He Came to Forgive
“He Came to Forgive”
Matthew 27:1-10
Pastoral Address for Pastor’s Conference
March 23, 1999
Today’s Portals of Prayer makes this observation: “There is hardly a more tragic figure in the Bible than Judas. He had learned all that the other disciples knew, had experienced what they had experienced. But he never got to enjoy the fruit of his time with Jesus. His real problem was not that he betrayed innocent blood. Every Christian bears responsibility for the death of Christ…. Judas’ tragedy is that he did not understand what Jesus’ whole career and message meant. He missed the main point: that Jesus had come to die for those who betray innocent blood.”
Now, there surely is agreement that “Every Christian bears responsibility for the death of Christ.” But when we connect those words to the betrayal of Jesus, is it biblically accurate? That’s the question that struck me as a bit of a formidable challenge regarding the betrayal of Jesus. I just didn’t want to believe that I was a betrayer of the Lord. It is so much easier to think that someone else might have, but me? That’s much harder to face. As pastors, undershepherds of God’s flock, we owe it to our congregation and ourselves to explore the seriousness of this charge, on a personal basis.
The word betray is a very strong word. It “denotes all aspects of deliberate giving or giving over” according to Hartmut Beck’s article in “Colin Brown” Dictionary of New Testament Theology. “The basic meaning of the vb. In the NT is to deliver up to judgment and death.” Thus, John the Baptist is delivered up (Mat 4:12). Jesus’ followers will be delivered to the council (Mat 10:17) and to synagogues (Lk 21:12), and will be exposed to persecution and oppression (Matt. 24:9). Brother is delivered up by brother to death (Mk 13:12).
I think we can all see why the use of that word to describe Christians can be a bit troubling to the conscience. Are we all responsible for delivering Jesus over to his death? Do we all bear the mark and sentence of the betrayer Judas? If so, how?
Well, let’s take a closer look at the betrayer himself. He was one of the original twelve disciples, chosen by Jesus. But then, the stinging words of Jesus come, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” Right up to the time Judas takes the bread dipped in wine by Jesus, there seems to be room for Judas’ repentance. But once “Satan entered him,” the sentence of death must be carried out, on the betrayed as well as the betrayer.
What hell it must be to know you are responsible for handing over innocent blood. Judas’ own words give us a clue what it must be like. “I have sinned,” he says, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” The response of the chief priests offers no comfort. “That’s your responsibility,” they say. Indeed it was. But it was their responsibility, just as it was Judas’ and ours, to know the foremost reason for Jesus’ betrayal, as announced by the prophet Isaiah, “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity (guilt) of us all.” Paul says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,” [in our place] “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Brothers in Christ, it is to make satisfaction for our sins that he was betrayed. So should we thank God for Judas and for betrayal? Absolutely not! Yet, it had to be that way, so that Scripture would be fulfilled and its truth stand over every opinion of man. And that gets us to the heart of Judas’ betrayal. He allowed his opinion to stand over against that of the divine. And even though he realized what he had done, he did not believe why it was necessary. Had he understood, I believe he would not have betrayed Jesus’ innocent blood. 1 Corinthians 2, being my basis.
Who we are, and what we do, brothers, is subject to the authority of the divine. That thought is both awesome, and fearful, at the same time. Awesome in the sense that he has counted us worthy to share in his suffering. Awesome in that he has poured out his blessing of redemption on us through his Word of Power and Grace on us. Awesome in that he has given us the same message of reconciliation as he gave the apostles. Fearful, in that our ministry is subject to the authority of the divine.
In our ministry we are bound to make mistakes. Because of the weakness of the flesh, we are all prone to betray of the Holy One. But, it is because of his divine will that we dare to stand forgiven and forgiving in the Love of Jesus Christ.
Thank God Jesus was betrayed so that Scripture was fulfilled, and our guilt erased.
Thank God Jesus was betrayed so that now we face the certainty of forgiveness and eternal life.
Thank God Jesus was betrayed so that His grace is poured out on us even now in his own body and blood.
Yes, He came to forgive. He came to forgive us who are prone to betraying the Son of God in thought, word, and deed. He came to forgive those who look to us for understanding, grace, and forgiveness. And lest we forget, let us be reminded that it is not the betrayal that condemned Judas. It was his inability to believe the truth. That is what took him to his own place. Amen.
