Daily Devotional For Monday, November 2, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional for today comes from Matthew 27:3-10. This is one of the saddest stories in the Bible when we see what Judas does based on how he felt and reacted.
Matthew says that Judas returned to the Temple with his 30 pieces of silver because he had “changed his mind” because he was filled with remorse. The Greek New Testament word Matthew uses here is [μεταμέλομαι; metamelomai]. Judas did not repent. The typical Greek word for repentance is “metanoeo,” which means “to change one’s mind or heart.” Several truths stand out to me here in this story about Judas.
First, the word Matthew uses for Judas means “to change one’s feelings about something. Meaning – Judas felt sorry and guilty about what he did, but from all appearances, he did not repent from his sin. There is a big difference here. His grief focuses on his act of betrayal – selling Jesus out for money – 30 pieces of silver to be exact.
This is why he returned to the Temple. This is where it geographically started. So, he sought relief for his guilt in the Temple, from the priests and by returning the blood money. He sought a place and blood-thirsty priests. He never sought the Lord. His feelings did change about what he had done, but not his heart. Meaning he was not willing to see himself as a sinner in need of genuine repentance.
Second, Judas felt it was up to him to do something about his sin. This is why he returned the money to the “chief priests and elders” (vs. 27:3). He confessed to them, “I have sinned and betrayed innocent blood” (27:4). This sounds like repentance on the surface, but it is not. Why? Several reasons. Matthew says that Judas felt remorse, not a need to repent. Also, Judas never confessed his sin to Jesus – only to Jesus’ enemies and his co-conspirators.
Third, Judas sought to atone and remove his sin himself. We see this in his attempt to return the blood money. Just like we can do nothing to save ourselves, we can do nothing to atone for our own sin. Judas felt, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” And sadly and unfortunately in the end he discovered that was not enough and committed suicide. And in his theology, he committed suicide in a way that he believed condemned his soul with the worst possible curse.
Jews based this on Deuteronomy 21:22-23. To hang on a tree, one’s soul was cursed to hell. For Jesus to hang on a cross (tree), the religious leaders believed they had succeeded. The irony is God’s choice was not a curse but salvation. After six illegal trials (3 Jewish & 3 Roman), Jesus is finally condemned to death. This was not what Judas was seeking. He did not want Jesus to die but to use His power to overthrow Rome and usher in a new Israel as King. When Jesus did not do this, Judas felt remorse.
Their response to Judas as priest is cold and callous. Their role was to help people confess their sins, repent from their sins and be restored from their sins. When Judas experienced their cold-heartedness and callous response, he went out and committed suicide. Based on Numbers 35:33-34, Judas took his own life in a vain attempt to atone for his guilt. The Law stated that in order to remove blood guilt, the guilty party must die. Matthew lets the reader know that even this prophecy was fulfilled.
The religious leaders used the returned money to buy a “potter’s field” as a cemetery, which was called “The Field of Blood.” The prophecies for this are based on Zech. 11:12-13; Jer. 18:1-4; Jer. 19:1-13; & Jer. 32:6-15. In Old Testament times, The Valley of Hinnom was considered to be a “potter’s field.” It was a notorious place where even baby, child and human sacrifices had taken place. It is not a coincidence that a cursed field was bought by blood money where innocent blood had been shed by these notorious evil and sinful religious leaders.
Reflection Assignment: When it comes to your sin, do you ever experience remorse in your feelings, but not in your heart? Maybe you feel bad, but not bad enough to repent. When you feel bad, do you ever think it is up to you to do something about it? What keeps you from going directly to the Lord and confessing it to Him? In your past, have you ever attempted to atone for your sin rather than go to the Lord? Why? Have you ever attempted to manipulate God to get what you want? Why? Do you think He does not see this?
Scripture To Meditate On: Galatians 1:10, “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me to feel more than just remorse when I sin. I want to repent. No one but You can atone for my sin. Please forgive me when I go to others or attempt to remedy my sin by other means. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly