Subject: Judas went to hell? |
Bible Note: Greetings Serenetime, I disagree, and the following is actually a *re-post* of my analysis of Matthew 27:3-5... You see, Judas only felt regret for his action after Jesus was sentenced to death (Matthew 27:1-2). This is significant because it reveals that Judas was thinking that Jesus would miraculously escape while he got the bribe! But Jesus did not escape (to fulfill all Scripture), and Judas felt a great remorse and regret for his actions (because Jesus was, in fact, going to die)! This was not a remorse or sorrow that would lead to repentence (2 Cor. 7:10), since Judas killed himself before experiencing divine grace. If Judas truly felt a God-centered sorrow over the wickedness of his sin, then he would have repented immediately after the betrayal, not after Jesus' arrest, since the consequences of his action were not unexpected, even though they were horrifying. A "God-centered" remorse would have been a remorse from the very idea of putting the Son of God in danger at all! However, he only felt remorse after the Son of Man was sentenced to death. Also, if he had experienced divine grace, then why did he kill himself? Instead, Judas experienced a 'self-centered' sorrow over the painful consequences of his sin. Since the Son of Man was going to die, he was still more concerned about his well-being rather than that of the Son of Man. This passage illustrates the remarkable power of an awakened conscience! And since Judas' covetous heart trumped his duty as a disciple to love the Son of Man, the possession of his bribe so struck him in the heart that he could not use it or keep it any longer, but he could only throw it into the temple and kill himself. And this is the "self-centered" sorrow that leads to death (2 Cor. 7:10). Blessings to you, Nolan |