”He bought a parcel of land, with the wages of his iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out.”
Acts 1: 18
We have several different versions of the death of Judas:
1. Luke’s account in Acts which we just read.
2. Matthew’s account which says that Judas returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders saying, “I have sinned in handing over innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.’’ Flinging the silver pieces into the temple, he left and went off and hanged himself.
3. An account by Papias, a bishop who lived in the latter part of the first century and on into the second. We don’t have his text, but a fourth century author quotes it:
Judas lived his career in this world as an enormous example of impiety. He was so swollen in the flesh that he could not pass where a wagon could easily pass. Having been crushed by a wagon, his entrails poured out.
All three traditions agree that Judas lived an unhappy life after his betrayal and died a horrible death. Whatever the specific historical facts, the drift of the stories is clear: Sin, if left untreated infects and eats away at the depth of our soul.
It’s bad for our health to let sin fester inside us. The Lord’s arms are always open wide in mercy. Always.
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