When Did Judas Hang Himself?

 

The question people often ask is actually how Judas died.  The Bible seems to describe it in two different ways. He hanged himself and he fell headlong and his bowels gushed out.  The answer to that one is easy.  He died in a botched attempt to hang himself. The result was what he intended, but it did not happen the way he intended.

The bigger question is when did Judas hang himself?  Was it before or after the resurrection? 

This question does not have much theological importance, but it does have some devotional application and is a biblical curiosity.

The Matthew 27 passage should be viewed as parenthetical. 

The Matthew (27:3-11) account of the betrayal and subsequent suicide by Judas gives the impression that it occurred in direct sequential order. But we know from any historical account that stories tend to be told by categories as the storyteller switches back and forth between characters in the story. In other words, the suicide of Judas might not have happened prior to the crucifixion as a cursory reading of Matthew might indicate. In fact, other passages of scripture seem to indicate that Judas might have taken his own life after the resurrection, and not before. The Matthew passage would then be a parenthetical account of the story of Judas.

As we piece together the events of the resurrection this timeline becomes apparent. Jesus rose early on Sunday morning. The three women arrive at the tomb and are told by angels to go tell the disciples what they see. Subsequently, Mary has her encounter with Jesus in the Garden where Jesus sends the message for the disciples to go to Galilee and he would meet with them there. That afternoon, Jesus encounters two disciples on the road to Emmaus and after a discussion, they realize that they are speaking to the risen Lord. They immediately, that same night, return to Jerusalem and tell the disciples of their encounter (Luke 24:33-34).

On that Sunday night, the disciples are gathered together in a secret room for fear of the Jews. Jesus comes and meets with them. The disciples are all there except Thomas, who would not see Jesus for another eight days according to John’s account (John 20:26).

Is it the Twelve, the Eleven, or the Ten?

Now let’s consider the numbers of disciples the scriptures tell us were in these meetings.

Paul’s account in 1 Corinthians 15:5 says that the risen Lord was seen by Peter, and then the Twelve. This event happened before Matthias was chosen to be a disciple (which occurred after the Ascension, Acts 1:15). Unless “The Twelve” was more of a group name than a number, Judas would have to have been among the number that witnessed the resurrection.

The argument that the Twelve is a group name seems to be a workable solution except for the Luke account of the Emmaus disciples.

So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together (Luke 24:33).

This passage specifically says that there were eleven disciples gathered with Jesus, and John clearly says that Thomas was absent until eight days later (John 20:26). Also, Matthias had not been counted among the eleven, because he was not chosen until after the Ascension. If Judas and Thomas were absent at that meeting, then there would have been only ten disciples.

This all leaves one alternative.

Judas was present at the Sunday night meeting and hung himself after that meeting with Jesus because John specifically states that Thomas was absent. If this is the case, then it was probably not known yet among the disciples that Judas was the betrayer. There is some indication that John knew, but perhaps he was holding his peace, waiting to see how Jesus would handle this situation.

Again, there is no theological significance in this detail, but it does change our perception of the story of Judas markedly.

What must it have been like for Judas to look in the face of the Christ he betrayed? Matthew 27:3-5 clearly indicates Judas’ state of mind at this moment. The word used is a form of the word for repentance. He regretted his choice, had remorse over it, and wished it had not happened or could be undone. He took the blood money back to the Temple, threw it at the Chief Priests’ feet, and publicly declared his sin. He did so at great personal risk. We can only speculate on whether this was just emotional regret or true spiritual repentance.

Luke 22:3-6 says that Satan entered Judas, but this does not mean that Judas actually was Satan. Satan spoke through Peter as well (Matthew 16:23).  If this makes Judas beyond repentance, Peter would be too.

Judas clearly saw himself in a no-win situation. He betrayed the now-living Messiah to His death and the truth about his actions would be widely known if they were not already. He was filled with remorse over his decision and he had no hope for the future. Self-destruction seemed his only option. But was it?

If Judas had, in his remorseful repentant state, presented himself humbly to Jesus seeking forgiveness, would he have been forgiven? David answers that question.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:17). 

The Hebrew in Psalm 51:17 is emphatic and could correctly be translated as “you will NEVER reject.” 

Judas had the opportunity to repent. He likely saw Jesus after the resurrection. Instead of embracing the hope of forgiveness, he chose the despair of self-destruction.

There is no sin beyond the power of Jesus Christ to forgive. No matter what you have done, come to Him for forgiveness and hope. Do not choose the path of Judas.