3 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, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 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. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 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; 10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. (Matthew 27:3-10 KJV)
Judas Hangs Himself
Judas Iscariot returned the money he had received for betraying Christ, and in despair, hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). The chief priests and elders had used his betrayal to justify their prosecution of Jesus, but now even Judas became a witness to Christ’s innocence and a monument of divine justice. This served both to glorify Christ in his suffering and to warn his persecutors, leaving them without excuse. If their hearts hadn’t been fully set on evil, Judas’s remorse should have halted their plans.
Judas repented—but not like Peter. Peter repented, believed, and was forgiven. Judas repented, despaired, and was destroyed. His repentance was sparked by the realization that Jesus was condemned. Perhaps he had assumed Christ would escape, defend himself, and be released—Judas would keep the money, Christ would be honored, and the Jews shamed. But when he saw Christ submit to condemnation, horror seized him. Those who judge actions by their outcomes rather than by God’s law will be deceived. Sin goes downhill quickly, and if we can’t stop ourselves, we can’t stop those we’ve influenced. The silver that once glittered now stung his conscience. In anguish, Judas cried out within himself, “What have I done? I’ve sold my Master and my peace for a trifle. I never thought it would come to this!” The kindness of Jesus, now betrayed, and the mercy rejected, made his guilt more unbearable. He finally understood Christ’s words: “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). Sin may seem sweet at first, but turns bitter like poison (Job 20:12-14; Revelation 10:9).
As signs of his repentance, Judas made restitution. He brought the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests, hating what he once loved. Ill-gotten gain never brings good (Jeremiah 13:10; Job 20:15). Had he returned the money earlier, it might have brought peace; now, it only brought horror. He also made confession: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). He honored Christ by calling him innocent, and admitted his own guilt without blaming others. But his confession didn’t lead to salvation—he confessed to men, not God. He exposed the act, but not the root: his love of money. Many betray Christ and still justify themselves; Judas at least condemned himself.
The priests responded with callous indifference: “What is that to us? See to it yourself” (Matthew 27:4). Judas’s confession meant nothing to them. They dismissed his words even though they had plotted to shed the blood he now declared innocent. Many treat Christ’s sufferings the same way—“What’s that to us?” They also denied responsibility for Judas’s guilt, as if his remorse had nothing to do with them. But when we help others sin, their guilt touches us too. Like Ahab, who took possession after Jezebel had Naboth killed (1 Kings 21:19), we share in the guilt of sins we benefit from. Judas’s greater sin (John 19:11) didn’t erase theirs. People excuse themselves by comparing sins, but God judges in truth.
Though once eager to use Judas, the priests now rejected him. Perhaps his grief disturbed their consciences, or maybe they had no compassion. After tempting him into sin, they abandoned him to suffer alone. Old companions in sin are often the worst comforters in sorrow. People love the betrayal but hate the traitor.
Judas, seeing no hope, gave up. He threw the silver into the temple (Matthew 27:5), unable to keep it, and forced it back on the priests. He then withdrew to a lonely place and hanged himself. Despair, especially in solitude, is dangerous. If he had gone to Christ or the disciples, perhaps he could have found help. But the same devil who lured him to sin now pushed him to despair. Judas became his own executioner. He saw his guilt but not God’s mercy. Others who betrayed Christ were forgiven, but like Cain, he believed his sin unforgivable. Some say he sinned more by despairing than by betraying Jesus. God’s terrors overwhelmed him, and he sought escape in death—only to find eternal torment (Psalm 109:18-19). He jumped into the fire to escape the flame.
This tragic end warns us of the dangers of greed and surrender to Satan. Many are destroyed by the love of money (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Judas’s story reveals God’s righteous judgment (Romans 1:18), just as Peter’s story reveals grace. When Judas perished, Christ triumphed over the powers of darkness (Colossians 2:15). Despair, if not shaped by grace, ends in death (2 Corinthians 7:10). Though sin should grieve us, it should never make us doubt God’s mercy. Suicide, though praised by some ancient thinkers, is no solution—only a deeper tragedy. Let us pray to be led away from such temptation.
The silver Judas returned was used to buy a field, called the potter’s field, likely because it belonged to a potter or was used for broken pottery. It became a burial place for strangers—Gentile converts who died in Jerusalem. This might seem compassionate, as it shows care for the dead and belief in resurrection (Acts 24:15), but it also reveals religious pride. They buried strangers separately, as if unworthy of their own tombs (Isaiah 65:5). In contrast, Abraham was offered the best tombs by the sons of Heth (Genesis 23:6). Still, those strangers buried apart will rise with all who died in Christ.
The purchase of the field happened soon after Jesus’s death, as Peter later refers to it. It is recorded here to reveal the hypocrisy of the priests. They wouldn’t return the money to the temple treasury, though they likely took it from there. They didn’t want to mix “blood money” with holy offerings, equating it with the price of a prostitute or a dog (Deuteronomy 23:18). They pretended to be pious while committing grave evil. They strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel. They also tried to cover their guilt by doing a public good—buying a cemetery for strangers—but not even with their own money. This reflects the old superstition that religious acts can atone for moral failings.
Yet even this dark act points to grace: through the price of Christ’s blood, a resting place was secured for sinners and Gentiles. The grave, like the potter’s field, receives broken vessels—but Christ has purchased even that for his people.