Matthew 27:3–10 (ESV)
Judas Hangs Himself
3 Then
when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests,
taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.
8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
The guilt of what Judas was overwhelming and more than he could take. We need to take our sins to Jesus, in fact… He took our sins to the cross. The Lutheran Study Bible states: “Peter’s
denial is followed closely by Judas’s suicide. The two commit similar sins in betraying Christ, but things turn out differently for each. Both are sorry for their misdeeds—perhaps Judas is even sorrier in that he tries to undo the damage. But Judas
ends his life in despair, while Peter ultimately trusts in Christ, who alone can save us from guilt and despair." On this Thanksgiving Day, we can all give thanks that Jesus loves us and forgives us, even when we sin against Him.
I pray: Oh, let us ever flee to You, Christ, when overwhelmed by our sin! Let us not despair but know the depth of Your mercy. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The
Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1645.