Mat 27;1-10 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to [a]Pontius Pilate the governor. 3 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, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” 5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 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.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 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, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
We ended chapter 26 with the bitter weeping of Peter, and now we begin chapter 27 with the bitter remorse of Judas. Peter’s bitter weeping led to repentance, but the bitter remorse of Judas led to his suicide. We wonder why God placed these two records in contrast during the most important event of redemptive history—a moment where God tells us the great cost He paid to purchase salvation for us.
On one hand, it is to let us know what happens when we realize our sin, repent, and come to God like Peter did; it shows how gloriously He transforms our lives. At the same time, today’s story is a warning to us: if we reject such a great salvation and such infinite grace, how terrible our end will be. When you slight the grace that comes to save the worst of sinners, this is a prophecy of your end. You don’t have to reach that end to realize it; learn from the end of Judas.
The Illusion of Success
Think of Judas. He betrayed Jesus successfully. He made the Sanhedrin’s “mission impossible” possible, got his money, and the whole leadership is grateful to him now; they will do anything he asks. He has achieved wealth, name, and success. According to him, Jesus will be dead and the disciples will be scattered. Why, then, is he so afraid? What happened to him?
There are men and women today who say, “I don’t care about salvation, Jesus, or the church; I want to become rich, I want to earn a name, and become big—I am ready to do anything for that.” There is nothing wrong with wanting to achieve things, but if we reject God and His salvation, and the world and money become more important, then you are on the path of Judas. You may ask, “If I don’t have salvation or Jesus’ blessing but I can become rich and famous, is that not enough?” Ask Judas. He had the money and the name by selling Jesus. What happened?
Like many fools running after money and the world today, Judas discovered very late in life that he had the voice of God, called conscience, in his heart. No matter how much money, name, or riches you attain, if you violate that conscience by rejecting Christ, your life will become hell.
The Torture of Conscience
Judas hadn’t anticipated this. He thought he would earn money and live happily; inner guilt, shame, and misery were not part of his plan. But now that the deed was done, his conscience would not let him enjoy his success or the money he earned. Against his will and plan, it forced him to face the wickedness of what he had done in betraying his best friend and Lord—the one whose messianic ministry he had seen, whose truth he had heard, and whose goodness he had experienced personally as an apostle for several years. It demanded satisfaction from Judas—a satisfaction he had no means to provide.
It gave him no peace. It tortured him until he felt he could not bear to live with himself any longer. Judas’ conscience did not prevent him from committing his foul deed, but it did prevent him from enjoying the benefits. This is what people who chase the world while rejecting God forget, and it makes their lives hell on earth.
We are created in the image of God and have a divine voice—God’s nature, knowledge, and law—implanted inside us like a monitor. This is called the conscience. It is this conscience that made the cursing Peter weep and repent, and it is this same conscience that made the betraying Judas remorseful and suicidal. John Bunyan said:
“O conscience! Who can stand against thy power! Endure thy stripes or agonies one hour!”
The pain of pelting stones, the worst diseases, or the torture of racks and nails are only “toys” compared to this pain. No pleasures, riches, honors, or friends can give ease to this internal torture; it is like hell.
The Spy in the Heart
If hell were the invention of religious men, the world would have thrown off the idea long ago. Every religion and every culture believes in it because the truth of hell is confirmed by the witness of every man’s conscience, deep in the human heart. This conscience, though inside a man, acts independently of his will and desires; as in Judas’ case, it often acts in defiance of the will. We can sometimes suppress or stifle its voice, but when it speaks, it is in a strange way a separate and distinct voice within ourselves. It addresses us with an authority we did not give it and cannot take away.
The Puritans called the conscience “God’s spy in our hearts,” like a James Bond. While governments keep spies, God has implanted this one inside us. Every man carries within him another “I,” a second personality who observes him from the outside and passes objective judgment upon his motives and conduct. When Adam and Eve sinned, even before God judged and cursed them, they hid themselves in shame. Why? Because their own conscience had already passed judgment and condemned them. From that beginning onward, the conscience judges every man and woman before God finally judges them.
Running from the Power
You and I have this conscience. As sinners, it is a guilty conscience for all the sins we have committed. In this life, you may foolishly think you can run like Adam and hide behind different trees. But where will you run from this power inside you? People take different paths to suppress a guilty conscience: some blame others, some run after drugs and drink, some hide in busy lifestyles and parties. It is a great torture for them to sit calmly at home for even one day. Many young people go deeper into immorality or put on an outward religious show, but none of these will work permanently. One day you have to face that guilty conscience—perhaps through an accident, the death of a loved one, or financial loss. For many, as they grow old, the noise becomes loud. For some, it speaks so loudly before they go to hell that they take their lives like Judas.
The Gospel Solution
God is telling us in this passage that you don’t have to run like these people or go to the extent that Judas did. Through the Gospel, I have made a way to deal with your guilty conscience. When you believe in my Son’s work on the cross, you realize Jesus Christ has taken your guilt upon Himself and borne the judgment of God that we deserve.
The conscience, which all your life keeps pricking you and never gives you peace, says, “You have done this and that; you need the worst punishment.” It says, “I will never be satisfied until I see your punishment.” But when we trust in Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, we stop running from the accusing conscience. We stop and admit, “Yes, I am the worst sinner and I deserve the worst punishment, but my conscience, look at Calvary mountain: the infinite suffering and punishment for all my sins is on that cross.” See the spit, the sweat, the blood, the scourging, and the nails. Hear the sound: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Is this punishment enough? I believe Christ suffered and died for my sins. When that conscience is soaked in the blood of Christ, it not only stops accusing you but fills you with a divine peace and joy that no money or name in the world can give. Do you have that peace today?
The Trials of Jesus (Matthew 27:1-10)
1. The Third Religious Trial
Vs 1: “When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.”
This was their focus early in the morning; they likely hadn’t slept. Phase 1 and 2 of the trials happened unjustly in the middle of the night. Night trials were not legally valid. Everything was wrong—the timing, the place (Caiaphas’ palace instead of the temple court hall). To make it look legal, verse 1 says the “whole Sanhedrin” was there. They led Him into the proper judgment hall to conduct a quick trial so it appeared official. They “took counsel,” which actually means they passed a resolution. They had already decided the verdict; they simply took a formal vote so it would appear to be a legal trial to put Jesus to death.
Vs 2: “And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”
Notice the verse says they bound Him again. Perhaps they took off the chains during the trial, but now, to fulfill the type of the sacrifice, He is bound like a lamb led to the slaughter. They took Him to Pontius Pilate, the governor of the region. Pilate was in Jerusalem for the Passover to manage the increased security risks. The Jewish religious trials were now over, and the Roman Gentile trials began.
They went to the Romans because, under Roman rule, only the Romans could execute a death sentence. They also smartly wanted the Romans to do it so they could blame the Romans if the crowd turned against them. They had a problem, however: they gave a death verdict based on blasphemy. Romans didn’t care about blasphemy. Pilate was an obstinate man who hated Jewish rules; he was ruthless and had even killed Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. To convince such a man to put Jesus to death, they could not accuse Him of blasphemy. They committed a horrible injustice: in the Jewish court, they charged Him with blasphemy, but in the Roman court, they twisted the case to accuse Him of being an insurrectionist against Rome.
If you know Jewish court law, the injustice of this third trial is unbearable. Rules stated you could not execute the accused until the third day, allowing the session to investigate thoroughly for new witnesses. Instead, they sat the very next day, not to examine evidence, but to urgently vote for His death and plan their lies to convince Rome. As Jonathan Edwards might put it: this is God in the hands of guilty, unjust sinners.
Matthew now interrupts his narrative of the Lord’s trial to complete the story of Judas.
Vs 3: “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful.”
The title “Judas the Betrayer” becomes his permanent identity. We do not know exactly where he was—whether he was inside Caiaphas’ palace or part of the group of false witnesses—but he was there. He saw Jesus condemned and taken to Pilate. When he learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he was suddenly filled with remorse. Seeing Jesus condemned tore Judas to the very core. For the first time, he realized the enormity of his betrayal.
The humiliation and treatment of Jesus were so terrible and unjust that they triggered a reaction. When Peter saw Jesus, he was devastated and crushed by his own sinfulness; similarly, Judas, seeing the result of his actions, was convicted. He likely never expected things to go this far; perhaps he thought they would merely punish Christ to “teach Him a lesson” and then release Him. We often do not realize the terrible consequences of our sins or how far they will take us.
From a worldly perspective, Judas was a hero. The Jewish leaders praised him and were grateful to him. Yet, while the world was patting him on the back, a voice was accusing him from within. Even though he was a covetous thief who had rejected the miracles of Christ—even though Satan had entered him and he had sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver—his conscience still worked powerfully. No matter how low a man sinks, he cannot escape the divinely designed internal mechanisms of guilt that ring the bells of impending hell.
The Torture of Memory
Judas was filled with grief, anguish, and indignation at himself. His conscience tortured him: “What have you done! What a wretch am I, to sell my good Master, who did me no wrong, but only kindness! And for what? For such a trifle!” He realized the abuses, the spitting, the swollen face, and the impending death were all chargeable to him. He remembered the Master’s goodness, the mercy he had spurned, and the fair warnings he had slighted.
How could his conscience stay quiet? He had spent three intimate years with the God-man on earth. He had denied the reality of miracles and rejected the deity of Jesus. Remember the last meeting where he tried to deceive Jesus with a kiss? Jesus’ words, “Friend, why have you come? Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” must have rung in his ears.
Judas felt remorse for the consequences of his sin, but not repentance for the act itself. This was emotional, psychological sorrow—not a turning to God. Just as we often fail to see the weight of sin during the power of temptation, Judas only saw it when the “high” of the act wore off and the regret began to grow.
The Thirty Pieces of Silver
Vs 3: “…and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.”
The money was the first thing he tried to get rid of. When he was tempted, the thirty pieces of silver looked glittering and fine. Now, the silver felt like thirty scorpions biting his whole being. Sin is always like that: what you want so badly ends up giving you a guilt you cannot handle. It looks good until you take it, and then it stings with poison for the rest of your life. The money burned in his conscience like hot coals. Note this: that which is ill-gotten will never do good for those who get it.
The wrongness of his act exploded in his soul like a repeated blast every minute: “What a beast you are!” In a fever of guilt, wanting relief from his tortured mind, he took the bag of silver back to the religious leaders.
The Failed Confession
Vs 4: “saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.'”
Judas used the strong New Testament word for sin. He did not say he betrayed the Son of God, but “innocent blood.” To his own shame, he confessed he was the sinner and Jesus was innocent. He did not try to blame the priests for hiring him; he took it all on himself. While this was a confession, it was not a saving repentance. He did not go to God; he did not say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven.” He confessed the betrayal, but not the wicked love of money that was the root of the evil.
Why did he go to the priests? Judas was following basic Jewish court rules. He came back as a witness to confess that he was a false witness. He was so stricken with guilt that he was ready for any consequence. According to Deuteronomy 16, a false witness who betrays innocent blood should pay with his own life. Judas wanted relief; he wanted his life to be taken as satisfaction for his crime. When they refused to do it, he took his own life. No man who ever lived felt more guilt than Judas, because no man ever committed a more enormous crime after such great privilege.
The Hardness of the Sanhedrin
What did the Sanhedrin do? The rule was that if a witness confessed a man was innocent before the execution, they should have investigated again. But look at their response:
Vs 4: “And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!'”
They basically said, “So what? We have decided to kill Him. If you feel bad, what do we care?” What terrible shepherds! They were stone-cold and indifferent to the agony of a man’s soul. They didn’t care if the blood was innocent or not; they only cared about their goal. It meant nothing to them that they had hired him to do the deed. They turned him over to his own terrors. This refusal to hear his testimony made their court completely unjust. Matthew shows that, by their own response, they were the true criminals.
The Despair and Death of Judas
Finding no hope or comfort from the priests, Judas grew desperate. He did two things:
Vs 5: “Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed.”
He threw the money down in angry defiance. The word for “temple” here refers to the inner court, the Holy Place where only priests were allowed. He threw it there to force them to deal with it. It was an act of spite. The priests didn’t want the money because they didn’t want the guilt; Judas didn’t want it because it was too “hot” to hold.
Vs 5: “…and went and hanged himself.”
He withdrew to a solitary place. If Judas had gone to Christ or the disciples, he might have found relief. Instead, he abandoned himself to despair. True repentance requires a sense of sin and an apprehension of the mercy of God. Judas had the sense of sin but no hope of mercy. He found his Master’s words to be true: “It were better for that man that he had never been born.”
To escape the hell within him, he jumped into the eternal hell. He threw himself into the fire to avoid the flame. Why did he hang himself? According to Deuteronomy 21:23, “Cursed is he that hangeth on a tree.” In his guilt, he wanted to punish himself in a way that showed he was under God’s ultimate curse. Acts 1:18 adds that he “fell headlong” and burst open on the rocks. He died a tragic, cursed man.
The Hypocrisy of the Leaders
Vs 6: “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.'”
What disgusting hypocrisy! They were perfectly fine taking money out of the treasury to pay for a murder, but they were too “pious” to put it back in because it was blood money. Their own mouths confirmed their crime.
Vs 7: “And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.”
They bought a field where clay had been scraped away—a place that was likely bare rock and useless. They decided to use this “vile” money to buy a “polluted” field to bury “polluted” Gentiles (strangers) in. They thought they could atone for their sin by doing a “charitable” act of providing a burial place for the poor. They “swallowed a camel but strained at a gnat.” Even in death, they wanted to stay separate from Gentiles, yet they used the price of the Son of God to fund their “humanity.”
Vs 8: “Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.”
Thirty years later, when Matthew wrote this, the name remained. The people of the nation had renamed it “The Field of Blood.” In this story, we see the third trial of Jesus, the utter despair of Judas, and the hollow hypocrisy of religious leaders.
Application
Matthew takes us away from the trial of Christ for a moment to follow the story of Judas to its very tragic end. Matthew had a specific purpose here; he never deviates from his main goal. His primary reason for sharing the story of Judas was not just to show how sad it was, but to demonstrate the innocence, purity, perfection, and majesty of Jesus Christ.
As a Jew writing to his countrymen, Matthew presents his case like a lawyer, providing witness after witness to prove that Jesus is the promised, perfect King. Even in this dark scene, Jesus Christ is exalted against the evil backdrop of Judas’s death. In verses 1–10, he presents five powerful evidences:
1. The Failure of the Sanhedrin
As we reach the end of the three religious trials, we are shocked by the ugly injustices of the Sanhedrin. Yet, in sharp contrast, our Lord shines in all His glory. The highest supreme court of the nation had all night, along with all the money, political power, and resources at their disposal, yet they could not find one true accusation. They could not even produce one believable false witness. Jesus’ perfection shines brilliantly in the midst of these liars and murderers. When they failed to find a crime, they finally used His own truthful words—that He is the Son of God—to accuse Him of blasphemy. All of earth and hell tried and failed; Jesus stands as the blameless, sinless Lamb of God.
2. The Testimony of the Traitor
Jesus is exalted by the testimony of the chief witness and bribed traitor regarding His innocence. Judas’s confession is a powerful testimony to Jesus’ perfection. In verse 4, he says, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” This is the primary enemy testifying to the perfection of Jesus Christ. The demons could not successfully accuse Him; Satan could not; the Jewish leaders could not. Now, Judas comes back—without being forced or bribed—and says, “He is an innocent man.”
Consider this: a man under such immense anxiety and guilt would try every way possible to justify his actions. Judas lived intimately with Christ and knew His private and inner personal life. He would have done anything to find one word or deed to show Jesus was an evil man, just to salvage his own conscience. But he couldn’t find a single thing. He freely pronounced Him innocent to the faces of those who had pronounced Him guilty. He was so overwhelmed by the innocence of the Man he betrayed that he could not live with himself.
3. The Testimony of the Sanhedrin
Unintentionally, the Sanhedrin themselves announced His innocence. In verse 6, they say, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” This is unbelievable. They admitted with their own mouths that it was “blood money”—money paid to have someone killed. History records that it wasn’t just the Bible writers calling it blood money; it was the very men who bribed the traitor. By their own lips, they confessed they killed innocent blood through bribery.
4. The Testimony of the Nation
The entire nation, until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, testified to the innocence of Jesus. Verse 8 says, “Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.” For thirty years, the people of Israel called that land “Aceldama,” the Field of Blood. Why? Because it was bought with blood money. The population of Israel nicknamed the field as a testimony that Jesus was executed unlawfully via bribery.
The Sanhedrin tried to hide their act and later rebuked the apostles for “bringing this man’s blood” upon them, but their own people kept the story alive for every child who asked what “Field of Blood” meant. Divine Providence retained that name as a perpetual memorial of their crime and the innocence of Jesus.
5. The Testimony of God
Where is God in all this injustice? Matthew shows that God is still on His sovereign throne, fulfilling His decreed prophecy. In verses 9–10, he explains that this was the fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophets. Men thought they were following their own path, but they were actually fulfilling God’s plan. Every detail—the thirty pieces of silver, the buying of the potter’s field—was prophesied 700 years earlier. Out of the ugliness of the scene comes the beauty of Jesus Christ, the promised King. The contrast paints His majesty clearly. This truly is the Son of God.
The Warning to the Conscience
Do you believe in this Christ? Is He your Savior and Lord today? We recently witnessed a baptism in the church—a testimony of what He does for those who believe. Why have you not yet believed and been baptized? How long will you test His patience? Doesn’t your conscience tell you that you are a sinner and He is your Savior?
Look at Judas, who repeatedly rejected the truth and the voice of his conscience. See how low he went. What his conscience did to him should make us very careful. Even in a hardened, covetous, Satan-possessed man, the voice of conscience is so powerful that it cannot be resisted. He had achieved victory, fame, and money, but his conscience cared for none of that. It compelled him to be sick of himself and of life itself.
The Danger of Guilt
Your guilty conscience will take you to a place of despair if you do not deal with it correctly. Remember, suicide is never a solution for misery; it only intensifies it ten-thousandfold. It is a crime against God, the Giver of life. It is an act of unbelief and a lack of trust in God’s providence.
There are only two ways to deal with guilt: it will either drive you to Christ in repentance and faith like Peter, or to self-destruction like Judas. Do not ignore your conscience. It tells you that you are a sinner, and the Gospel tells you that you need a Savior. Only when you trust in His atoning sacrifice and believe in His blood will your conscience find cleansing and peace.
Peter vs. Judas
The conscience and the death of Christ speak a similar message. The conscience demands that a sinner face the enormity of his sin, while the cross provides the remedy. The witness of the conscience lays the foundation for salvation by showing a man his need for forgiveness—a forgiveness only Christ can supply.
- Peter wept bitter tears, repented, and went to Christ. He was blessed, restored, and lifted to heaven as an apostle.
- Judas felt remorse that drove him away from Christ. He went to the lowest hell.
The difference was not that one was “better” than the other; both were condemned by their consciences. The difference was that Peter’s remorse was coupled with faith. He saw the mercy of God. Judas’s remorse was without faith; it led to despair because he could not see where to unload his burden. A conscience can force you to face your sin, but it cannot deliver you. Only Christ can do that.
The Hypocrisy of Depraved Leaders
Finally, look at the religious leaders. There is no greater irony than what these men did. They were top students of Scripture and respected defenders of God, yet they revealed a total spiritual deficiency. They had vast knowledge but lacked true spirituality.
We must be careful: we can grow in outward religious knowledge and show without having a heart for God. If your knowledge does not affect your heart, your behavior in secret, or your life at home, you are like those leaders. True spirituality does not come through intelligence or clever speech, but through the humbling way of the cross. We must recognize that we are depraved sinners and abide in Christ, realizing that without Him, we can do nothing.
May God help you repent of your sins like Peter and never follow the path of Judas. May your conscience do its work and drive you to the blood of Jesus Christ—the only remedy for a guilty heart.