Matthew 27:3-10
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 an innocent man.”
“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.
In the film, “The Mission” (which, by the way, is one of the best movies almost no one has seen!), the character played by Robert DeNiro is an 18th century Spanish slave trader in South America who has killed his own brother in a jealous rage over a woman. As he languishes in a prison cell, overcome with his own guilt, he is visited by a Jesuit priest played by Jeremy Irons. At some point in the conversation DeNiro’s character, Rodrigo, says, “There is no forgiveness for me.” He felt himself to be beyond the reach of God’s grace.
That is Judas.
To me, these are among the saddest verses in the whole Bible. They are sad, of course, because they tell us that Jesus was condemned even though he was an innocent man.
They are sad, also, because they tell us that while Judas was “seized with remorse,” he found not forgiveness but despair. Judas assumed that his sin left him beyond the reach of God’s grace.
Had Judas had the courage to follow Jesus to the cross, he would have heard him say these words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Had Judas peered into the empty tomb, along with Peter and John, on that first Resurrection morning, he would have realized that Jesus overcame even death itself.
Had Judas been sitting with the others when Jesus cooked them fish for breakfast (John 21), he would have witnessed the forgiveness Peter received for his three denials of Christ. He would have also realized that he was not the only disciple to fail the Lord Jesus.
Had Judas had the courage to confess his sin, his confusion, his betrayal to Jesus, he would have experienced grace and forgiveness himself. Instead, Judas decided that there was no forgiveness for him. He was wrong. And that is very, very sad.
Have you ever felt beyond the reach of God’s grace and forgiveness? Have you ever been made to feel that somehow your sins are so ugly and terrible that not even the cross of Christ can cover them?
Well, if you have ever thought these things – you are wrong. And if someone has ever made you feel that way – then that person is wrong.
Yes, Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus. Yes, his betrayal contributed to the death of an innocent man. But that innocent man died so that Judas could know that his sin, his betrayal, his selfishness could be – and in fact already was - forgiven.
The real tragedy of the story of Judas is that, in the end, Judas lacked the courage to be forgiven.
Never forget that the grace of Jesus is always, always greater than your sin!
Pastor Brian Coffey
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