Judas – The man who thought he was too bad for God
W/c Monday 18th November 2024
Matthew 26:14-16; 27:1-10
Is it possible to be too bad for God?
When our minds tell us we’re hopeless, should we listen?
Judas was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples and close friends. Yet he chose to betray Jesus for cash. Once Jesus had been executed, Judas just couldn’t live with himself or what he had done. Judas threw the money away and then hung himself.
Judas was sorry for his actions, but he seemed to take the priests’ words to heart: “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas tried to deal with his guilt himself, ‘paying’ for his crime through his suicide.
Could Jesus’ death on the Cross have paid for Judas’ betrayal? Absolutely. Even Judas could have had a place in heaven. As the Bible tells us, “The death Jesus died, he died to sin once for all.” And “all” means everyone. But Judas didn’t stick around long enough to meet the Resurrected Jesus. He didn’t put his crimes, his guilt or his shame on the Cross for Jesus to bear. He didn’t receive forgiveness. He didn’t get a brand-new life.
Inner turmoil is not unique to Judas. In whatever guilt or inadequacy you are wrestling with, ask yourself, “will this lead me to Jesus or to death?” Judas shouldered his own burdens. But we don’t have to. “Come to me, all you who are burdened, and I will give you rest,” Jesus calls to us today.