Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, seeing that he had been condemned, repented and returned the silver to the chief priests and the elders of the people,
This statement shows Judas’s inner ruin, when the result of sin collides with the awakening of conscience. He sees that the consequence of his deed brings death to the Innocent One, and he repents too late. Yet his repentance remains without repentance unto conversion: sorrow without hope. Judas tries to make restitution for his sin by returning the silver, but a material return cannot replace the return of the heart. His step testifies that his conscience was still alive, but his faith was dead. This reminds us that true repentance always leads to God’s mercy, whereas the mere awareness of sin—without turning to God and without faith—brings despair.