Is There a Limit to God’s Grace?
A sermon on Judas Iscariot
based on Matthew 26:14-16; 27:3-5; Luke 22:3-6
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Today I’m going to preach about Judas Iscariot, a subject I have never dared to tackle until I started this sermon series on the 12 apostles. 

My first challenge was that I felt that Judas could not be lumped together with any other disciple in the series. But that’s OK because I felt the same way about Thomas (who has his own day of commemoration on the second day of Easter) for different reasons. So instead of a 6-part sermon, I am able to present a 7-part series that stretches from Lent 1 to Easter 2.

My second challenge was when to preach this sermon. After some deliberation, I decided that Good Friday was the perfect time to talk about the one who betrayed our Lord.

Good Friday is the saddest day on the church calendar anyway, it’s when we hit rock bottom, and we can’t go lower than rock bottom.

I would like to make a statement right up front about Judas’s betrayal; to be fair, he was not the only one who betrayed Jesus, he may have been the one who literally sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver, but figuratively speaking, all of the other disciples with the exception of John left Jesus, denied him and betrayed him in some way.

And if we’re going to be perfectly honest, we too have betrayed our Lord before, figuratively speaking. We have turned out backs to him, ran away from his purpose, have disobeyed his laws, and broken our promises.  We have to be careful not to make Judas our scapegoat. It always seems easier to point to someone else’s guilt and say: “at least I am not like this person” than to confess our own shortcomings to God.

What can be said about Judas that conveys in some way the good news of Jesus Christ? Where is the gospel in the Judas story?

Let’s review the events surrounding Jesus’ betrayal:

·        The 12 disciples are gathered around Jesus for the Passover in the Upper Room

·        Jesus announces that one of them will betray him and predicts that it is the one who dips at the same time with him

·        Judas leaves the assembly, “Satan enters into him” (acc. to Luke and John)

·        Judas seeks out the priests of the Sanhedrin, and plans on betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver

·        Judas leads the temple guard of the Sanhedrin to Jesus in Gethsemane and identifies Jesus with the kiss of betrayal

·        Jesus is tried, flogged, mocked and crucified

·        The next day, Judas returns the 30 pieces of silver to the priests, hangs himself (acc. to Matthew) or falls and bursts open his belly (acc. to Acts).

·        A theological statement by Matthew explains the aftermath: “…woe is upon him, and he would have been better unborn” (Matthew 26:23-25).

Quite honestly there is not much there that invokes God’s grace. Especially the statement from Matthew 26:23 (he would have been better off unborn) makes the story of Judas sound like a Greek tragedy.

However, I do want to point out that Judas, acc. to Mt 27:3, did repent and confess his sin:

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” 

Adam Hamilton, in his influential book 24 Hours That Changed The World, has been described as the “king of the what if question” before. He writes the following concerning Judas Iscariot:

In observing Judas, we can see what repentance looks like:  an intense grief over one’s sin and a desire to make things right.  However, Judas became convinced that he could not make things right.  He was complicit in the impending death of Jesus.  Judas could see only one way out: suicide.

[But] what would have happened if Judas had waited just three days before taking his own life?  Had he waited three days, he would have seen the other side of his betrayal.  He would have seen Jesus raised from the dead.  Had he seen the risen Christ and fallen on his knees at Jesus’ feet, asking for mercy, what do you think Jesus would have said?  There is no doubt he would have forgiven Judas.  Now imagine the witness Judas would have had if he had just waited three days.  You can almost hear him preaching:  “I so loved the things of this world and so believed in the spirit of the revolution against Rome that I actually sold Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver.  But I’m here to tell you today that the grave could not hold him down!  And after his resurrection, he forgave even me.  If he could forgive me for the terrible things I did, don’t you know that his grace is sufficient for you?” [1]

I too think Jesus would have forgiven him. Nowhere in the gospels did Jesus refuse to welcome or forgive people if they came and expressed remorse. As I said earlier, Judas sin is not so different from our own sins. In our own ways we have betrayed Jesus. Jesus once said "If you love me, keep my commandments." Can you truly say that you have always kept his commandments?

Hear the good news then: There is nothing we have done, said or thought of in our minds that would put us outside the scope of God’s grace. Even Judas could have received forgiveness. There is forgiveness for you and me. God’s grace is huge, it is merciful and compassionate. That’s why we call it “amazing.”

Therefore, on this Good Friday, bow down at the foot of his cross; lay your life down for Christ all over again (or for the first time), and bring all your sorrows, your sins, and you shame. He will forgive you, accept you, and make you his own.  Amen

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[1] Adam Hamilton, 24 Hours That Changed The World, Abingdon Press.