How does Matthew 27:4 illustrate the consequences of betraying innocent blood? The immediate backdrop “ ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,’ he said. ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘You bear the responsibility.’ ” (Matthew 27:4) A conscience awakened • Judas’ first words after the betrayal are a confession, not an excuse. • He acknowledges the innocence of Jesus, agreeing with Isaiah 53:9 that the Servant would be “with no deceit in His mouth.” • Remorse arrives only after the deed is done—showing that guilt may lie dormant until confronted with the full reality of sin. Consequence 1 – Crushing guilt • Psalm 32:3–4 pictures bones wasting away when sin is hidden; Judas feels that weight instantly. • The thirty silver coins—once desirable—now feel like burning coals in his hands (v. 5). • Proverbs 28:17 warns that one “burdened by human blood will be a fugitive until death”; Judas’ flight to the priests and then to the Field of Blood fulfills it. Consequence 2 – Isolation from people • The very leaders who paid him now say, “What is that to us?” Human accomplices abandon the sinner once their purpose is served—echoed in Job 19:13–14. • No fellowship, no counsel, no comfort; only the hollow echo of his own regret. Consequence 3 – Futile restitution • Throwing the silver into the temple (v. 5) illustrates that money cannot buy back innocence. • Deuteronomy 27:25 had already declared a curse on anyone who sells innocent blood; the coins become a symbol of that curse (Acts 1:18–19). Consequence 4 – Spiritual blindness • Judas admits sin yet never turns to the only One who can forgive it—standing perhaps yards from the Lamb whose blood “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). • 2 Corinthians 7:10 contrasts godly sorrow with worldly sorrow; Judas experiences the latter, leading to death. Consequence 5 – Physical and eternal ruin • Matthew 27:5 records his suicide; Acts 1:18–20 adds the grisly details, fulfilling Psalm 69:25. • Jesus had warned, “It would be better for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). • Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death.” Judas receives the first installment of that wage. Summary lessons • Betraying innocent blood thrusts a person into immediate guilt, relational abandonment, and unrelieved despair. • Sin’s momentary gain evaporates; its consequences linger both in time and eternity. • Only the truly innocent One—whose blood was unjustly shed—offers mercy sufficient to cleanse even the betrayer who will turn to Him (Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 1:9). |
    |