religious leaders did not care.  They had gotten what they wanted.  Judas threw the coins on the ground in front of them and left.

 

I find it interesting that these religious leaders would recognize this as ‘blood money”.  They knew that what they were doing was wrong and tried to cover it up with worldly actions.  They felt no remorse for what they were doing and would have probably gone even further if they had to, to get Jesus nailed to the cross.  It makes you wonder what they might have told the crowd to get them to shout out Barabbas rather than Jesus when the crowd was asked who they wanted released. What I found most interesting about this passage though is that it was all done according to the Lord’s design.  We see Old Testament prophesy fulfilled in these passages. 

Back to Judas, we need to look at and compare his reaction with that of Peter’s reaction.  Peter was moved by the words of Jesus and realized he had sinned and wept bitterly.  Judas was moved by his own actions, realizing that he had betrayed innocent blood.  He knew or should have known that he was betraying innocent blood when he kissed Jesus for the captures.  Both Peter and Judas wept, one for himself and one because he hurt the One he loved. One had full intentions to stay with Jesus to the end, the other left Jesus early and went out with the intentions to betray Him.   One remembered the words of Jesus and went running back to Him, the other, chose to end his life.

I have to think that Peter also remembered the words of Jesus regarding His prayer for Peter’s faith.  Remember, Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail.  Peter had faith that he would be forgiven, Judas believed his sin was too great to be forgiven, he was hopeless.  Peter became stronger through his faith, Judas chose to abandon his faith.

We all have the same opportunity when we face the trials and temptations of this life in the way, we can be like Peter or Judas.  We can go running to the Lord, confessing to Him or we can try to buy our salvation through worldly actions, trying to make up for what we did wrong.  There is no way we will ever be able to pay back for our wrongful acts, nothing we “do” for this world will make our wrongs right.  Only through the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord can we be saved.  Only when we confess to Him that we have sinned, recognizing that it is His blood, not ours, that allows us to be forgiven, only then will we have peace.  Only then can our faith become stronger so that we can go out and strengthen our brothers’ faith.

As you seek Him may you realize that it is through Him that man is forgiven.  It is through Him that our wrongs are made right.  It is through Him that we can live at peace, knowing that He is our Lord and Savior.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila