We have studied all twelve of the disciples. You will now be given 35 review questions. See how well you can do!
There are only two places in the Bible which tell us about the death of Judas, the man who betrayed the Lord. We will look at both of these passages to see what we can learn.
Did Judas know that he had done wrong (Matthew 27:3-4)? _______ Did he recognize the fact that he had sinned? _____ Were the Jewish leaders very interested in what Judas told them (Matthew 27:4)? _____ Judas said the right thing ("I have ________________" (Matthew 27:4) but he did not go to the right Person (Matt. 27:3). The chief priests and elders were the wrong people to go to. They were also guilty of putting Christ on the cross. Judas cried out to a group of men who could care less about Judas and his problems. They were great sinners also, and they were unable to help Judas.
When we have a problem, we need to make sure that we go to the right person with our problem. If you have difficulty with a math assignment, who should you go to for help? Would it be wise to go to a friend who always gets poor grades in math? _____ Your math teacher is probably the best person to call upon for help or perhaps your Mom or Dad if one of them is good in math. When it comes to the problem of sin, who is really the only Person who can help us (Hebrews 7:25; Acts 4:10-12)? _______________________________ Judas made a fatal mistake by never going to God. He should have cried out to God: "LORD, I HAVE SINNED! HAVE MERCY ON ME AND SAVE ME!" What promise does God give to every person who calls upon the name of the Lord for salvation (Romans 10:13)? _________________________________________________ Did Judas ever do this? _______ Instead, he departed and went and H_____________ H_____________ (Matthew 27:5).
According to this verse, how would you describe the death of Judas (circle the correct answer):
- The death of Judas was murder.
- The death of Judas was accidental.
- The death of Judas was suicide.
- Judas died a natural death as an old man.
What is involved in death by HANGING? Usually we think of some kind of rope tied around the neck. For example, a person could hang himself on a tree by
tying one end of the rope to a branch, the other end to his neck, and then letting himself
hang. Exactly how Judas hanged himself we are not told. We are simply told that this is what
he did.
Read Acts 1:18 carefully. Does this verse also talk about the death of Judas? _____ Does this passage mention anything about hanging? ______ This verse tells us that Judas suffered a very serious FALL, and it also tells us that this fall resulted in a terrible injury. Another translation of this verse says it this way: "And falling headlong [head first], he burst open in the middle and all his entrails [guts, inner parts, intestines] gushed out." In other words, because of this fall his body was broken open in the middle.
Usually when a person hangs himself (or when he is put to death by hanging) his body does not break open in the middle and all his insides do not come out. Death by hanging does not usually cause the body to be broken open anywhere. What happened to Judas seems to have been very unusual.
Think of a person who does not believe the Bible. Suppose he were to read Matthew 27:5 and Acts 1:18. As he compares these two verses, he might say something like this: "These verses prove that the Bible is not true. In Matthew we are told that Judas died one way, and in Acts we are told that he died another way. These verses contradict each other. They cannot both be true. If Judas really hanged himself, then the verse in Acts must not be true. If Judas really fell to his death, then the verse in Matthew must not be true."
What is wrong with this thinking? Does the Bible really have contradictions in it (John 17:17)? Is Matthew 27:5 true? ______ Is Acts 1:18 true? _______ The problem is not with the Bible. The problem is that our knowledge of the event is limited. We were not there when it happened, so we do not know all of the details. All we know for sure is what these two verses tell us. If we had been present to witness the tragic death of Judas, then we could easily see how both of these verses accurately reported what really happened. Judas did hang himself, and Judas did suffer a serious fall which resulted in his body being broken open. Both are true.
It is possible for us to imagine what might have happened. It is possible that as Judas tried to hang himself, the rope or branch from which he was suspended broke and he had a serious fall, perhaps landing on some sharp object such as a jagged stone. If something like this is what really happened, then it would be easy to see how the verse in Matthew and the verse in Acts are both telling the truth. God does not give us all the details, but if He did, we would see that what happened to Judas was both a hanging and a fall.
We know from Matthew 27:5 that Judas hanged himself, but apparently what Judas thought would be a simple hanging turned out quite differently. Judas probably did not intend to fall in such a way as to break open his body in the middle. It seems as if God's hand was at work in the death of Judas. God did not allow Judas to get away with a simple hanging. It turned out much differently than Judas had thought. God made sure that his terrible life ended with a terrible death.
We should also remember that the terrible death of Judas was only a picture of something far worse. The "physical" death of Judas was really not that terrible. Judas only suffered pain for a few moments or a few minutes, and then it was all over. But the physical death of Judas was only a doorway which led into an eternity of suffering. Judas will be separated from God and punished by God forever in the ___________ of ____________ (Revelation 20:14-15). Jesus once said that it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born (Matthew 26:24). May the life and death of Judas be a serious warning to each one of us. If you are unsaved today you will experience an eternity of suffering just like Judas, unless you come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation before it is too late. God loves you and does not want you to perish (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9), but you must believe on Christ before it is too late (John 3:16).
In the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, a traitor was condemned to hang in a tree until his body was completely destroyed. King Creon, his uncle, commanded that his body hang in a tree so that scavengers such as buzzards could eat his body. Because the man had declared civil war against his brother's rule (an indecent act), he was condemned to an indecent death. So also, the marring of Judas's body is certainly a visual image to impress upon us the tragedy of being "lost."
Judas's story certainly dampens any enthusiasm for sympathy with those who commit treason!
The Lord Jesus originally chose 12 disciples or apostles. One of these men betrayed the Lord and hanged himself. There were now only eleven. There was an empty space which needed to be filled. Someone needed to replace Judas and take his place (see Acts 1:20, where the word bishopric means office).
Read Matthew 19:28. Do you think the Lord would someday allow Judas to sit on one of these thrones? _______ Does this verse show why it was necessary to have 12 apostles and not just 11? _______ Read Revelation 21:14. Do you think the name of Judas will be found written in the wall of the eternal city? _____ Does this verse show us that it was needful to have a replacement for Judas?______
In the group of disciples there was a vacancy that needed to be filled. If the
President of the United States were to die or resign from his Presidential
office, would this
create a vacancy that would need to be filled? _______ What man would take his place as the
next President of the United States? ____________________________ Judas was chosen to a
position of importance as an apostle of Jesus Christ. When he fell from this position, a
replacement was needed. Who would be this replacement?
Peter wisely suggested that the replacement for Judas be a man who had been associated with the disciples throughout the Lord's public ministry, "beginning with the ___________________ of John, unto that same day that he was ____________________ up from us" (Acts 1:22).
This person must have also seen the risen Lord so that he could be a W_______________ of His resurrection (Acts 1:22). How many men did they find who met these qualifications (Acts 1:23)? ______ What were their names? ____________________________________________________
One of these two men would be chosen to be the replacement for Judas. How could they determine which man was God's choice? What was the very first thing they did (Acts 1:24)? ________________ Why is God the One who is best qualified to make the right choice (Acts 1:24)?_____________________________________________________
The next thing they did was to give forth their lots. Using lots is something like flipping a coin or throwing dice or drawing straws. This way of making a choice seems like a method that depends on luck or chance, but often in the days of the Old Testament, God stepped in and the lots would fall just as God wanted them to (see Jonah 1:7 and 1 Samuel 14:42). See Proverbs 16:33 that explains this method: "The _________ is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the ___________." Men may throw dice and flip coins, but God supervises it all and decides how the dice and coins will fall. Peter and the other disciples were not being guided by LUCK; they were being guided by the LORD.
Upon which man did the lot fall (Acts 1:26)? __________________ This man became the 12th Apostle, the replacement for Judas. This man is only mentioned here in Acts chapter 1 and we know nothing about this man except for what we learn here in this chapter.
After the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, we never read about believers using lots to make decisions because New Testament believers enjoy the very special and very personal guidance of the Holy Spirit of God (compare Romans 8:14).
There are important decisions that each of us must make every day. Remember,
that when we do
not know what to decide, God does! When we can't see into the future, God can. When we do
not know what to do, God does know. In making decisions, let's always remember this important
triangle:
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