A Somber Warning: The Forgiveness of God and the Remorse of Judas

The Remorse of Judas, José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior, 1880. Oil on canvas, 209 x 163.3 cm. Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Judas Returns the Money (Judas rend l'argent) From the series The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ (La Vie de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ), James Tissot, 1886–1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, 30 x 19.7 cm. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. Public Domain.

“The Apostles, Op. 49, Part II. The Betrayal: Whither Shall I Go from Thy Spirit? (Judas)” from the album Elgar: The Apostles. Composed by Sir Edward William Elgar. Performed by The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with Richard Hickox (conductor),and Robert Lloyd (vocalist).

Poetry:

“Remorse”
by Robert Burns

Of all the numerous ills that hurt our peace;
That press the soul, or wring the mind with anguish;
Beyond comparison the worst are those
That to our Folly, or our Guilt we owe.
In ev'ry other circumstance, the mind
Has this to say, It was no deed of mine:
But, when to all the evil of misfortune
This sting is added, blame thy foolish self;
Or worser far, the pangs of keen remorse:
The tort'ring, gnawing consciousness of guilt
Of guilt, perhaps, where we've involved others;
The young, the innocent, who fondly lov'd us:
Nay more, that very love their cause of ruin
O! burning Hell! in all thy store of torments
There's not a keener LASH
Lives there a man so firm who, while his heart
Feels all the bitter horrors of his crime,
Can reason down its agonizing throbs,
And, after proper purpose of amendment,
Can firmly force his jarring thoughts to peace?
O happy, happy, enviable man!
O glorious magnanimity of soul!

A SOMBER WARNING: THE FORGIVENESS OF GOD AND THE REMORSE OF JUDAS

Some biblical passages are bright and encouraging. Others, like Matthew 27:3-5, are dark and sobering—as portrayed so poignantly in today’s art, music, and poetry.

The Bible is uncomfortably realistic. It reveals a God who is not ignorant of our darkness, nor uncaring about our struggles. Indeed, He has Himself entered the darkest places of broken humanity in Jesus, “breaking” the brokenness of sin once for all. Godknows. Godcares.

I and some of my closest loved ones have experienced dark seasons of physical suffering. But I agree with poet Robert Burns: “Beyond comparison the worst [ills] are those/That to our Folly, or our Guilt we owe.” My darkest days have certainly been my own Judas-like experiences—grieving over my acts of betrayal, suffering “the pangs of keen remorse,” and the “gnawing consciousness of guilt.”

Despair.

Years ago, during such a time, a Scripture passage became my lifeline: “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD” (Psalms 27:13-14, NASB).

What I needed in my despair was hope: hope of forgiveness and restoration; hope that the future can ultimately be something good; hope that what I’m experiencing now is not the end, the last word. Hope that goodness—life—is possible. What we need in deep brokenness is real hope, not merely positive thinking or a denial of reality, but hopegroundedin reality. The author of Hebrews calls such hope an “anchor for the soul” (6:19).

In my despair I planted my anchor of hope in the promise that I would indeed, some day, “see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” In Jesus I could grasp even more clearly than David as he wrote these words, that God is indeed good. He cares, He loves, He heals, He reconciles. He’s the father of the betraying prodigal son, out looking for his son to return, running to meet him, throwing his arms around him, and welcoming him home (Luke 15:11-32). God indeed satisfies the longing soul with goodness (Psalm 107:9).

When Judas realized the enormity of what he had done, he despaired. Peter, whose betrayal of Jesus is recorded later in the same chapter, did so as well. Bothregrettedwhat they had done, wishing it hadn’t happened. Both experiencedremorse, grieving at having done wrong. Judas took a first step toward undoing what he’d done by returning the blood money. But only Peter trulyrepented—returning to Jesus, admitting his sin, asking forgiveness, turning from his sin—and was forgiven and restored.

Judas didn’t; he desperately followed his path to ruin to the very end—a tragic choice that God allows a finally unrepentant heart. (“Son of perdition” is a semitic expression for one who is fully and finally ruined.)

Why didn’t Judas repent? Why did he continue to choose alienation from Jesus, refusing the only source of life and mercy? There are deep mysteries here, of course. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). But we see suggestions in the gospel accounts that Judas, unlike Peter, never fully embraced Jesus. Many believe he was a disillusioned Zealot who hoped Jesus would overthrow the Roman occupation, and when it became clear this hope was misplaced, Judas turned away.

Misplaced hope, based on a misunderstanding of God, cannot help us in our despair. But hope in the goodness of God is a true anchor of the soul. Dark and sobering passages like this can uniquely reveal the light of God’s character. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection settle the question.

Because of Jesus, the last word for any of us, however broken, need not be despair. Jesus offers life to all who return to Him and trust His forgiveness—true hope. Thanks be to God!

Prayer:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
(Romans 15:13)

Dr. David Horner
Professor of Theology and Philosophy
Division of Biblical and Theological Studies
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.