When Judas "Bought the Farm"

And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. Matthew 27:5

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Acts 1:18

When you read the two accounts of the death of Judas you may see a contradiction between them. I know I did. But a wise teacher set me straight on how to combine them so that they make sense. Judas apparently hanged himself on his new farm. Some time after his death, the rope broke and his corpse fell. The gruesome details add to the morbidity of this gruesome tale.

It is possible that Judas had wanted this or some other property for a long time. We know that he was money hungry--a thief.

This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. John 12:6

There is much more in the story of Judas than his greed, however. How seldom we hear of his attempt to repent.

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. Matthew 27:3

It was too late to reverse his evil actions. By now, Satan had left him, and he realized the horror of what he had done. Judas never got to profit from his field. His betrayal was part of God's plan to offer up His Son. Even the most wicked have their roles to play.