Where Did Judas Go Wrong? Matthew 27:1-10

Judas Hangs Himself

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 3 When Judas, who had 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. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

As we move to chapter 27, the second to last chapter in Matthew, we begin with a sad story.  As we know, Judas had betrayed Jesus for a mere 30 pieces of silver.  Perhaps Judas didn't know what the consequences would be, but today he realizes that his action will lead to Jesus' condemnation and death.  In an effort to redeem himself, Judas throws the thirty pieces of a silver, a relatively small amount of money concerning what he did with it, into the temple.  The chief priests are unimpressed and show little they care for a man's soul by saying, "What's this to us."  

Since the Sanhedrin did have the authority to execute Jesus they handed him over to Pilate the Roman ruler.  The Jewish leaders had reason to expect a favorable result when they went to Pilate. Secular history shows us that he was a cruel, ruthless man, almost completely insensitive to the moral feelings of others. Surely, they thought, Pilate will put this Jesus to death. (Guzik)

Importantly Judas, who knew Jesus as well as anyone, declared that he was guilty of betraying innocent blood before he went and hung himself.  

Then, after the leaders realize how the money was given was "blood money", they use it to by the potter's field in fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophesy.  Again, we see that Jesus could not have prearranged the fulfillment of this particular prophecy showing the importance of Jesus' fulfilling Old Testament prophecy proving he was and is the Messiah! 

The hypocrisy of the religious leaders is astonishing.  They don't want to take the blood money as it went against Levitical law, but they schemed to kill an innocent man of their own flock. The wanted to wash their hands of it by passing it off to the Romans, but if anyone they were to blame.

The potter's field was a burial place for those who couldn't afford a lot.  It was often called a "pauper's grave".  

And after they had consulted together, they bought with them the potter's field, to be a burying place for strangers. For this the field was called Haceldama, that is, the field of blood, even to this day. — Douay–Rheims Bible

The site referred to in these verses is traditionally known as Akeldama, in the valley of Hinnom, which was a source of potters' clay. After the clay was removed, such a site would be left unusable for agriculture, being full of trenches and holes, thus becoming a graveyard for those who could not be buried in an orthodox cemetery (Guzik)

Do you think Judas was saved? Why or why not?  What do you think led Judas from being one of Jesus' disciples to becoming a traitor?  What prompted Judas to throw the 30 pieces of silver back into the temple?  Was it too little too late?