FORGIVENESS CAN BE A WONDERFUL THING
Matthew 27:3,4 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 innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That is your responsibility.”
It is no wonder that Jesus told his disciples that the one who would betray him would be better off if they had never been born. I can’t imagine the remorse that Judas felt. He not only denied Jesus, but because of him (in his thinking) he made it possible for Jesus to be killed. I personally think that Judas thought that Jesus wanted him to do this, because when he asked Jesus if he was the one Jesus said yes. Also we see in John 13:26,27 John says, “Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. ‘What you are about to do, do quickly,’ Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.
Well, we know that Peter and John heard all this, because they were the ones that asked about it, and saw Jesus had Judas the bread and then told him to go do it. John also realized the possession of Judas taking place by Satan. So common sense leads us to believe that even Peter and John thought that this is what Jesus wanted, because they could have said something and stopped Judas. So, I think with the announcement twice at the meal that one of them would betray him, and now John and Peter witnessing what Jesus confirmed in Judas, they must have thought that the betrayal was something that Jesus had planned.
In some ways I see Judas as a sacrifice for Jesus. Because of what he was about to do, he would carry a terrible stigma of a hated betrayer down through time. The thing was when he was doing it, he was possessed by Satan himself, and Judas could not prevent what he was doing. So in some ways it was Satan and not Judas that betrayed Jesus. But it was only later when Satan would leave him that Judas would realized what he had done. When he did realize what was going to happen to Jesus, he tried to return the money in hopes they would not kill Jesus, but by then it was too late to stop them. In Judas’ mind he couldn’t live with the thought that he had been apart of having Jesus killed. In Matthew 27:5 it says that he went out and hanged himself. In Acts 1:18 it tells us that he fell and his body burst open and his intestines spilled out. Either way it doesn’t appear that he had a chance for reconciliation with Jesus as his other apostles did following his resurrection. Because this probably happened before Jesus resurrection. When Judas died he would have went to the abode of the dead. It would have been here that he would have been reconciled with Jesus, because as we see in I Peter 4:6 following his resurrection Jesus went to the abode of the dead to preach to them, so they could live according to God in regards to the spirit. Now I know that the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus spoke to Judas there, but why wouldn’t he have? Judas’ sin was not unforgivable as bad as it was in Judas’ thinking. In Matthew 12:32 Jesus even says that, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” The reason for this that it is the Holy Spirit that helps a person to come to Jesus and seek forgiveness. When we reject the Holy Spirit, we cut off any chance for coming to Jesus for forgiveness.
I don’t know where you are at right now, but I have things in my life that I wish I hadn’t done and said. I can not take these regrets back. They are water over the bridge in my life. I can ask for forgiveness from the people and from Jesus, but they can not be undone. Some of those things can haunt us for the rest of our life. Most often it is Satan and the powers of darkness that do this unless we have not asked Jesus to forgive us or others that we have offended. In this case the Holy Spirit will encourage us to get these things right, so that our conscious or spirit will not be hampered in having the fruit of the Holy Spirit or Christ-likeness.
Jesus doesn’t want us to be weighed down with regret. He wants us to enjoy our life, and our relationship with him. If we confess our sin he is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sin and cleans us of all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9) Once we do this we can’t let Satan, the powers of darkness, the evil of this world, the world, our family and friends or even our self to bring them up again to rob us of our forgiveness and joy. When we are reminded of them, we need to even say out loud, but I have been forgiven by Jesus, and he does bring them up again. (Micah 7:18,19) Walk and live in the joy of your salvation. Now and forever more! I believe Judas is enjoying his salvation and forgiveness in heaven!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for forgiving us of all our sins. Please help us to stop bringing them up again, and robbing ourselves of the wonderful gift of forgiveness that you gave us. We love you Jesus, and ask this in your holy name.
