Matthew 27:3-4a When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 ”I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
We have all had moments when we regret a decision we have made and want to take it back. I am sure there are a few people who would like to take back decisions they made over the last three months. But some decisions can’t be taken back. The affair can’t be undone. The vote can’t be upcast. The words can’t be unsaid.
Slow is better. Decisions that are made hastily, emotionally, or under pressure often don’t turn out the way we want them to. We get clouded by the moment. We get pushed by our emotions. We might not even know what “made us do it”, when we look back on the decision. But regret and remorse are there.
Our text describes one of the most significant decisions in history. Judas has sold out The Man, Jesus himself. There was no turning back from this. The religious leaders had been foaming at the mouth looking for an opportunity to kill Jesus, and Judas had come with platter in hand. He had been the answer to their misdirected prayers and intents.
Who knows what Judas had thought would happen when he betrayed Jesus. We just don’t know. Maybe, as some have suggested, he was trying to force Jesus’ hand, make Jesus use His power to save Himself and overthrow the corrupt system. He wouldn’t be the first in history to try to force his will on another person.
Maybe Judas’ own selfish financial dealings had painted him into a corner. He was in the habit of helping himself to the funds. Maybe he had a gambling problem. Maybe he realized that his cash cow was going to be slaughtered, and all his investment of time and energy would go down the drain. We just don’t know.
But we do know this: Judas came to a moment of remorse. He regretted what he had done. He wanted to go back on his decision. He wished he could go back in time. He wanted a ‘do over’ to take place. Who hasn’t wanted one of these!
I can say this about Judas: he did get it right when he admitted his sin. He didn’t beat around the bush. He nailed it. He owned his sin. He named it, betrayal of innocent blood, a sin in almost anyone’s book.
And forgiveness was available to Judas! This might surprise you, but it is true. If he had been willing to go to the LORD with his confession, instead of going to the religious leaders, then forgiveness was possible. No sin, other than rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice, is unforgivable.
So we can follow the example of Judas when we regret a decision. We can own it. We can confess it to the people involved. But we need to take it one step further. We need to bring it to the LORD. He is the ultimate forgiver. It is His justice and mercy that we strive to live out in this world.
And the final step is this: we need to live out the forgiveness in our lives. This is where Judas really failed. He walked out unforgiveness; He took his own life. There was no going back from that decision, no opportunity for remorse.
So what is it going to be for us? What are we going to do about our regrets?
The Arnold Journey 