Matthew 26:24

“The Son of man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! Good were it for that man if he had not been born.”

‘Even as it is written.' Jesus expresses His confidence that what is to happen is what has already been foretold and purposed by God. He knows that in the Scriptures His destiny is clearly laid down, and therefore that what is to happen could not be otherwise. Thus by his betrayal Judas will unwittingly be carrying out the will of God. For when the Son of Man (Jesus) goes to His death, just as ‘it is written' in the Scriptures and therefore must inevitably be, it will be because God's purposes are being accomplished. It will be because what is written in the Scriptures is simply coming about. It is not Judas who has thought of it. His is just the evil hand that brings it about through his own sinfulness and treachery. It is God Who has purposed it, and in it God's purposes are coming about through the activities of evil men. ‘As it is written.' We note once again Jesus full confidence in the truth of the Scriptures, and His confidence that His life is bringing what is written in them to its climax.

Nevertheless that does not excuse the perpetrator of the crime. What he does, he does willingly. And therefore he should note the consequences. Woe will come on the one through whom the Son of Man is betrayed. Indeed such woe that it were good for that man if he had never been born. For he is betraying not only a man, but the One Who in Himself represents both Israel (Daniel 7:13) and mankind (Psalms 8:4). Nothing could have made clearer the awfulness of the choice that he was making. Such will be his judgment that he will wish that his mother had never given him birth, in the same way as Job had wished a similar thing in the extremity of his suffering long before (Job 3:3 onwards). Job was seen as the ultimate sufferer. The idea thus depicts ultimate suffering. It is a final appeal and warning to Judas.

There is here a solemn warning for us all. As God works out His purposes in history, which purposes sweep onwards in the fulfilling of His good pleasure, we too work out our purposes in our own small part of history, and we too are accountable for every last one of them.

For the Scriptures in mind here we can consider as examples Psalms 22; Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12; Daniel 7:13 with 25-26; Zechariah 13:7; together with the typology of the offerings and sacrifices (see 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 7-13).