"Judas Sorry that He is Condemned"

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Matthew 27:3-5: then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it! Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

While certainly celebrating the demise of Jesus, Judas the traitor appeared before the chief priests and elders and attempts to "rain on their parade." He was filled with remorse as the full import of the deed he had done began to dawn upon him. Many have tried to excuse Judas on the ground that he may have been over-anxious to see the kingdom of Messiah established, and that he thought possibly by betraying his Master to those that sought to kill Him, that Christ would be forced to show that He was the King of the Jews.

There is no hint of this in Scripture, and the picture of Judas is that he was covetous, taking from the treasury to benefit himself, and finally selling the Lord for the price of a slave. Now with the trials taking place and realizing that Jesus would soon die, Judas was seized with fear, and in his crushing anxiety he tried to undo the wrong of which he had been guilty.

The repentance of Judas was not true self-judgment because of the sin he had committed. The word used here is not the ordinary one for "repented," which implies a complete change of mind or attitude. Rather, it was remorse for what had happened due to the sin. If he had truly repneted, his reaction would have been to claim God's forgiveness, not go out and hang himself.

Bringing the thirty pieces of silver back to those from whom he had received them, Judas exclaimed that he had sinned. Judas knew that there was no flaw in Christ's character, or evil in His behavior.

Coldly the priests replied, "What is that to us? They were determined upon Christ's condemnation. In horror and despair Judas threw down the money, and in a secluded spot hung himself. These events predicted in the Old Testament all fit together in the plan of redemption. Certainly the parallel must be made with Joseph in the Old Testament who was purchased for 20 pieces of silver, the price of a slave in that day. The brothers of Joseph, like Judas, could not get over the guilt that they felt for what they had done.