Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us sincerity and watchfulness. Amen.
Text: Matthew 27:3–10
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” And they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Devotion
Judas had certainly been on the good road to become a glorious instrument for the Lord and to shine in eternal glory among the host of the blessed. He had already joined them in preaching, healing, casting out demons, and glorifying the Lord’s name. But now we find him in the darkness of doubt. Soon afterwards he put the rope around his neck and went to his own place as the son of perdition (Act 1:25; Joh 17:12). This is most horrible! Let it wake us and put sincerity in our soul! That’s why God’s Spirit has recorded it for us.
Each of Jesus’ disciples has frailties, a weak side, even the most gifted of them. The devil knows this and lures them to the door. But the Lord gives each one occasion to gain victory over himself and to put Satan to shame. Judas’ weak point, as for so many others, was greed. The Lord entrusted to him the purse, power over the common treasury, both because he had a special ability in accounting and was not like those who either can’t or won’t keep within their means, and because all the Lord’s disciples must be so put to the test to gain mastery over sin. My friend, if your weakness, for example, is an irritable mind or lust for power, or conceit or envy, then God guides your way so that you may be able to make use of the help of His grace against this very temptation. And He gives you strength so that you can daily put off the old Adam. Either He leads you among wicked people who stir up the evil in you, or among good people who put you to shame. Either He gives you power and glory, so that Satan may tempt you with them, like Saul and David and Solomon, but that God’s Spirit may humble you, like Jacob and David and Mary. Or He sends you poverty and need, so that you learn self-denial, meekness, confidence in God alone, and gain a distaste for the world, and a longing for heaven. It shall not fail that the Holy Spirit will lead you everywhere to admonish, correct, comfort, and uplift you, so that you can put on the new man who is created according to God. But do not grieve the Spirit, and do not forget that a little fall easily becomes a great one, so that an even greater one follows. If you give in to your wicked desire, then it gains strength. If you give the devil an inch, he will take you completely. Remember: when sin grows, the conscience is dulled, becomes blind, and gives up the fear of God. So it happened to Judas. Now he hated the Lord and wanted to be rid of Him, but at the same time he plotted to swindle the pieces of silver from the council. “Take Him and lead Him away safely” [Mar 14:44] he says in devilish cunning. But the devil himself is more cunning, and Judas falls into his own trap. O many began on the way to heaven, but they followed their sinful desire again and went to hell. – Know this indeed, that no one has to walk in Judas’ footsteps. The Lord can and will protect us.
Closing Prayer
And this we pray You sincerely, faithful God. Save us from the way of condemnation, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Hymn
Let me never be accounted
With this wretched evil man;
Even if my sins be counted
More than all the ocean sand!
Even if I lie within
Thickest mire of deepest sin,
Satan’s many arrows bearing,
Keep me, Lord, from e’er despairing.
No! My Jesus’ grace surpasses
All the sins of earth and more,
All the sinful woe and anguish
Laid upon His purple sore.
Safely anchored in His bay,
All my evil washed away,
In repentance I will drown me,
Though sin’s fetters once had bound me.
Kingo: Søde Synd, du Vellyst-Engel L 323:10-11 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Freu dich sehr (ELH 256); alternate hymn: Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah ELH 262