Matthew 27:1-10 says, “When the morning was come, 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, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.”

Judas Iscariot was a very mischievous individual in scripture. He was anointed, appointed and called by God to be one of the twelve disciples. Never will you read in the Bible where Judas was ever excluded from being part of the signs, wonders and miracles that confirmed the ministry of Jesus Christ. However, if you give the devil any room in your life, he will take the entire house. Give him an inch, and he will take a mile or two. That is exactly what Judas did, and even though it was a lesson learned, he would never allow himself to recover or bounce back from it.

He was a treasurer of the disciples, the keeper of the bag. He managed the financial end of Christ’s ministry, and because of his position, he let greed come into his heart. He had already devised plans to betray the Savior of the world, but nothing can be hidden from the King of Kings. When they were sitting at the LORD’s supper, the first thing that Jesus revealed was, “One of you shall betray me.” Then, each one sorrowfully said, “Lord, is it I?” Jesus responds, “It is the one that I give the sop to,” which was a dipped morsel of bread that was given at a special occasion to an honored guest. The honored guest this day would be Judas. Once He gave it to Judas, the devil immediately entered into him and possessed him. Christ told him, “That you plan on doing, do quickly.”

I would hate to be the Judas of the table, but many do what he did at that time. He carried a persona of a disciple of Jesus Christ, a true student of the Word. When he started in his ministry, he began faithful, courageous and strong, yet because he gave the devil an inch, he totally backslid on God. The spirit of the LORD departed from him and an evil spirit came in and took dominion. He made a deal with the chief priests for the thirty pieces of silver, which was the price of a slave in that day. Christ sold Himself as a slavery for sin, becoming the ultimate sin offering, that through His sacrifice we can have perpetual redemption. Even though Judas became practically the arch enemy of anything that was good, a complete villain, many people in today’s generation betray Christ for much less than that. They trade Him away for a little drug, sex or alcohol. They kick Him to the curb to compromise with a little good feeling that is only temporary. Nothing is worth betraying the Savior over!

Judas Iscariot knew where Jesus was residing with His disciples, and he, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Judas gave these men a sign, saying, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he. Hold him fast.” When He came to to Jesus, He said, “Hail master,” and kissed him. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. They, with all their weapons and torches, feared the authority, anointing and power of Jesus Christ, which is why they fell to the ground. He could have taken them all captive, but He was born to die for the sins of the world. Therefore, He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” Jesus could have called for twelve legions of angels, not only to receive Him, but also to pour out the wrath of God upon all of those who sought to persecute and destroy Him. But He was born to die for the sins of the world. He was set to destroy the works of Satan, for 1 John 3:8 says, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” We must, as Christians, utilize that very same authority and destroy the works of Satan even in our own lives!

When Judas saw all that had happened, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; And they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.” Acts 1:18 said, “Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” Judas could not forgive himself of sins, and the only way, he felt, out of his circumstance was suicide, even though Jesus was dying for the very sins he committed. Today, we have the blasphemous song, “I am in Love with Judas” by Lady Gaga, a demonized song that she claims was given to her by God. 1 John 4:1 teaches us to not believe every spirit, but try the spirit, and anything that glorifies his evil deed is for sure a work of Satan. Needless to say, do not gamble your ministry and salvation for 30 pieces of silver with a self proclaimed king whose destination is set in stone:  eternity in hell!