Judas

[BarbaraW]

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. …And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:3-5)

I felt such compassion this morning for Judas in reading this and feeling how wholeheartedly he regretted what he had done, apparently even hoping to undo it by telling the truth and returning the pieces of silver.

The Golden Text, “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23) was such a help and comfort in this regard as were other citations in the lesson.

[Pilar Deblinger]

Thank you for above comment Barbara, I also always wondered about Judas and his actions after he realized what he had done. There is more to it than just the plain greed for money. Did he suddenly realized he had been duped by mortal mind wiles? What stopped him from asking God’s forgiveness? What drove him to suicide? I also feel compassion not only for Judas but also for the many young people that choose suicide as a way out or a way to silence their inner demons.

[JPalmer]

Thank you for your posts!

Right after what is in the lesson from Matthew 27, comes three verses that deal with the returned silver pieces:

6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

It seems Judas was, for a time, willing to risk his spirituality with a quest for materiality, while the chief priests were not willing to risk their materiality under any circumstances. The only fear of consequence they have is superstitious. They thought their materiality could be tainted, yet had no concern about their spirituality at all.

To me, this goes back to the week’s daily watch, Watching Point 27. While trying to perfect himself, Judas thought money would help, only to realize his error. The chief priests thought themselves perfect, and thought any means to protect their position was acceptable. Only Christ Jesus was busy expressing “the perfect idea of man” and teaching and sharing freely how to “have the light [of God] shine through perfectly.”

I am grateful for Judas’ story, as it is full of lessons. Of course, without Christian Science, and this church, none of these lessons would have been revealed to me. What a blessing to be here, learning! Thank you!

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