“A Man Who Took His Own Life”

Text: Matthew 27:2-5

Throughout history, people have committed suicide for different reasons. There are four reasons that scholars have determined are the most popular ones. Some do it out of anger. They do it trying to hurt someone who has hurt them. Others take their own lives in an effort to reunite with a loved one who has already passed away. Still others commit suicide to be reborn or reincarnated. It is an attempt to leave this life and be reborn into a different one, one with better circumstances. And still, some are under the pressures of guilt from their actions, namely sins they have committed, after which they cannot live with themselves. All of these reasons are ultimately evil and satanic in nature, because none of these reasons could come from God. The very act of suicide is against God’s teachings. Today’s sermon focused on the suicide of one person in the Bible, a disciple named Judas.
This lesson, “A Man Who Took His Own Life”, was taught from Matthew 27:2-5. In it, Pastor Durham explored Judas’ past, why God allowed him to be among Jesus and the other disciples, and the events that led up to his suicide.

The very name Judas is associated with negativity even today. Terms like Judas goat, Judas kiss, and Judas hole have a stigma attached to them. It would be a very valid question to ask why would God choose someone like Judas to be one of Jesus’ disciples? God must have known his hang-ups! Judas eventually sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Pastor presented us with two reasons that would explain why God allowed this to take place. The first one was so that prophecy could be fulfilled. In John 13:18-19, Jesus had already said that one among them would “lift his heel against” Him. When it came to pass, this prophecy would prove to the rest of the disciples that Jesus was who He said He was. The second reason God allowed Judas into the inner circle was for encouragement to the church today. Jesus knew there would be other Judas’!

When Judas was chosen to be a disciple, he never thought he would be the one to fall. His growing disenchantment with Jesus contributed to his downfall. Judas thought Jesus was going to be a great political figure, one who had come to deliver them from Rome’s rule. He also expected to be a part of this new government. When he heard Jesus speaking about love and prayer, and eventually predicting his own death, he realized that the kingdom Jesus spoke of building was a spiritual one. You can probably hear Judas saying, “I didn’t sign up for this!”

Judas was unhappy, so he decided to get out. He didn’t know what to expect. We are a lot like this too. We are quick to get on all sorts of boards and ministries with the wrong thing in mind. We should join auxiliaries for the right reasons, kingdom building! It’s should be about lifting the name of Jesus.
While trying to get out, he also tried to make a dollar. Judas was greedy. He fell in love with money. He accused Mary of wasting money by anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive oil. Ask yourself, how much is too much? Those same feet were nailed to the cross, the cross that redeemed us of all sin.
Judas wasn’t only greedy, he was a bad businessman. He asked the High Priest how much he would give him for Jesus. Anyone in sales knows that if you are trying to sell something, you start with a price in order to negotiate with the person you are selling the item to. All Judas wanted for Jesus was a few pieces of silver. In American money, 30 pieces of silver is the equivalent of $20. How much is He worth to you?

After the deal was done, Judas felt guilty about what he had done. He tried to return the silver, but the High Priest didn’t want it. Because of that guilt, he hung himself. He thought he had no one to turn to. He thought all hope was gone. He threw down the silver in the temple, left, and went and hanged himself.

There is no valid reason for suicide. If you are feeling guilty, lonely or angry, that’s no reason to take your own life. If your reason is trying to be reborn into a better life, look to Jesus. He will make your life brand new. Those feelings of guilt, aloneness, and anger can be healed by the love of Jesus too.

Back to Sermon Index