From the Upper Room Passover gathering, two people would die the next day.  One was Jesus: He had been condemned to death by the religious court, but they could not carry out the sentence.  Under Roman law, only the Governor could authorise execution by crucifixion.  So, they sent Jesus to Pilate, even though they did not have a charge that warranted the death sentence (John 18:31).  The other person to die was Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.
 
Judas had bargained for the life of Jesus and had received thirty pieces of silver; it was a huge sum for a money-hungry thief (John 12:6).  But the thrill, of getting the cash (Matthew 26:14-15) and leading the arrest party (Matthew 26:47-50), had vanished.  Instead, Judas was left with the unshakable conviction that he had sent an innocent man to His death, and it was his fault.  As remorse tortured his soul, he went back to the office of the chief priests.  He wanted to return the money and have Jesus released.  But his pleas were futile.
 
The guilt-wracked man found the money too emotionally painful to handle.  And so he threw it into the temple and went away.  He had only despair to accompany his guilty conscience.  Had he wished, he could still have called to Jesus to forgive him, like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43).  But although he was full of remorse, he still had no faith in Jesus and so no possibility of forgiveness.  His solution was a bad one, and a wrong one (Acts 1:18).
 
Sin is a squalid business.  It always results in death (Romans 3:23): either the eternal death of the sinner or the death of Jesus Christ as the substitute for sinners who repent.  Remorse is not repentance.  Remorse is that toxic mixture of guilt and despair which removes all hope; but repentance is the grief of a soiled conscience, combined with the assurance of forgiveness, leading to a new start.  For those who trust in Jesus, repentance should be a frequent experience because sin is frequent.  Do not allow the opportunity for repentance to slip by: it is the only way to avoid being cut off from God.  If you have allowed yourself to be trapped in despair, come back to the Lord quickly – He still loves you whatever you have done.  Then repent and receive His forgiveness and the relief of a fresh new start.  It is never too late to ask for forgiveness and His help is never far away.