Day Ninety – Matthew 27:1-10

Judas could not stop the wheels that were now turning thanks to his help. He could not undo his act of betrayal nor reverse time by returning the silver. His action had become a fact of history and he no longer had control over it.

The heartlessness of the priests and elders is shocking. They were supposed to be representatives of God. The man who stood before them was in pain, having realized that he had done something very wrong and wanting to repent. Although they were not about to release Jesus from their trap, they could have, at the very least, tried to console Judas and assure him–from their perspective–that he had done the right thing. But they showed absolutely no concern for him.

“See to that yourself,” they told him, as if to say, “That’s your problem, deal with it yourself.” The Good News Bible reads, “That’s your business,” which we could take to mean, “That’s your line of work, Judas. It’s what you get paid for.” Indeed, that is how Judas will always be remembered.

Jesus was alone, abandoned by everyone. So was Judas. Jesus died in painful, lonely desperation. So did Judas. Jesus was overwhelmed with sadness at the end. So was Judas.

Judas went from  one permanent and irreversible action to another. Once the rope snapped, there was no going back.

O Son of God, did it ever occur to Judas that there was One who loved him, who in the precise moment of His betrayal addressed the betrayer as “Friend”? As for us, Lord Jesus, do we know the depths of Your love? The four points of the cross point to the infinite “breadth and length and height and depth” of a love that, even if we know about it, still surpasses knowledge.* In humble gratitude, we praise You for loving us as no one ever has or ever could love us.
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* Ephesians 3:14-19