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"

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 consulted together 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 as priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

 

- Matthew 27:1–10 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus was on trial inside the home of the high priest, Peter sat outside in the courtyard.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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.  My study Bible explains that while the religious Law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Thus, they had to get permission from 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 consulted together 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 as priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."  My study Bible contrasts Judas' state with that of St. Peter.  Peter repented in his sorrow (see yesterday's reading, above, "And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'  So he went out and wept bitterly").  Judas is remorseful but does not repent.  My study Bible comments that suicide is not a sign of repentance but of being self-absorbed.  There are two accounts of Judas' suicide in the New Testament, here and in Acts 1:16-19. 

 

 My study Bible contrasts the response of Judas with the response of Peter.  Peter is repentant, but Judas is remorseful.  So we have to consider what the difference is.  In one instance, that of Peter, a repentant Peter understands that he has failed not just himself, but he has also failed to heed the word of Christ.  He's repentant in this sense by knowing that his own confidence in himself was misplaced, and comes to recognize himself in the eyes of God.  Indeed, as we remarked in yesterday's commentary upon the reading that included Peter's three-time denial, in Luke's reporting of that story, Peter's repentance and bitter tears come because of a glance from Jesus (Luke 22:61).  But Judas' remorse, in contrast, is one that does not turn back to Christ, but only to himself.  My study Bible comments that suicide portends self-absorption.  What we find is that Judas in some sense punishes himself, and judges himself -- and does not come to Christ for His judgment.  To feel remorse may happen for all kinds of reasons.  We do not necessarily fully know Judas' remorse.  It may be straightforward that he feels a deep guilt, recognizing that he has betrayed innocent blood.  Some speculate that he thought the arrest of Jesus would inspire some sort of rebellion.  But what we do know is that he has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury, and to mete out a kind of punishment, to declare his own life over and end it himself.  But it gives us a great lesson:  that to collapse in our own remorse over a failing, even over an act for which we feel great guilt and regret, is not the same as coming to our Lord in confession and repentance.  For in doing the latter, we seek God, even through the worst of our own times in life, even in the midst of our own failings. There we find real repentance, for we open the capacity for a change of mind and heart, for illumination as to how to go forward, replacing despair, and seeking only the will of God for ourselves instead of our own judgment.  Perhaps it is at the times we are most broken and discouraged that we might find our greatest gift of grace awaits.  For turning to Christ we will find the resurrection He offers to us, and how to bear our own cross.  Judas does not do this, and so his woe is complete, as foretold by Christ. It teaches us that to allow ourselves to feel the despair brought on by self-recrimination isn't good or healthy.  Our lives are not meant to be saturated in punishment we can mete out to ourselves, but for a true change of heart that turns to God even when we're tempted to despair.  Let us consider what Judas' suicide teaches us, and the mindfulness we need amidst our own failures.  Self-flagellation and punishing ourselves isn't fruitful in God's sight; it doesn't correct nor do what we need.  We turn to Christ, and ask for His light, to show us the way and what we need to change, giving us His way instead of our own hopeless despair.  

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

 

- Matthew 26:1–16 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been explaining the "end times" to His disciples.  His discourse concluded with three parables.  Yesterday we read His final parable, that of the Sheep and the Goats, a parable of the judgment of Christ to come at His return at the end of the age:   "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

 

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."   My study Bible notes here that Jesus is delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, but He goes willingly.  Unless this were so, His accusers could not have taken Him.  After Christ's Resurrection, many saints would imitate Christ by willingly going to martyrdom.  The willing martyrdom of Christian faithful in the face of pressure to renounce their faith continues today in countries around the world.

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   My study Bible comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith.  He explicitly accepts it as a sign of His coming burial.  However, my study Bible notes that according to St. John Chrysostom, the disciples were not wrong in principle; mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40; James 1:27).  But what the disciples don't understand is that once the gift is given, the greater mercy is to accept it with love.  My study Bible quotes St. Chrysostom:  "If anyone had asked Christ before the woman did this, He would not have approved it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone providing a sacred vessel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."  Regarding Simon the leper, he must have been healed by Jesus earlier, as lepers were not allowed to live in community.  Additionally, my study Bible says that because of her fervent faith, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman.  Among patristic commentary there is no consensus as to her identity in relation to similar events recounted in Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-38; John 12:1-8.  Some say that there were three different women in these four accounts, others that there were just two.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.  My study Bible says that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  It notes that his motives have been debated, but the Fathers and the liturgical hymns declare that greed was his primary motivation.  In John 12:4-6, we read that Judas was particularly upset about the "waste" of myrrh by the woman who anointed Christ, because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).  The phrase one of the twelve is not used so much to identify Judas, my study Bible says, as he was already known by Matthew's hearers, but it does emphasize the depth of this betrayal -- it was done by one of Christ's closest followers.  

In the anointing of Christ, we find another incident which is so significant that it is reported in all four Gospels.  Regardless of who we think this woman was or may be, the circumstances of the anointing remain the same.  She is motivated not only by faith, but her faith includes the element of deep love.  While my study Bible quotes St. Chrysostom himself in generally favoring gifts of generosity to the poor, it seems that we cannot leave out what Christ has acknowledged here.  In this case, He is the One who is "the poor," if you will.  He is the one who is needy, a poor person who faces death at the hands of the state power and the religious establishment.  She has provided the fragrant oil for His burial.  So therefore, "wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Effectively, her act is a prayerful one, deeply moving as it likely comes from the depth of her heart and soul and from her love of Christ.  Clearly the Gospel invites us to contrast the coldness of Judas with the deep love this woman shows for Jesus.  Additionally, it prompts us to think that we don't always know what is the proper gift to give, and prayerful giving is important.  We are to use discernment in our giving, and the love of God and our communion with Christ mean more than anonymous giving alone or works done without faith or this love.  It builds on the context of the parable of judgment, of the Sheep and the Goats, where acts of kindness and compassion are those that take priority, those that are motivated by responding to need.  Jesus' defense of this woman, and His praise, seems to teach us to remember that there are proper gifts in all circumstances; what is needful and proper at one time may be different at another. There are all kinds of ways to be poor.   Sometimes people need a kind word more than the money -- a word may give hope which is more valuable.  It's been reported that a simple respectful conversation with a homeless person does far more than a small sum of money.  It's important to bear in mind, also, that we don't know how many people our gift will benefit beyond immediate circumstances, especially in time.  It seems quite reasonable to assume that had this woman sold her ointment, and given to the poor as Judas suggests, the untold numbers of faithful would never have heard this story of gracious love for Christ, nor His defense of her gift.  It seems important to be guided by prayer in our giving, so that we do the best we can with what we have.  Let us remember that the love of Christ, and the compassion of the heart it builds in us, is always appropriate and needful.  For this is what we are asked to extend to the world, to neighbor -- and Christ in this story is the neighbor in need.

 

 

 

 

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 out 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 consulted together 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."

 

- Matthew 27:1-10 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus was being tried in the house of the high priest,  Peter sat outside in the courtyard.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"   Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.  

 

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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.  While the religious Law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), and the high priest has declared Jesus to be a blasphemer (see Wednesday's reading), under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Therefore, my study Bible explains, they had to get permission from 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 out and hanged himself.    And they consulted together 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."  In contrast to Peter who repented in his sorrow, weeping bitter tears of recognition (Matthew 26:75), Judas is remorseful but does not repent.  My study Bible says that suicide is not a sign of repentance but rather of being self-absorbed.  There are two accounts of Judas' suicide given in the New Testament:  here and in Acts 1:16-19.  Both accounts name the purchased field the Field of Blood.  The prophecy is from Jeremiah 32:6-9; compare to Zechariah 11:12-13 (link).

We might ask, what is the difference between repentance and remorse?  If we look at these words in Greek, repentance is μετάνοια/metanoia.  The word translated here as remorseful is a verb, μεταμέλομαι/metamelomai, meaning that he became remorseful.   We can see one significant difference in these words in the fact that the first, for repentance, ends with -νοια, which comes from the Greek word νοῦς/nous.   Meta- is change, as in an effect of transforming; nous is often translated as mind, the root of words like "noetic."  But it is deeper than simply our understanding of "mind" as the place of daily thoughts that come and go.  The "nous" is also understood as the part of ourselves that can receive illumination and understanding from God, from the divine.  Therefore, the change that is repentance is a kind of total internal conversion, an inner orientation to God that transforms us deeply as persons.  Perhaps we could say it deeply or fundamentally changes our whole way of thinking or perceiving meanings in some sense.  But metamelomai is meta- plus -melo, which means "care" or "concern."  So the implication of remorse is regret for a bad outcome, rather than a deeply-felt change of heart.  It quite implies, to my way of thinking, an objectifying way of looking at Christ, rather than the personal loving relationship Christ offers to all.  Possibly the outcome of Christ's trial was not what Judas expected.  Perhaps this horrible outcome struck Judas with the reality which he had actually brought about through his betrayal.  Delivering Christ to the Romans for Crucifixion and death is a betrayal of the society in some sense, to deliver a fellow Jew for judgment.  At any rate, he has betrayed innocent blood, and now bears this burden of this great sin under the law, which the chief priests and elders do not help him alleviate, saying, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"   And these rulers clearly do not receive him with any kind of positive recognition or inclusion for what he's done in collaborating with them; instead he bears the brunt of this sin.  We don't really know the answers as to Judas' motivations and desires (John tells us that he was a thief), but the Gospels give us these words to think about.  Peter does not with forethought betray Christ; it is a kind of impulsive response to fear that prompted his denials, and a forgetfulness of Christ's warning.  His recognition of his own weakness serves to illuminate Christ's words to Peter that he must "watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation" (see Monday's reading).  Judas' action, however, was more deliberate and considered, and he was given many instances in which Christ still sought to save him, to make him think about what he was doing in betrayal, to let him know the reality of his choice, even offering him friendship until the last moment ("Friend, why have you come?"); see Tuesday's reading.  Judas' remorse somehow comes short of restoring relationship with Christ, and the focus is still on the self, as my study Bible explains.  It is akin to a regret for something because it didn't turn out the way one expected.  With this sort of regret, one can go one way and another -- take it to a deeper place in recognition of the true harm one has caused and therefore to repentance, coming to Christ.  Or, the dwelling remains on the self only.  For the Eastern Orthodox, a morbid or excessive guilt is still a form of self-centeredness.  Repentance is finding salvation, coming to Christ for healing and for true transformation of the inner self, allowing oneself to be changed.  It is Christ who heals and transforms, who gives us the true perspective we need in life, and teaches us true reality -- and in that depth of relationship and communion, we are healed.  This is the foundation of our faith, and this is what Judas fails still to realize.  He does not come to Christ with his repentance, but only to the chief priests and elders with his regret.  Let us consider, then, when we think about this passage, the love of Christ that can remit sin, and in which we can truly find ourselves and what we need to heal -- even from our own self-inflicted damage.

 

 

Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

 

- Matthew 26:1-16 

 

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about the final judgment:  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."   

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  My study Bible comments that Jesus is delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, yet He goes willingly.  Unless Christ had willed to go, His accusers could never have taken Him (Matthew 26:53).  After His Resurrection, many saints imitated Christ by willingly going to martyrdom. 

 

 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  We should first understand that Simon the leper is one who must have been healed by Christ earlier, as lepers were forbidden to live in towns.  But the depth of this passage is about the compassion and faith of this woman.  My study Bible notes for us that there is no consensus among patristic commentary concerning the identity of this woman in relation to accounts of events that are similar in Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-38; and John 12:1-8.  Some Fathers say that there were three different women in all these four accounts, other say that there were only two.  

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.  My study Bible comments that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  His motives have been debated, but patristic understanding and the liturgical hymns declare that greed was Judas' primary motive.  This is given to us in John 12:4-6, where Judas was specifically upset about the "waste" of myrrh in the story of the anointing by the woman just preceding, because he was a thief (see also 1Timothy 6:10).  The phrase one of the twelve is not used so much to identify Judas, my study Bible says, who was already known by Matthew's hearers, but rather to emphasize the depth of this betrayal -- that it was from one of Christ's closest followers.  

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us both a parable and a prophecy regarding the final judgment, the time when He, as Son of Man, would sit on His throne of glory and separate the "sheep" and the "goats."  (See yesterday's reading, above.)  Essentially, when we take a close look at the examples of the behavior of the "sheep" that Christ gave us, we see acts of compassion that are done not only to "one of the least of these My brethren," but also to Christ (Matthew 25:40).  Each example given by Jesus is a way of living out the two greatest commandments given by Jesus, and especially of loving neighbor as oneself.  In yesterday's commentary, we noted also the very personal nature of these acts; they are acts of community, person-to-person, and they come from the heart, as opposed to rules of politics, social theories, or morality.  It is characterized not by thinking of others as objects toward a goal, but as persons like ourselves.  Now when we look at the story of the woman in today's reading, we see, in fact, a supreme act of the kind that Jesus ascribes to the sheep who will sit on His right hand.  It is an act of great compassion, which He has the depth of insight to understand.  It is an act of personal giving, from the heart.  It is very personally directed to Jesus and His circumstances, as He declares: "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial."  Jesus certainly preaches the care of the poor, but in this case He specifically states that her personal action holds great significance beyond our understanding of a general need or "rule" to care for the poor, an understanding and practice which is always with us.  But the specific use of the oil to prepare Him for what is coming tells us a deeply personal story of understanding and sympathy.  It is not sentimental nor maudlin nor simply "emotional."  This is a woman who accepts Christ's ministry, perhaps better than the men do (Matthew 16:22-23), and yet her depth of compassion is with Him, even as He goes willingly and knowingly to the Cross.  So significant is this to Jesus that He tells the disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  In some ironic way, although it is He who is going to His sacrificial death, it is she who has done an act of such profound significance to Christ that, in His words, she will be memorialized through it, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world.

 

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 consulted together 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 the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me." 

- Matthew 27:1–10 

Yesterday we read that Peter sat outside in the courtyard of the house of the high priest, as Jesus was on trial inside with the whole Council present.  And a servant girl came to Peter, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you are also one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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.  Although they have condemned Jesus for blasphemy (see Wednesday's reading), the Jewish leaders are prohibited from carrying out a capital punishment.  Only the Roman authority can do that.  Under the religious Law, blasphemers received the death penalty (Leviticus 24:16).   As we will see, they will have to make a different accusation before Pilate, for a severe violation of Roman law.

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 consulted together 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 the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."  My study bible compares Judas with Peter.  Peter repented in his sorrow (26:75; see yesterday's reading above).   But by contrast, Judas is remorseful, but does not repent.  My study bible says that suicide is not a sign of repentance, but is rather one of being self-absorbed.  There are two accounts of Judas' suicide in the New Testament:  here and in Acts 1:16-19.

If we consider the distinction between the Greek words for repentance and remorse, we find the main difference in these words is in the root of where this "change" takes place.  In the case of repentance, the change in a person occurs in the what is called "nous" (νοῦς) in Greek.  This is a word translated as "mind," but it does not have the purely intellectual orientation we might consider in modern thought.  This word for repentance, metanoia/μετανοια, which literally means "change of mind," indicates a difference in orientation of the conviction of the heart, the fullness of the inner being, awareness, and purpose.  In the word for remorse (metamelomai/μεταμέλομαι), the change that occurs is of the emotions, in contrast to the mind.  Therefore purpose or inner orientation on Judas' part -- whether that be resentment toward Jesus or greed for the money (as is suggested in the story of Jesus' rebuke to Judas for his condemnation of Mary of Bethany, see John 12:1-8), or any other speculation as to his motive -- remains virtually unchanged here, or perhaps neglected.  At the same time, Judas is remorseful at the recognition and consequences of sin that have been brought upon himself.  In his own words, he says, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  Whatever Judas' motivations were toward Jesus and His ministry in the end, he enters into despair at realizing his sin, for the condemned Jesus is an innocent Man.  Judas' return to those who offered such a bargain in the first place, the corrupt religious leadership, guarantees that he will find no mercy nor help, for they themselves are complicit.  He cannot change what he has done by returning the money.  As they say, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  It is entirely left to Judas himself to cope with the personal consequences.   In Judaism repentance was central to the faith and its practices.  The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, is a day for repentance of one's sins before and against God.  In terms of sin against another person in community, measures were to be taken to restore that which one has taken from another fellow Jew (or neighbor):  whether the "debt" be through slander or thievery or another device.  In the case of slander, an apology was necessary; in the case of stealing, restitution.  In we look closely, for example, at the story of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who repents before Christ as He travels through Jericho, Zacchaeus' repentance includes the following promise:  "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  (See Luke 19:10.)   But in this understanding of the need for restoration, what could Judas return to Christ once Christ has been handed over to the Roman state, for punishment via the Gentiles?  How can Judas "see to" his sin and remorse, as the chief priests and elders tell him?  In this scenario of the sin of innocent blood, how is recompense possible?  The only possible consideration, it seems, would lie outside of the demand for full restitution, which isn't possible.  In this case that would mean turning toward Christ in true repentance, and seeking restoration of communion, including with the disciples.  But we do not know what was possible or how Judas could have found restoration of communion among them.  We only know the weight of his sin.  In any case, in Judas' betrayal of Christ, he has taken a wrong turn, and each successive decision afterward is simply a continuance of the same choice.  Let us consider the importance of our communion with Christ, for it is there we find His life, there we live by His commands, and in His love.  It is there that we are restored when we have been lost.

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 consulted together 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."

- Matthew 27:1-10

In our current reading, it is Holy Week.   We have read of Jesus' betrayal and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, and His night trial before the Council.  In yesterday's reading, we were told that Peter sat outside in the courtyard at this time during Christ's trial.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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.  Israel is under Roman occupation, and so only the Roman authorities can impose the death penalty.  Jewish religious Law gave the death penalty for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16), but the Jews could not carry out an execution.  The chief priests and elders take Jesus to Pontius Pilate the governor, for permission.

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 consulted together 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."  In yesterday's reading, we read about Peter's three-time denial of Christ as he stood outside Jesus' night trial in the courtyard of the high priest.  We read of Peter's bitter tears at recollecting Christ's words to him when he heard the rooster crow.  Here Judas is contrasted with Peter.  There is remorse at his act of betrayal, but repentance, turning back, is something different.  My study bible says that suicide here is not a  sign of repentance but of being self-absorbed.  There is another account of Judas' suicide in Acts 1:16-19.

What is the difference between repentance and remorse?  This is a difficult question, but one we have to consider when we think about the differences between Judas and Peter.  In yesterday's reading, first of all, we were told that when Peter realized what he'd done, he went out and wept bitterly.  This realization took the form of remembrance of Christ.  Peter remembered the word of Jesus.   These are three things in repentance that we note about this passage:  that Peter wept bitter tears, that he remembered the word of Christ, that he went out.   That is, the tears are those of repentance, his true repentance comes with remembrance of the word of Christ, and he also immediately took himself out of the situation of testing and temptation -- the environment which preyed upon his weakness.  If we look at Judas' actions, we see something different, contrasting.  It is after the fact of betrayal.  Jesus has now been tried in a night trial, He has been convicted by the chief priests, elders, and the whole of the council.  He has been led off to the Roman governor Pilate.  It is as Jesus is taken to the Gentiles for execution that Judas feels remorse, when the weight of the decision to betray innocent blood is felt by him.  But he has always known Jesus to be innocent.   He does not return to find Christ or the disciples, but neither is there remembrance of the word of Christ here in Judas.    Rather, he returns to the chief priests and elders, stating that he has betrayed innocent blood, he is a sinner, and he casts down the money they paid him.  There are no bitter tears here, because instead of repentance there seems to be an effort to undo what he has done.  The chief priests and elders tell him his sin is his business and that he must see to it himself.  Again, at this point, there is no remembrance of the word of Christ, there is no turning to the One who shows mercy.  Instead, the evil into which Judas has plunged himself, with which he's gone along, turns deeply and darkly inward -- and the way out for him is by his own hand.  He's returned to the place of temptation, the environment of those who wished to put Jesus to death, found nothing that would help him with repentance, and is left with his own thoughts.  In this scenario, with this limited means for salvation and a future, there is no way forward for him but self-destruction.  Peter's tears are signs of acceptance, a recognition of failure and weakness.  But Judas is still relying on what he knows or thinks he knows, remembrance of Christ doesn't come into this, and his solution is the limited understanding of destruction without mercy and without a possible future.  He does not turn to the One who is life itself, and is left only with sin (which is death).   If we think about this in such a way, what we come to understand is that acceptance of who we are, with all our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, must be a doorway to a future that is salvation.  That is, a reliance on Christ.  Repentance is in the turning back, the remembrance of Christ's word and all that it contains of mercy and love, and is ultimately all about renewal of life from the One who is always making all things new.  This is the always "new" spirit of the New Covenant.  Judas drank from that cup at the Last Supper when the Eucharist was instituted by Jesus, but failed to allow it to permeate his heart.  He's lost in his own darkness, in this hard place where he is up against a life without Christ.  What we remember is that there is always a future with Him, no matter how bleak we may look or our lives may appear.  This is the crux of faith, the true rock that gives us someplace strong to stand upon, the path that sets us free to go forward, and to truly serve.

What is that to us? You see to it!

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 consulted together 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."

- Matthew 27:1-10

Yesterday, we read that Peter sat outside in the courtyard of the high priest, while Jesus was being tried inside.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you are also one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.


 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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.   My study bible says, "While the religious Law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Thus, they had to get permission from 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 consulted together 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."  In contrast to Peter, my study bible points out, Judas doesn't repent although he is remorseful.    Suicide isn't a sign of repentance -- rather that of being self-absorbed.  My study bible also notes that there are two versions given of Judas' suicide in the New Testament:  here and in Acts 1:16-19.

Here's another sign of failure, as we noted in yesterday's reading and commentary.  This time, it's the failure in Judas' suicide -- a disciple hand-chosen by Christ, who fails to repent:  to turn to God's love, ask forgiveness, confess the sin not to those who encouraged him, but to the disciples who were his brothers in Christ.  He tries instead to undo the sin, to return the money, but this isn't really the point.  In some way, it's still a focus on the money, something in common with all the stories we've read about Judas:  that he was the treasurer, that he criticized the woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive ointment for the wasting of something valuable.  He's the one whom John names a thief.  His sin is extraordinary, true -- but these men he turns to don't represent Christ or the things that Christ taught.  Instead, they remain those who would strain out a gnat and swallow a camel:  they don't care about Judas, and they don't help him, it's just his problem in their sight.  Instead they worry about the lawfulness of blood money going into the treasury, and buy a potter's field, in which foreigners are buried.  What's the difference between remorse and repentance?  The question is important, because remorse may be one thing:  we think possibly we can fix that problem somehow, like by returning the silver pieces to those who plotted an innocent man's death in the first place.  But this doesn't "fix" things.  And often we might feel remorse for something that happened long ago, that we can't just "fix."  The answer to both things we can fix and things we can't is repentance, going to God.  Asking for a kind of transformation, with a willingness to change ourselves (or our "minds" as the word for repentance in Greek literally says).  The Greek for repentance is a word that implies a deep change of the self.  That kind of change comes with God's help, and comes from a return to God.  Peter will rejoin the disciples, and we know he will be forgiven explicitly and included by Christ (see Mark 16:7).  Where does Judas go?   Perhaps he felt he could not return to the disciples, but where is his prayer?  Does he attempt to see Christ?  He only gives back the money in an attempt to relieve himself of guilt, but there is no prayer here:  he takes his life by his own hands, as a kind of self-punishment.  Where is the God of love in this scenario?  I think it's a crucial distinction.  The emphasis here on guilt and punishment, the absence of the concept of repentance, renewal, Resurrection -- it is not here.  And love is not here, and mercy is not here.  There are all kinds of things in this world we may have remorse for.  But remorse in and of itself isn't an end -- taken to its end alone, it becomes a kind of self-centered morbid guilt that can lead away from God.  Instead, repentance is turning to God, to the power of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and confessing and asking, "What do I do?"  There are those others also who can help us do so if they too trust the love of God.  We need Christ's power to repent, to truly change in the direction God will ask of us, to find the way forward out of this nihilistic ending of pure remorse.  Any way we go, our own self-centeredness can work to deceive:  we no more do what is right through self-destruction than we do through pure self-exaltation.  It's two sides of the same coin.  What we need instead is the rehabilitation from the love that teaches and leads us forward, beyond the sin -- and this comes through repentance.  At the early part of the reading, we read that Jesus is bound in order to be led to Pilate.  It symbolically teaches what the reality is for Judas, and perhaps all of us, without Christ -- in a kind of merciless world that doesn't teach us otherwise.

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 consulted together 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."

- Matthew 27:1-10

Yesterday, we read about Peter in the courtyard of the high priest's home. Inside, Jesus is being falsely accused, mocked and beaten. A servant girl said to Peter that he was also with Jesus of Galilee. Peter denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are saying.” Another girl said he was with Jesus of Nazareth. Peter denied it again, this time with an oath, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Finally another told Peter that he must be with Jesus, that his Galilean speech gives him away. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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. My study bible tells us that under Roman law, only the governor had authority to pronounce the death sentence. So they must present Him with some sort of convincing charge. Notice the importance of the morning session: a night trial, to which Jesus has been subjected, was illegal under Jewish law.

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." Perhaps Jesus' condemnation and the vicious nature of His accusers shocks Judas into understanding what he has done. We remember Jesus' warning to him, and His attempts to save him - including the offering of the Eucharist, and calling Judas "Friend" in the garden. My study bible notes that "Judas is remorseful but not repentant -- a sharp contrast to Peter's sorrow after his denials. Two accounts of Judas's death are given, here and in Acts 1:16-19."

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. What is the difference between remorse and repentance, as my study bible points out? Here, Judas takes matters into his own hands. His focus is on the effects of his act, but not in the inner place of relationship with God.

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 consulted together 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." How ironic that they should now take care for what is according to the law. It is yet another twist of remembrance for us about Jesus' scathing words against hypocrisy. Even as they plot to put Jesus to death in crucifixion, a field is bought for the poor strangers who have no one to bury them. It's a kind of ironic claim of the dead as their own, while Christ is ultimately rejected and hung on a cross outside the gates of the city - a sort of grim trade in death.

The question of Judas is a puzzling one. We remember that the fulfillment of the Scriptures is because prophecy foresaw what would happen. One wonders what would have happened had Judas turned to Christ -- after Jesus' rebuke for criticizing Mary's anointing, at the Last Supper, when Jesus warned him, "Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." But Judas' real repentance never truly happens here, if we are to take the note in my study bible seriously. Judas feels remorse at the effects of what he has done, but what would repentance mean? Perhaps remorse remains within the state of emotionality, is part of the same continuum of emotions that has led him to this lost place to begin with. Repentance, then, in a Christian sense involves a deeper change of heart, leading to a turn to Christ. One may wonder what would have happened had he come to Christ or to the Apostles. In some sense, Judas' turmoil of emotions is still in isolation, still something of himself alone. His alternative, in his perspective of despair and emotional turmoil, is suicide. It's still a cautionary tale to us about our own humility, and against excessive self-hatred as if we are our own judges. To be lost in a turmoil of self-loathing isn't to truly follow God who loves us. We lead ourselves down the wrong path. It's not the same as coming to Christ, no matter what mistakes we've made, and seeking His Way for us. Judas serves as a model of life without Christ, of the despair and darkness of a merciless state in which we're truly left only to our own devices and dejection, without the hope God offers for the future. He can't really undo what he's done, giving back the money won't achieve that. Without God, he's lost, in a place of true exile. In our darkest places, it's important to remember Jesus' words, that with God all things are possible.