LETHAL PEOPLE SERIES Judas Iscariot was so selfish, he could not escape death. Matthew Chapter 27 The End of Judas Iscariot (27:1–10) The opening of this chapter describes the delivery of our Lord Jesus Christ into the hands of the Gentiles. The chief priests and elders of the Jews led him away to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. We may see in this incident the finger of God: it was ordered by his providence that Gentiles as well as Jews should be concerned in the murder of Christ; it was ordered by his providence that the priests should publicly confess that the “scepter had departed from Judah.” They were unable to put anyone to death without going to the Romans: the words of Jacob were therefore fulfilled. The Messiah, “to whom it belongs,” had indeed come (Genesis 49:10). The subject that principally occupies these verses is the sad end of the false apostle, Judas Iscariot. It is a subject full of instruction: let us mark well what it contains. 1. Proof of Christ’s Innocence First, we see in the end of Judas a plain proof of our Lord’s innocence of every charge laid against him. If there was any living witness who could give evidence against our Lord Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot was the man. A chosen apostle of Jesus, a constant companion in all his journeyings, a hearer of all his teaching, both in public and private—he must have known well if our Lord had done any wrong, either in word or deed. As a deserter from our Lord’s company, a betrayer of him into the hands of his enemies, it was in his interest for his own character’s sake, to prove Jesus guilty. It would extenuate and excuse his own conduct if he could make out that his former Master was an offender and an impostor. Why then did Judas Iscariot not come forward? Why did he not stand before the Jewish council and specify his charges, if he had any to make? Why did he not venture to accompany the chief priests to Pilate, and prove to the Romans that Jesus was a malefactor? There is but one answer to these questions. Judas did not come forward as a witness, because his conscience would not let him. Bad as he was, he knew he could prove nothing against Christ; wicked as he was, he knew well that his Master was holy, harmless, innocent, blameless and true. Let this never be forgotten. The absence of Judas Iscariot at our Lord’s trial is one among many proofs that the Lamb of God was without blemish, a sinless man. 2. Repentance Can Come Too Late Second, we see in the end of Judas that there is such a thing as repentance which is too late. We are told plainly that Judas “was seized with remorse” (verse 3); we are even told that he went to the priests and said, “I have sinned” (verse 4). Yet it is clear that his repentance did not lead to salvation. This is a point which deserves special attention. It is a common saying that “it is never too late to repent.” The saying, no doubt, is true, if repentance be true; but unhappily, late repentance is often not genuine. It is possible for a man to feel his sins, and be sorry for them—to be under strong conviction of guilt, and express deep remorse—to be pricked in conscience, and exhibit much distress of mind—and yet, for all this, not repent with his heart. Present danger, or the fear of death, may account for all his feelings, and the Holy Spirit may have done no work whatever on his soul. Let us beware of trusting to a late repentance. “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). One penitent thief was saved in the hour of death, that no man might despair; but only one, that no man might presume. Let us put off nothing that concerns our souls, and above all not put off repentance, under the misapprehension that it is in our own power. The words of Solomon on this subject are very fearful: “they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me” (Proverbs 1:28). 3. Ungodliness Brings Little Comfort in the End Third, let us see in the end of Judas how little comfort ungodliness brings a man at the last. We are told that he returned the thirty pieces of silver for which he had sold his Master, and went away in bitterness of soul. That money was dearly earned. It brought him no pleasure, even when he had it: “ill-gotten treasures are of no value” (Proverbs 10:2). [It is a great and undeniable difficulty, that the words quoted as having been used by “Jeremiah the prophet” are not to be found in any writings of Jeremiah that we possess, and that they are found in the prophet Zechariah. The following solutions of the difficulty have been suggested. 1. Some think that the prophecy quoted by Matthew was really delivered by Jeremiah, though not written, and only handed down and recorded by Zechariah. In favor of this view, we must remember that we have a saying of our Lord’s in Acts 20:35 which is not recorded in the Gospel, and a prophecy of Enoch’s in Jude 14. 2. Some think that the name of Jeremiah was applied by the Jews to all that part of the Old Testament containing prophecies, and that Matthew did not really mean that Jeremiah had delivered the prophecy. This is the view of Lightfoot. 3. Some think that Matthew originally wrote the words “The prophet,” without quoting the name of any particular one, and that the word “Jeremiah” was inserted by an ignorant transcriber. In favor of this view, it is fair to say that the Syriac version, one of the oldest extant, simply says “the prophet,” and omits Jeremiah’s name. The Persian version of the Gospels also omits it. 4. Some think that Matthew originally wrote the words “Zechariah the prophet,” and that some ignorant transcriber changed the word to Jeremiah. In favor of this view it must be fairly remembered that in manuscripts, names were often written short, and that IOU and ZOU are not very unlike. I offer no opinion on these solutions of the difficulty. A question of this sort, which has puzzled so many interpreters, is not likely to be settled at this date. One solution of the difficulty I only mention in order to enter my protest against it. That solution is adopted by many modern theologians. It is that Matthew simply forgot what he was doing, and made a blunder—that he quoted from memory, inaccurately, putting Jeremiah when he meant Zechariah. I can only say that at this rate we must give up the inspiration of Scripture altogether! If writers of the Bible could make blunders like this, we never know where we are in quoting a text. To use such an argument is giving the Arians and Socinians a weapon which they well know how to use. Once give up the verbal inspiration of Scripture, we stand on a quicksand.] Sin is, in truth, the hardest of all masters. In its service there are plenty of fair promises, but an utter dearth of actual rewards. Its pleasures last only for a while: its wages are sorrow, remorse, self-accusation and, too often, death. Those who sow to please their sinful nature do indeed reap destruction (Galatians 6:8). Are we tempted to commit sin? Let us remember the words of Scripture, “your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23), and resist the temptation. Let us be sure that sooner or later, in this life or in the life to come, in this world or on the judgment day, sin and the sinner will meet face to face, and have a bitter reckoning. Let us be sure that of all trades sin is the most unprofitable. Judas, Achan, Gehazi, Ananias and Sapphira all found it so to their cost. Well might St. Paul say, “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” (Romans 6:21). 4. The Miserable End of Someone Who Does Not Use Privileges Fourth, let us see in the case of Judas the miserable end a person may come to if he has great privileges and does not use them rightly. We are told that this unhappy man “went away and hanged himself” (verse 5). What an awful death to die. An apostle of Christ, a former preacher of the Gospel, a companion of Peter and John, commits suicide and rushes into God’s presence unprepared and unforgiven. Let us never forget that no sinners are so sinful as sinners against light and knowledge. None are so provoking to God: none, if we look at Scripture, have been so often removed from this world by sudden and fearful visitations. Let us remember Lot’s wife, Pharaoh, Korah, Dathan, Abiram and Saul, King of Israel: they are all cases in point. It is a solemn saying of Bunyan that “none fall so deep into the pit, as those who fall backward.” It is written in Proverbs, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without rememdy” (Proverbs 29:1). May we all strive to live up to our light. There is such a thing as sin against the Holy Spirit: clear knowledge of truth in the head, combined with deliberate love of sin in the heart, go a long way towards it. And now what is the state of our hearts? Are we ever tempted to rest on our knowledge and profession of religion? Let us remember Judas, and beware. Are we disposed to cling to the world, and to give money a prominent place in our minds? Again, let us remember Judas, and beware. Are we trifling with any one sin and flattering ourselves we may repent later? Once more, let us remember Judas, and beware. He is set up before us as a beacon: let us look well at him, and not get shipwrecked. Ryle, J. C. (1993). Matthew (pp. 272–276). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 01:31:26 +0000