Our daughter called the other night and we had a lengthy discussion about Judas Iscariot. We talked about everything from his discipleship, to his being the catalyst for the fulfillment of God’s plan, and even Matthias, his replacement. One of the difficult things for both of us when we first became followers of Christ was the fact that he committed suicide. We both have tender, sympathetic hearts. So, for us, this was an act of regret and even remorse. And repentance requires regret and remorse. So, we wanted to hold out hope that he might have truly repented in those last moments.
Judas betrayed our Savior. I know some would say that we shouldn’t want him to be restored. They would say that, because of his actions, we shouldn’t want him to be forgiven by God. But isn’t that why Jesus came? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
Do we really want to believe that we can be too bad for God to forgive? That simply isn’t true. And haven’t we all betrayed and rejected God too?
But, with regard to Judas, he walked and talked with Jesus. He saw the miracles and healings that Jesus performed. So, we might be led to think that he must have known, right?
Well, if we look to the Old Testament, we see a similar rejection in the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. God had freed them from slavery. He had provided everything that they needed from food to water to shelter and protection. He performed miracle after miracle. And still, He asked Moses how long these people were going to rebel. Of course, that was a rhetorical question because He knew the answer. After all, He is God. Lol.
“And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people despise me? How long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?” Numbers 14:11.
At times, we saw that the Israelites had remorse and regret, but there was a lack of repentance.
Both Judas and the Israelites (who wandered in the wilderness) had seen God’s hand of provision, protection, healing, love, mercy, and grace. And, in their hearts, they still rejected him. They may have exhibited remorse and regret, but they didn’t exhibit repentance.
We know that the Israelites rebelled and rejected God because we saw that, for those who rebelled, their sin led to death. Sin always leads to death when we push God’s hand of provision, protection, healing, love, mercy, and grace away. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
And we know that Judas rebelled and rejected God. That was clearly evident when he betrayed Jesus in the first place. We know that he wasn’t a true follower of Jesus Christ because we see in the scriptures that Satan entered Judas. If He belonged to God, the enemy could never have entered him. “And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.” Luke 22:2-3.
Jesus even told the twelve disciples that one of them was a “devil”! “Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” John 6:70.
We also know that Judas had regret and remorse because scripture says so. But his regret came from a place of selfishness. Gone were his provisions, position, and title. And he knew that he would one day stand, condemned. He had prostituted himself to the Pharisees, exposing himself for money. They would not respect or exalt him. They used him and he knew it. He recognized his own condemnation!
So, Judas had regret and remorse. But, like some of the Israelites, he lacked repentance.
The King James Version of the Bible phrases it that Judas had repented. But he “repented himself” because he was condemned, not because of what he had done. “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,”. Matthew 27:3.
An important note here is that the Greek word used for repented in this verse is “metamelomai” which means to have remorse or regret. It is NOT the Greek word “metanoeo” which means a genuine change of heart, mind, and will. This is not showing us that Judas repented to God and was restored to Him. This is showing us that Judas understood that Jesus was the Son of God (just like satan does). And he understood that what he had done meant that he would be condemned for all of eternity. Therein lay his regret and remorse. He was sorry for the consequences, but not for the action.
Honestly, only God knows for sure whether Judas is in Heaven. All we can do is look at what the scripture says, which is what we have done. And, based on scripture, there is no doubt that Judas and some of the Israelites rebelled against God. When we look at these verses, it really does describe what was going on in their hearts.
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. And, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32. (Debased in these verses is akin to corrupt or sinful.)
The sad reality is that this is going on all around us! Some of our friends, neighbors, and loved ones are pushing away God’s hand of provision, protection, healing, love, mercy, and grace.
But that may be because they just need to know that God wants a relationship with them. They need to hear that He loves them. They need to know that there is forgiveness in Jesus. And that it is available to them.
That is where we come in. Our conduct can (and should) allow them to see our Savior in us. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. It should draw them to Him.
We are here to glorify our Heavenly Father and to point others to Him so that they would be forgiven and reconciled to God. But we are also here to tell them! “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” Mark 16:15.
Let’s not leave those around us with regret and remorse. Let’s lead them to repentance and a loving, personal, relationship with the lover of their souls!
Father God, forgive us for rebelling. Forgive us for rejecting You. Lord Jesus, forgive us for betraying You. Forgive us when we rob You of glory and when we fail to point others to You. Reveal any unconfessed sin in our lives to us. Help us to become fully reconciled to You, Father. We praise and thank You or Your hand of provision, protection, healing, love, mercy, and grace. Holy Spirit, break our hearts for those around us who don’t know You. Help us to be a light in this dark land. Let us not leave others in regret and remorse but lead them to You and repentance. We pray this in your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.
There was a time in my life when I rebelled and rejected the hand of God. I praise him everyday for not leaving me in a place of remorse and regret, and for leading me to a place of repentance. Have you rebelled and rejected the hand of God too? You don’t have to be left in remorse and/or regret. It isn’t God’s desire for you. His desire is to forgive you and to have an intimate, loving, and personal relationship with you. Please explore our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that’s outlined there. God wants to forgive you and free you from guilt, shame, remorse, and regret. But it requires your repentance. You can do that through the prayer on that page. Please pray and, once you have, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com.
Luv Ya!
