Judas is in a bad way. He is racked with regret. He hates himself. He hates the sordid money he was paid. He has seen Jesus led away for sentencing, and blurts out before the chief priests, ‘I have betrayed innocent blood’ (vs 3,4a). And they reply, in effect, ‘Not our problem’ (v 4b). If your church minister spoke like that to someone who was broken inside because of something they had done, what would you think?   

When Judas turned up at the Temple full of remorse and needing restoration, there was no one to help him. The Temple leaders had nothing to offer. Their cupboard was bare. They were as lost as Judas. Judas did not know how to get back to Jesus, the gracious friend of sinners. He never saw the cross. 

The days of the Temple were coming to an end. God had commanded it to be the place of regular sacrifices for sin, but now there was a better sacrifice coming, to take away the sin of the world. It was not far away. Just outside the city wall. The place to find God was shifting. Now we do not go to the Temple, but to the cross; in fact, not to a place, but to a person; not to a system, but to a saviour. 

I pray, Lord, for more wisdom to understand the effects of sin in our world and for protection from your Holy Spirit against its power in my life.   

Despite the speed and success of their manipulations, the Sanhedrin could not pass the death sentence on Jesus. This had to be pronounced by the Roman governor and carried out under his authority. The Temple elders now had to construct some political charge which Pontius Pilate could not dismiss. In the Temple precinct, Judas watched the destructive plan unfold and realised, with huge remorse, the outcome that was now inevitable. The chief priests, however, were in no mood to engage with his regret – he had served their purposes. The money he no longer wanted was contaminating and could only be used to buy a burial ground for unclean bodies.

Flinging blood money into the heart of the Temple was the action of a desperate man, now confronted with the gravity of his sin. Although he could hurl the money back, he could not take his own action back. Sin cannot be undone. Its consequences can rarely be avoided. Judas finally recognised the gravity of his betrayal. He had exposed an innocent man to the injustice of those who hated him. Jesus’ life would end on a brutal Roman cross.

Judas lived long enough to hate what his sin had bought him. He did what he thought he wanted, but came to detest it. This is a common human experience. Sin creates a longing which, when fulfilled, can so easily become a loathing. Sin can captivate us, also, and take us into bondage. Most of us are able, thankfully, to reach out to God and seek forgiveness for our wrongs. Jesus prayed from the cross even for those who killed him. We, unlike Judas, can rejoice that God’s grace is greater than our sin. 

Lord, help us not to hold on to sin, but to have the humility to confess it before you and receive your forgiving grace.