15-17 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

18-19 Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood. 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’ Acts 1:15-20 English Standard Version

To betray a good person who has only shown you kindness must surely be one of the worst things one could ever do to a friend. Imagine then how terrible it is to have done that to someone like Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, sadly, we read in the Bible that one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, “went to the chief priests and said 'what will you give me if I deliver him over to you?' And they paid him 30 pieces of silver, and from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.” (Matthew 26:14-16)

Verses 18-19 today tell us of the tragic end to the life of Judas. In Matthew's gospel we read a bit more of how it happened. It says: “When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' They said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.' And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:4-5)

Someone might ask: “How did Judas 'acquire a field with a reward for his wickedness' if, as Matthew says, he'd thrown the pieces of silver in the temple?” It may simply be that Judas had made arrangements to buy the field soon after betraying Jesus. Matthew tells us how the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said “It's not lawful to put them into the treasury since it’s blood money.” They then used the silver pieces to buy the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Matthew adds: “Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.” (Matthew 27:6-10) So we see the fuller picture.

But what struck me most is how the Holy Spirit led the disciples to recognize that these events fulfilled what He had spoken some 1000 years earlier in two of the Psalms by King David. The words “May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it”, are from Psalm 69 vs 25. And the words “Let another take his office”, are from Psalm 109 vs 8. Both were written in a time of great distress for David, and in both Psalms he asked God to deal with those who so betrayed and attacked him without cause.

What's also interesting is that in both Psalms we read words that could easily apply to the life of Jesus. In Psalm 69 we read: “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause.” (vs 4) “Zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” (vs 9) “For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” (vs 21) And in Psalm 109 we read: “Wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.” (vs 2-3) “I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.” (vs 25)

Surely the big lesson we can take from all this is that the fate of those who betray and attack God's righteous servants will be a tragic one. Christians in many places today are being cruelly persecuted. But the Bible speaks of a day when the persecutors will try to hide in caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:16)