2 Sundays ago, we began our series on the parables of Jesus, and we started with the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The “main idea” in that parable was: No matter how long or how little we’ve been in service to the Lord, we can be sure that we will be with Jesus at the end of our earthy life, if we are a repentant believer.
After worship, a very thoughtful theory was raised – that Judas Iscariot’s suicide was his act of repentance. If you are wondering what this has to do with the parable, I would encourage you to go listen to the audio recording of the message on 2/9/25 under the sermon tab. I appreciated this theory and took some time to sit with it and study the text, and I want to offer my ponderings on this matter.
In Matthew 27:3-5, it says, “When Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.’ So, Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.”
It would certainly appear that Judas regretted his actions. After all, the text tells us so – that he was overcome with remorse and tried to return the money. He even makes a confession, though to the chief priests and not to God…still, all signs that Judas may have been moving toward repentance. Yet, instead of seeking forgiveness from Jesus, he ends his life. It leaves a big question lingering in most of our minds – what became of Judas’ destiny? Did Judas actually repent? Did God forgive him?
Some translations even replace “remorse” with “repent.” Hermeneutics teaches us, though, that words are not always clear cut because the scriptures we have are modern translations from Hebrew and Greek. So the root meaning is not always what we see on the surface. King James version says that Judas “repented himself.”
Before we take this to mean that Judas did repent – case closed, we must take into consideration the Greek word for repent in this verse. In this verse, Matthew used metamelomai which merely means regret or sorrow. Had he used the word, metanoeo, that would have indicated that Judas had a genuine change of mind and will, which is characteristic of spiritual penitence, rather than just emotional remorse.
True repentance is more than just feeling remorse – it also means turning away from sin, and moving toward God. Just as important as turning away from the sin, is to whom we turn toward. True repentance will produce hope rather than despair – the despair that led Judas to end his life.
I do believe that Judas’ remorse and guilt led him to this decision. Had Judas truly repented, though, the proper response would have been to confess to God (rather than men, for only God could save him) and then he could have asked for forgiveness. Surely after all the time he spent with Jesus, after all the teachings he listened to, after all that he had witnessed during Jesus’ ministry, he knew that all it would take to make things right was running to Christ in confession and turning away from his greed. Instead, he moved further into the darkness. What we know from the scriptures is that Judas repeatedly dismissed and rejected Jesus’ teachings. We know that Judas was indignant over Mary’s use of excessive nard to anoint Jesus (John 12:3). We know that he abused his position as treasurer (John 12:6). We also know that Jesus said one of his disciples would be doomed to destruction (John 17:12) and that it would be good for the man if he had never been born (Mark:21)
No doubt this topic is a tough one. It’s hard to accept the possibility that one of the 12 was able to physically walk closely with Jesus, without ever being spiritually changed by him. It’s hard to accept that he may have ended his life without making peace with God. I do want to say that if Judas’ eternal relationship with God was severed, it was not because of his suicide, but rather his failure to confess and repent (if he, in fact, failed to do so). I know there are some who believe that suicide separates you from God. I do not believe this.
I believe that there are believers who struggle with depression and other mental health concerns that succumb to suicide out of desperation to end their pain and isolation. I believe that Jesus receives them and restores them. Romans 8:38-39 tells us that: “…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In light of all the references above, do I still want to believe that Judas might have confessed his sin and regret to God in the final solitary moments of his life? I really do. Do I want to believe that he received forgiveness and went to be with Jesus in paradise? I really do. Do I want to believe that Jesus received him and restored him? I’d like to think so. We won’t know for sure until we get to the other side. For now, we can only go by what texts tell us and heed the importance of confession and repentance.
What say you?
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