A video short by Chad Bird:[1].
I think the saddest words spoken to a sinner were spoken by the priests to Judas Iscariot. When her realized that Jesus had been condemned he went to the temple, and he went to the priests who had paid him the pieces of silver to betray Jesus. He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying innocent blood,” and they responded to him by some of the coldest words ever uttered by men: “What’s that to us? See to it yourself!”
And sadly, Judas did. He went out and committed suicide.
When someone confesses their sins to us, the last thing we should ever say is “What’s that to me? What’s that to us? See to it yourself.” No, when someone confesses their sins we say, “Brother, sister, you are forgiven. We have a good and a gracious and a compassionate God. He is ready and willing to forgive you. Be of good courage and be of good cheer, you are forgiven!”
Not, “See to it yourself!”
Christ has seen to our sins. He has paid the penalty for everything we have done. It is His forgiveness, and His alone, which gives us hope and confidence for the future.
This video was published on Facebook. Transcribed by Wolf Paul and posted here with the author’s kind permission.
Copyright 2023 by Chad Bird.
- Chad Bird is Lutheran Pastor, Theologian, and Professor for Old Testament and Hebrew. He has written for many publications and authored several books.[↩]