Matthew 27:3 Commentary and Bible Study

(Synoptics: Matthew 27:3-10)There is a conscience even in a Judas that awakens at last. It awakens to accuse, but it does not lead to true repentance. This is the sorrow of the world that works death. During his act of betrayal he had needed to struggle hard to suppress that conscience, because it would have stood in the way of such a terrible act, and he had succeeded. He silenced it temporarily. But his conscience has the final word and resurfaces, having been push deep down in the darkness of his heart. It comes up to the accuse him, and he has no power to resist its testimony. He can take no credit for it, and it works against him, not for him. What is it that triggers conscience and wakes it up? It is Judas observing that happens to the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees that Jesus has been condemned, and he knows that that is not right. He knows that this man is without sin. He has observed him closely for three years and never once seen him speak a hasty word, lose patience, utter a deceit, or do harm to anyone. Quite the reverse: he has seen him heal multitudes, work continual works of mercy; he has heard him teach truths which all seem to acknowledge are without parallel (though Judas himself has little insight into them). Yet nothing that he has seen during his years of discipleship has moved him. Without the Spirit of God working in the heart, no amount of good influence from outside, no amount of gospel light, no amount of supernatural signs and wonders can bring about a real change. But the Spirit of God had not worked in Judas’ heart, leaving him fully responsible for his unbelief. But now Jesus has been condemned by the Jews and he should not have been condemned, and Judas knows he has played a part in this; in fact he has played the key part and without him this would never have happened. What did Judas expect? Did he think that Christ would not allow it to take place? It is doubtful that he relied on that; he did not seem to care at all about anything except the gain he had from his betrayal. But he cannot help watching what follows, and he suddenly begins to care about the outcome. Did Judas have a secret love for justice? No, but against his will, his conscience protested, and he found it was stronger than every other influence within him. He would gladly have silenced it again, but he knew that its testimony was true and could not be ignored. His conscience told him there were terrible consequences to his act of betrayal. Guilt sprang up in Judas’ heart with a force that he would not have anticipated.