2016 picture of Ray Sparre

Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67


Thu Feb 10, 2022

Nice day out there, Zane.

Wow!—it looks like noon already. And some of the trees and bushes are about to burst with blossoms already. And already I even heard a squawking Robin this morning. That can only mean that Spring is about to spring already.

I’m going to run off soon to carry on with logging out some alder trees that I dropped about a week ago. At least I’ll begin there and see what else the day will allow.

Blessings on your day. Love and prayers—Tua/Ray.

10 February
Matthew 27:1-26
Focus: “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’” (Matthew 27:3-4)

Here’s a question for you to ponder: Based on your current perspectives and beliefs, would you be irritated or think it unjust to find Judas in heaven? Here’s another question: If Judas doesn’t make it, would he be irritated or think it unjust if he were able to see that you made it?

I’m thinking of one man who would not likely be irritated to find Judas in heaven—the guy who composed the words to AMAZING GRACE—John Newton. We sing that song often, but I wonder if the exclamation of that first verse penetrates our hearts and minds as deeply as it should. “Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—that saved a wretch like me!” A what? A WRETCH! Like who? Like ME! Ouch!

Just to clarify that word, I looked it up in the dictionary.

“WRETCH:

  1. An unfortunate, unhappy, or miserable person.
  2. A wicked or despicable person.”
That particular definition does not mention remorse or GUILT—but they have to be there. What a terrible condition to live with. Man—that has to be hell! In fact, I’m inclined to believe that this very condition is one that helps to make hell so hellish—the guilt and remorse of it all—recognizing one’s past stupidity, those missed opportunities, those selfish choices against truth, rejecting God and doing wrong when His reality and general will are so clear. “Why was I so stupid? Why did I rebel? Why didn’t I pay attention? Why didn’t I want to do what I knew was right?”—etc., etc., etc.—on and on it goes for a very long time.

I will not presume or insist that Judas makes it to heaven. But neither will I presume or insist that he doesn’t. I firmly believe, however, that Sovereign God has it all figured out—and that He is absolutely just in all His judgments—and is amazingly gracious. The main cause for my wonder about Judas flows out of the idea that the Biblical Gospel really begins with sin—the need for recognition and confession thereof. And here in our FOCUS VERSE we have Judas profoundly acknowledging just that—confessing, “I have sinned.” He goes on to spell it out—“…for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

Furthermore, I am reluctant to absolutely condemn Judas for his act of suicide—even though, in principle, I would. But whereas I don’t really understand everything that goes on within my own little body that makes my life happen—the precise relationships between brain, nerves, tissues, and systems—how then can I claim to understand absolutely everything that goes on between the psychology of a sinner and the Sovereign Savior? The precise degree of personal responsibility that God assigns to a particular acute case of clinical depression is entirely up to Him and His AMAZING GRACE.

“He that will have a perfect brother must resign himself to being brotherless.”