Matthew the apostle wrote how “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. Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see you to that”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse five of his book, Matthew wrote how Judas, “cast down the pieces of silver in the temple” where we read:
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
The verse reads, “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, ...” Matthew began words, “and he cast down” which means “Judas threw to the ground”, “the pieces of silver” or “the silver coins” “in the temple” which means “within the sacred edifice or sanctuary itself consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies”. Matthew shared how Judas “threw” the “thirty pieces of silver” on the floor of the “temple” in Jerusalem.
The verse goes on to say, “... and departed, and went and hanged himself.” Matthew continued with the words, “and departed” or “went forth and left”, “and went” which means “and left” “and hanged himself” or “and ended his life by throttling or strangling himself”. Matthew shared how Judas left the “temple” and the “religious leaders” and hung himself.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see the sad, sad ending to a man who was once a disciple of Jesus Christ. He saw Jesus do miracles, heal the sick, make the lame walk again, cause blind eyes to see, the deaf to hear and fed four and five thousand men with just a few loaves and fish, and yet, his end was tragic and horrible as he committed suicide by hanging. This is not the way God wants it to be for people. He sent His Son Jesus to be the Messiah and saving “sacrifice” for their sins, and when they yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, regardless of what they have done, even betrayal, shall be forgiven by Him. God wants a relationship with every person, and those who are wise will carefully consider the “end” of Judas' life and be certain they never follow his conclusion.
Next time Matthew shares how, “the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, it is not lawful for to put them into the treasury”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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