By My Hands, for My Sake
The Hands, Guilty and Ashamed
Judas
Matthew 27:3-10

†  I.H.S. †

 May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ show you Jesus died for your sake, because God loves you!

• The Third set of Hands

On Ash Wednesday, we looked at the hands of Adam, in whose hands a piece of fruit created a burden we still bear today. Then last week, we looked at Nicodemus, to afraid to raise his hand to ask questions in a crowd, but who Jesus transformed in such a way, he would rather identify with Jesus’s death that celebrate the greatest feasts and victories of his community.

Tonight, we look at another set of hands, hands so hated, so maligned throughout history, that many would say he was most evil man in history.

In his hands just prior to the crucifixion was a bag, and in the bag 30 silver coins.

Think about Judas’s hands and the role they played. If any could say that Jesus would be killed “by my hands,” it would be Judas, and if anyone… no—we will get to that thought later.

The coins in his hands—though not for long–symbols of our greatest sin, symbols of his temptation, symbols of ours…

• Burdened by Temptation and Sin

What we know of Judas, picked up from this comment and that, isn’t pretty. He was one of the 12, handpicked by Jesus, the treasurer/bookkeeper of the group. Very focused on money and the things of the earth, critical of those he thought were wasting money, like the prostitute who cleaned and anointed Jesus feet with her tears, and with perfume that cost a year’s salary…oh did Judas get upset by that, for by that stage in his life, sin gripped his heart, and corrupted his desires.

Just as it did Adam and Eve’s hearts and souls. Just as Nicodemus knew failure. All betrayed their God, all denied Him, all of us have sinned….

Judas was not the worst sinner, he wasn’t the most guilty of sin, and there are people that feel far more shame for what they’ve done—there are people who know the same hopelessness…..

As I look at Judas, I see again the power that sin can have over an individual—that while they choose to sin the demonic powers at work against don’t give them much choice—they can be in bondage to that sin.

And it doesn’t matter which, greed—like Judas, lust, gluttony, even the desire to gossip, that burning in your gut that tells you have to share that juicy bit of news about this person, that sing, that politician or even that church. Sin is oppressive and because we have sinned, we have an equal share with Adam, Nicodemus, and yes Judas, in the death of Christ.

He died by our hands…but tonight we hear again, it was for our sake.

• What He missed – what we can’t let others miss.

In our reading tonight, Judas goes to the priests and elders—the leaders of the Sadducees and Pharisees. He is tortured by the weight of his guilt and sin…

Hear this part again, from a different translation…

³  Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, ⁴  saying, “I’ve sinned. I’ve betrayed an innocent man.” They said, “What do we care? That’s your problem!” ⁵  Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself. ⁶  The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn’t know what to do with them. “It wouldn’t be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple.”  Matthew 27:3-6 (MSG)

These church leaders recognize their bribe was used to arrange for the murder of Jesus! Yet their attitude to a sinner—overwhelmed by guilt and shame was, “we don’t care! That’s your problem!” The entire temple, the entire reason for it was to assure people of the forgiveness of sins, and the response was… “we don’t care.” While Judas sinned, I think I have a solid case that their sin, was worse…

Judas walks away, without the comfort of knowing not only would Jesus die by his hand, but for his sake. For even Judas’s sin could be forgiven, as Peter would find out.

As you and I find out tonight,

As every person should find out.

Jesus was beaten and crucified for our sake.

To not only forgive our sin, but to break its power over us, freeing us from it terror, freeing us from the pain it causes.

That’s why I talk about our sacraments so much, because people need to know….these burdens don’t have to be carried, this oppression- what Paul described as not being able to do what I know I should and doing what I shouldn’t—and therefore being a wretch… can be dealt with…

As we meet Jesus, and trust that it was for our sake he died.

Let’s pray…