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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
July 7, 2019
Sorrow Unto Death
Matthew 27:1-10; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71, Acts 1:18-19
Introduction
The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For the sorrow that is according to [the will of] God produces a repentance without regret, [leading] to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Last week we saw the sorrow that is according to God that produces repentance leading to salvation as we examined the life of Peter. He directly denied the Lord multiple times to multiple people, and his last denial included swearing and cursing, yet the Lord forgave Peter and used Peter mightily for His kingdom. Peter’s example gives us hope, for we know if Jesus was willing to forgive Peter such explicit denials, then Jesus is also willing to forgive us too when we sin if we repent and seek it. (See: Sorrow Unto Life)
Today we will look at the second type of sorrow, the sorrow of the world that produces death. We will be examining the response of Judas to his betrayal of Jesus. Turn to Matthew 27:
The Illegal Condemnation of Jesus – Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71
Jesus has already gone through first two phases of His illegal religious trial. I pointed out from John’s account a couple of weeks ago that Jesus was first led to Annas who, though no longer the high priest, still held the reins of power in the Sanhedrin. Annas illegally questioned Jesus, illegally tried to get Jesus to bear testimony against Himself, and condoned Jesus being illegally physically assaulted. Since Annas was not successful with Jesus, he sent Jesus to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was the current High Priest.
Caiaphas in turn called an illegal assembly of the Sanhedrin at night at a private residence and then illegally questioned Jesus. They illegally heard false testimony against Jesus and then compounded the injustice by not taking action against those that had perjured themselves. He illegally accused Jesus, illegally got Jesus to testify, illegally passed judgment on Him, and then illegally allowed Jesus to be mocked and abused. This kangaroo court cared nothing for justice, yet as day begins to break, we find they suddenly have a strange interest in keeping the law. (See: No Justice Here!)
Matthew 27:1-2 puts it simply, 1 Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him, and led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pilate the governor. Mark 15:1 includes “the scribes and the whole Sanhedrin” as part of this assembly that was conferring together. Mark also adds the detail that they bound Jesus when they took Him to Pilate.
Luke 22:66–71 gives the most detail. 66 When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, 67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask a question, you will not answer. 69 “But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.” 70 And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
The illegal questioning that had already taken place at Annas’ home and then Caiaphas’ home did not include everyone that had now gathered at the normal meeting place of the Sanhedrin on the Temple Mount at the Chamber of Hewn Stone southeast of the Temple. This would give the appearance of a proper legal action taking place in the day with the trial at that proper place, but it was still being done illegally during a Feast period without witnesses and getting Jesus to testify against Himself. Their questioning was based on what Caiaphas had done earlier in condemning Jesus for blasphemy. They ask Jesus again if He was the Christ and He answered as He had earlier, but this time pointing out directly that they would neither believe Him nor answer His questions. Remember, Jesus often turned their challenges against Him into challenges to them by asking them questions. He would not do so this time, but directly states again what he told Caiaphas earlier that morning,“The Son of Man will be seated at the right and of the power of God.”
They ask Jesus directly if He is the Son of God, and Jesus affirms it saying, “You say that I am.” They use this as the basis of their charge against Jesus for blasphemy, but since it is true, it is not blasphemy. Jesus was correct. They did not believe Him. They should have been shaking in their sandals, instead they illegally condemn Him without witnesses during a Feast period and without the required three day waiting period for a death sentence during which they were supposed to fast. Their interest was not justice, but in finding a way to kill Jesus as quickly as possible without causing a riot.
Matthew and Mark both comment that they “conferred together” or “held a consultation.” Now that they had condemned Jesus, they had to figure out the best way to proceed in having Him executed. Remember, Jerusalem is filled with people celebrating Passover, and many of those people believed Jesus was a prophet from God. Matthew 26:5 already noted that the chief priests & elders were afraid that the people might riot if they did anything to Jesus. To help prevent that they had to somehow give a pretense that what was happening to Jesus was proper and that they were not to blame.
They had ignored all the illegal things they had done in questioning, trying and condemning Jesus, but now they show interest in following the law. First, they did hold this meeting of the Sanhedrin in the proper place during daylight hours. Second, they defer the death sentence to the Roman authorities.
Being a nation conquered and occupied by Rome, Israel was granted many freedoms, but it also had many restrictions on their authority including being able to carry out a death sentence. Capital punishment could only be legally carried out by Roman authority. These religious hypocrites were not concerned about Rome’s legal rights, as demonstrated in their earlier attempts to kill Jesus by picking up stones to stone Him or their later stoning of Stephen, but wanted to absolve themselves of responsibility for Jesus’ murder by getting Rome to carry out the execution. In addition, Roman power could stop to any riot that might be attempted. Rome would become the unwitting accomplice in their plans.
Their plan might not have worked if someone other than Pilate had been Governor at that time. Pontius Pilate became the fifth Roman procurator over Palestine some seven years earlier. But Pilate was already in trouble and was in danger of losing his position if too many more problems occurred. In fact, he did lose his position three years later. Those who had condemned Jesus counted on being able to intimidate him. Pilate had been ruthless in many ways and certainly was responsible for his share of murders, yet Pilate had shown early on that if enough pressure was applied, he would back down. When Pilate had first come to Jerusalem he had his soldiers bring with them their standards bearing the Emperor’s image. The Jews considered this to be an abomination and demanded they be removed. No other procurator had done this before. Pilate threatened to kill anyone who objected, but they called his bluff and he backed down. They were taking Jesus to Pilate because they wanted to use Pilate’s authority for their own purposes and not because they respected Pilate or his authority.
After the sanhedrin had sentenced Jesus to death, they bound Him and then led Him away in a formal procession to Pilate. It is most likely that Pilate, whose normal residence was in Ceasarea, was staying at the Praetorium, Herod’s palace, on the west side of Jerusalem. The sight of such a formal procession with Jesus bound in the middle of it would have made Jesus friends fearful while giving the impression that Jesus had committed some horrible crime to anyone else. It is at this point that Matthew brings Judas back into focus.
The Response of Judas – Matthew 27:3-5
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See [to that] yourself!”
There has been much ink spilt on why Judas would suddenly feel remorse about what was happening to Jesus. Some have said that Judas did not really expect them to condemn Jesus to death, yet it was well known that was exactly what they wanted to do (Matthew 26:3-4). Others have argued that the sight of Jesus being condemned and led away was more than even his seared conscience could stand and he was filled sorrow over the guilt. Others have even tried to make a case that Judas actually repented, but Judas had been well aware earlier what he was doing and Satan had entered into him while he was doing it (John 13:27). I think John Peter Lange gives the best explanation when he says that Judas “seems to have expected that, as on former occasions, so now, Jesus would miraculously deliver Himself from the power of His enemies.” In other words, Judas was genuinely shocked that Jesus had been condemned to die and that Jesus had surrendered Himself to it. Lange goes on, “Judas was filled with terror and anguish, seeing in this the fulfillment of Christ’s prediction, and an indication that all His other sayings, notable that concerning His betrayer, would also be fulfilled.”
Judas has sorrow, but it was not the sorrow of repentance. The word used here is metamevlomai / metamelomai which means to have regret or remorse, to feel sad about or feel sorry for. This is not the word for repent, which is metanoevw / metanoeō . metamevlomai / metamelomai stresses the emotional element of sorrow. Judas felt bad, very bad, about what was occurring to Jesus, but there is no element of a corresponding change of mind that goes with repentance. This is the sorrow of the world. It is sorry for what has occurred or is happening, but it remains self centered. Like Cain in Genesis 4:14, there was sorrow that he had killed Abel only to the extent that he was now being banished and that someone might take vengeance upon him. His sorrow was completely self centered. So it was with Judas.
Judas feels remorse at seeing Jesus condemned and now in the procession that would take Him to Pilate. Judas tries to return the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders who had hired him because it has now become blood money, and even wicked, money grubbing Judas does not want anything to do with blood money. Deuteronomy 27:25 states, “Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.” Judas is not doing anything noble. It is at best a very feeble effort to salve his conscience by returning the price of his betrayal.
Notice Judas’ confession, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” In one sense this confession brings further condemnation on Judas because he conclusively demonstrates that he knew that Jesus was innocent. In another sense, it brings further condemnation on the chief priest and elders because such a confession should have halted the proceedings and forced a re-hearing of the evidence against Jesus. But again, these false religious leaders are not interested in justice. Their only quest is to get rid of Jesus regardless of how many laws they must violate to do so.
Notice something else about this confession. He says it to the chief priests and elders. As Israel’s religious leaders they should have cared about Judas’ poor, tortured soul, but they did not. Judas had already served his usefulness to them, and traitors are scorned once they have served their purpose. Without compassion for Judas or even a twinge of guilt for what they have done, they answered Judas harshly. To use our vernacular, they say, “so what, that’s your problem.”
Judas’ confession would have been good if he had brought it to the right person, but instead of coming to Jesus and confessing to Him and asking His forgiveness, he went to those who had unjustly condemned Jesus. If Judas had been genuinely repentant, his greatest concern would have been for the Lord whom he had betrayed and offended. Instead, Judas only had self-centered regret and went to those he thought could remove his responsibility if they would take back the money, but they neither could remove his responsibility nor would they take back the money. Judas continued to reject the one that could have forgiven him and granted him life. Instead, he went to those who would scorn him and leave him to die in his pit of sin.
What was Judas to do now? He was left only with frustration and desperation. Verse 5 tells us, “And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.”
Some commentators have wanted to make Judas appear to have a good side. They suggest that Judas cast the money into the Temple treasury as a final act of charity. However, the simple truth is that the language will not support that idea. This was not tossing the coins into the trumpet shaped chests that were located in the outer court of the temple used for collecting both the temple taxes and alms. The word here is rJivptw / rhiptō which is to throw with considerable force. Judas is throwing the coins with all the frustration that was pent up inside him toward the sanctuary, the holy place were only the priests could enter. This in an act born out of the treatment he had just received. If the chief priests would not take the blood money willingly, then Judas would force them to have to pick it up from off the floor of the holy place unwillingly. This was not an act of charity, but one of spite. Judas wanted them to feel the guilt he had by forcing them to handle the blood money.
It is possible that Judas did this as early as when the procession made its way to Praetorium. Judas then departed from the temple mount and went away and hanged himself. Judas had worldly sorrow and led directly to his death. What exactly was in Judas’ mind that would cause him to commit suicide is of course speculation, but we do know the general reasons that people commit suicide. All of them are self-centered.
Reasons for Suicide
Research has shown that most people commit suicide as an act of revenge. This seems especially true of young people. They have been hurt and they want to get back at the one that hurt them. It is the extension of the idea that “if you don’t give me what I want, I will hold my breath until I turn blue and then lets see how you feel?” The twisted reasoning of such a person thinks that the guilt they will cause makes their death worth the price. Such foolish thinking ignores the fact that 1) The guilt caused is not worth the price. 2) Christians would simply seek the Lord’ forgiveness for anything they had done and go on with their lives. 3) Most non-Christians would refuse to accept the guilt. 4) Even those who would accept the guilt will eventually move on with their lives.
Another reason people commit suicide is the desire to be with a loved one that has already died. This occurs most often with old folks whose spouse dies and they cannot stand the loneliness that now surrounds them. But this also is foolishness. For non-Christians, there will be nothing pleasant about a reunion in hell. For the Christian, they short change the service they could have given to the Lord. They reduce the treasures in heaven they should have been storing up.
A third reason for suicide is escape. This is the reasoning of those that advocate assisted or medically induced suicide. The fear of pain or a lower quality of life than they want to accept makes suicide seem to be a preferable way of escape. Again, it is sheer foolishness. For the non-Christian, there is no physical or emotional pain that can be experienced in this life that will compare to the horror that will be experienced in hell. There is no benefit in sending yourself there early. For the Christian, they again short-change what the Lord can do in and though their lives for His own purposes. Any suffering we have here will be short lived compared to eternity. Paul states in Romans 8:18, “For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 1 Peter 2:21 calls us to follow the example of the Lord even in suffering. The Lord’s answer to Paul’s request to have his “thorn in the flesh” removed was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” We who are Christians must remember that the Lord often uses us best in the midst of our weaknesses including suffering or living in a lower quality of life than you would desire. You exist for the Lord’s glory, and suicide never glorifies God.
A fourth common reason for suicide is self-retribution. This appears to be Judas’ motivation. The person considers his guilt to be unforgivable, and in effect, he carries out capital punishment on himself. Such people believe they deserve to die, so they carry out the death sentence on themselves.
There are some other odd-ball reasons. Retroflex is when a person takes his own life because he cannot bring the guilty party to justice. There are occultic practices in which suicide is part of the religious experience. Some have done this at the prompting of Satanic rock bands. Finally, there are copy-cat suicides in which the person, usually a teen, will do it because they want to be like some idol of theirs who did it. This is a continuing problem with Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why.”
Regardless of the reason, every case of suicide is a clear violation of God’s law not to murder, for no one has the right to murder anyone including himself. It is an act of sin and unbelief. It is an act of rebellion against God’s sovereign right over life and death. It does not accomplish its purpose.
Judas had the sorrow of the world and it resulted in his suicide. Do not confuse his remorse and regret with repentance. Too often people think emotions of sorrow and sadness are enough and even more so if there is some action to demonstrate that sorrow. Judas was sad and full of sorrow and he took strong actions against the chief priests and elders as well as against himself all demonstrating he was genuinely sorry for what he had done. But Judas remained self centered and never sought forgiveness from Jesus whom he had sinned against and the only one that could forgive him.
Expressing your emotions is fine, but if there is only remorse or regret, you remain in your sins. Forgiveness requires repentance which includes an admission of your guilt against God whom you have sinned against coupled with seeking His forgiveness based on believing in Jesus and what He has done to offer you forgiveness. Saying “I’m sorry” is nice in expressing your emotional state. But unless there is also the admission and request of “I was wrong, please forgive me,” there is no reconciliation.
Whether Judas took his life out of self-retribution or an attempt to escape from the extreme guilt he was feeling, his suicide only hastened his entrance into eternal condemnation and punishment. No wonder Jesus had told him earlier, “but 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.”
Judas’ method of suicide was also fitting. He hanged himself and demonstrated the curse that was upon him for Deuteronomy 21:23 states that “he who is hanged on a tree is accursed of God.” Acts 1:18 adds a little more detail to what happened though it is a bit gruesome, “and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” Apparently, either his rope broke or when he was cut down he fell resulting in his belly rupturing and spilling its contents. So ended the earthly existence of Judas, but the consequences of his sin will be with him for eternity.
There is a sorrow unto life as seen in Peter. There is a sorrow unto death as seen in Judas.
The Calloused Chief Priests – Matthew 27:6-8
Contrasted with both of these are the hardened hearts of the chief priests. Peter had denied the Lord and left with bitter weeping wanting the relationship he had just violated to be restored. Judas realized he had just become guilty in condemning Jesus to death because of his betrayal. His guilt caused him to commit suicide in a vain attempt to escape it. These callous men were without sorrow of any type and will pay the price of their utter wickedness throughout eternity.
The chief priests eventually returned to the temple and found the thirty pieces of silver Judas has thrown there. Judas’ plan had worked and they did have to handle it. Now they needed to do something with it, and the words they spoke while doing so condemned them and continued to do so for many years afterward.
6 And 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.” 7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
It is strange that these men who had violated every aspect of the law in their trial and condemnation of Jesus now have a concern for the law. It was not lawful for them to put the bribe money they had given Judas into the temple treasury because it was “the price of blood.” That is, it was money illegitimately paid and received to falsely convict a man of a crime punishable by death. By admitting that it was blood money they condemned themselves with their own mouths because they were the ones that had paid it. The mind twisted by sin is seen in the utter hypocrisy that they had no problem taking the money out of the temple treasury to pay Judas the bribe, but now that it was returned, their scruples would not let them put it back in.
They now counseled together to decide what to do with the money. They chose to use it for a charitable purpose in buying a burial place for strangers. The potter’s field was a place that the potter dug up clay for his work. This field apparently was played out or it would not have been offered for sale. The field was purchased and became a burial ground for strangers who had died in Jerusalem. “Strangers” was often a euphemism for Gentiles, or it could have been used for those pilgrims who died while visiting Jerusalem.
Apparently the source of the funds was known because as Matthew 27:8 states, “For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.” Its very name continued to be a witness of Jesus’ innocence and the guilt of Judas & the chief priests. We learn from Acts 1:18 that this field turned out to be the very place that Judas had committed suicide – which was not fate, but God’s sovereignty.
Prophecy Fulfilled – Matthew 27:6-8
God’s sovereignty is also seen in that it fulfilled prophecy. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me. ”
The quote itself is taken from Zechariah 11:13. Some have claimed that Matthew erred since he ascribes the quote to Jeremiah, but there are two solutions to the dilemma. First, The Jews divided the Old Testament into three sections: The Law, The Writings, and The Prophets. In their order, Jeremiah was the first book in the section of The Prophets. For this reason the entire section of The Prophets was sometimes simply referred to as “Jeremiah” the same way “Psalms” was used for other books in the section of The Writings. “Spoken through Jeremiah the prophet” then becomes equivalent of saying, “recorded in the prophetic books.”
A second solution stems from the fact that the quote does not exactly match Zechariah 11:13. There are several prophecies quoted in the New Testament that are actually a compilation of two or more prophecies from different prophets (Mark 1:2-3 for example). The major prophet is always the one listed. The quote here then contains elements from both Jeremiah and Zechariah, but it is attributed to Jeremiah since he is the major prophet.
In either case the purchase of the potters’ field fulfilled the prophecy of the low value they would place on the Lord’s prophet. It was only enough to purchase a worthless field.
The Mark of a True Christian
The mark of a Christian is not whether he sins or not, in fact 1 John 1 makes it clear that the Christian will sin. The true mark of Christians is how they respond to sin. They will have godly sorrow which leads to repentance, forgiveness and restoration. They put into practice 1 John 1:9 of confessing their sin and receiving forgiveness and cleansing from the Lord. True Christians will be grieved at the alienation that sin brings between them and the Lord, and they will want their fellowship with Jesus restored. Sin in the life of a true Christian brings godly sorrow unto life.
For the one who has a false profession and the non-Christian, sin brings the worldly sorrow of remorse and regret. Their self centered nature will keep them from turning to the Lord for forgiveness and direction because their concern will be how the sin affects them personally, not on the fact that the Lord has been offended. The result will be that they will be left in their sin along with its guilt and its consequences of eternal death.
The good news is that anyone who currently has the sorrow of the world can seek out true sorrow, turn to the Lord, and find in Him the forgiveness needed and craved for. Jesus has already paid the price for your sin. It is now a question whether you will remain in your pride and self-centeredness or turn in humility to seek Him out and confess your sins and receive His forgiveness.
May the marks of a true Christian be what characterizes your life if they do not do so already.
Sermon Notes – 6/30/2019
Sorrow Unto Death – Matthew 27:1-10; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71, Acts 1:18-19
Introduction
2 Corinthians 7:10 – Peter is an example of sorrow unto life, and Judas an example of sorrow unto _______
The Illegal Condemnation of Jesus – Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71
Jesus was first illegally questioned by __________and then sent to his son-in-law Caiaphas, the high priest
________illegally tried Jesus – at his home, at night, without valid testimony, having Jesus testify, & beaten
Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71 – at daybreak, the full ______________met in the proper place
This trial, though during the day in the proper place, was still ________- during a feast & without witnesses
They had Jesus _______against Himself again – and He answered in a similar manner as He had to Caiaphas
Admitting He is the Son of God is not blasphemy since it is ______- and they did not believe just as He said
They had to figure out how to have Jesus executed without causing a _________and not being blamed for it
Rome restricted Israel’s authority in some areas including _________ executions
Pilate was already in danger of losing his position, so the Jews knew they could ____________ him
They bound Jesus to take him to Pilate at the ________________ on the west side of Jerusalem
The Response of Judas – Matthew 27:3-5
While the exact reason for Judas’ remorse is unknown, it is reasonable that he thought Jesus would _______
Judas has ____________ (metamevlomai / metamelomai), but no repentance (metanoevw / metanoeō )
Judas attempts to return the bribe money because it is now ___________ money (Deut. 27:25)
Judas’ confession ___________ himself and the sanhedrin for their continued illegal actions & callousness
Judas’ confession & return of the money was due to self-centered _____seeking to absolve his responsibility
Judas __________ (rJivptw / rhipt ) the money into the temple in frustrated spite forcing them to pick it up
Judas left the temple and went and ___________ himself – a self-centered act regardless of specific reason
Reasons for Suicide
____________/ cause hurt – the price is greater than the guilt caused & most people move on with their lives
___________/ desire to be with loved ones – Non-Christians go to hell faster. Christians have a purpose here
______from pain / low quality of life – hell is more painful. A suffering Christian can glorify God (Rm 8:18)
___________________/ self-execution for unforgivable guilt – Denies God’s offer of salvation
Retroflex; Occultic practices; _______________ – suicide never accomplishes the desired goal
Judas had worldly sorrow & committed suicide – Don’t confuse his remorse & regret with ______________
Expressing your emotion is fine, but ________________ requires repentance
Suicide hastens entrance into ______________ condemnation and punishment for the non-Christian
Hanging was a fitting method of suicide for a _____________ man – Deut. 21:23
The Calloused Chief Priests – Matthew 27:6-8
The chief priests were ____________of any type – they had to pick up the silver Judas threw into the temple
They acknowledge the money was “the price of _________” condemning themselves in the process
They chose to use it for a charitable purpose in buying the potter’s field as a place of burial for ___________
The place became known as “the Field of __________” – it was the same place Judas committed suicide
Prophecy Fulfilled – Matthew 27:6-8
These actions fulfilled the _______________ of Zechariah 11:13
Attributing this to Jeremiah could be due to usage of his name to refer to the _______section of the Prophets
The prophecy may be a compilation of prophecies with Jeremiah mentioned because he is the _____prophet
The Mark of a True Christian
True Christians are marked by responding to their sin with godly sorrow resulting in ______________
Non-Christians and those with false professions have ________sorrow of remorse and regret, not repentance
Those with worldly sorrow can have godly sorrow by ___________themselves to confess and seek the Lord
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times the word “sorrow” is mentioned. 2) Talk with your parents the difference between godly sorrow as seen in Peter and the sorrow of the world sorrow as seen in Judas.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. List out as many illegal aspects of the questioning of Jesus by Annas and the trial by Caiaphas as you can. Why does the full Sanhedrin plus the chief priests, elders and scribes meet after daybreak? Where do they meet? Why is this trial still illegal? Why does Jesus tell them they would neither believe Him or answer His questions? Why was condemning Jesus for blasphemy illegal? Why didn’t they execute Jesus themselves? Why did they think they could intimidate Pilate to execute Jesus for them? What are some of the reasons Judas felt remorse? How is remorse different from repentance? Why did Judas try to return the silver? How does Judas confess to the chief priests and elders instead of Jesus? How did that confession condemn both? Why does Judas’ throw the money into the temple? How do we know he did not place it in the offering box / trumpet? The following are common reasons people commit suicide – why does each fail to accomplish its purpose: Revenge; loneliness / be with a loved one; Escape from pain / low quality of life; Self-retribution; Retroflex; Occultic practices; Copy-cat. Why is confession of your emotions of sorrow not enough? Why was it fitting that Judas hanged himself? How did the actions of the chief priest in regard to the silver condemn them? Why was the potter’s field called “the Field of Blood.” How did it fulfill prophecy? What is the mark of a true Christian? Compare godly sorrow (Peter) with worldly sorrow (Judas).
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