the difference between Peter and Judas was just a few days...
Have you ever done something so bad, so regretful, and you knew there was no way you could ever make things right again? Have you made a horrible decision that you would take back in a heartbeat if you could? You know what I'm talking about. That very decision that follows you around and fills your days with sorrow and remorse. It keeps you up at night, haunts your dreams when you sleep, burdens your heart with painful reminders, and seems to plague you as if there is no possible way to recover. The night before Jesus died, Judas and Peter did the unthinkable. One betrayed him, the other denied him. Both of them made a decision that they instantly regretted.
They sat around a table with their Lord, and they broke bread together. He had washed their feet, served them, and he continued to teach them. He spoke about the events that were transpiring, but I don't think they really understood that they were mere hours from God's plan of redemption unfolding. He was going to die, there was really no other way around it. And as they fellowshipped together, Jesus said, "One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me." (Matthew 26:23) I wonder how the words sounded as they left his mouth. Was the room heavy? Did their pulses pick up and their palms begin to sweat? Did they think he was crazy for believing such a friend would ever do something like that? I wonder if the hairs on Judas' neck stood up. Did his stomach turn? Jesus knew who would betray him, and yet he broke the bread, the very way his precious body would soon be broken, and he said "Take this and eat it, for this is my body." (Matthew 26:26) And he took the wine, red as his blood, and he said, "Each of you drink from it, for this is my lood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." (Matthew 26:27-28) And he offered it to each of them, to Judas and to Peter, fully knowing what would come next. Judas ate, Judas drank, and then he left the last supper to go betray God's one and only son.
Peter piped up to make sure Jesus knew what a faithful follower he was. He said, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you...Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" (Matthew 26:33&35) There was no way Peter was going to be the one who betrayed Jesus. He wanted that known. There was no way he was going to mess up like that. Yet Jesus knew Peter's brave declarations wouldn't last long. He knew that before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny him not once, not twice, but three times. And yet Peter had eaten the bread and drank from the cup that was graciously given to him by his Lord, the one he would soon deny.
The moment that rooster crowed, Peter knew it. It was that sinking moment when realization set in, and he wept. Bitterly, uncontrollably, I'm sure. How could he live with himself after what he had just done? He told Jesus he would be the one to stand by him, to die with him, and all he had done was deny Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ. There wasn't going to be any time to clear this up. Jesus was on his way to the cross, and Peter was left carrying the heavy burden of unforgiven guilt.
But Judas, well, that was a different story. And as he realized his betrayal led Jesus to the cross, he was filled with remorse. A heart so heavy, so full of regret, that he couldn't take it. He couldn't bear the weight of his sin. He knew he was wrong, there was no denying that. He searched for forgiveness in all the wrong places. He begged that someone relieve him from his guilt, but no answers were found. Jesus would soon be hanging on a cross, and Judas would make the decision to end his life 3 days too soon.
What if he would have waited until Sunday? What if he would have held on to Jesus' words? What if he would have been there on that Resurrection Day? But he wasn't there. He had lost all hope. He could see no way out. There was not an easy solution to getting around what he had done. He couldn't live with himself. He couldn't bear the burden, the weight, the darkness of his sin and he gave up. He so easily forgot the redeeming words that Jesus had spoken when they were last together. And he missed the opportunity to receive grace, mercy and forgiveness from the one whose blood was shed to take away his sins. If only Judas had waited until Sunday.
But Peter did. Peter waited on the Lord. "It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord." (Lamentations 3:26) And although I can imagine that as excited as he was to see Jesus again, Peter might have been a little nervous about what Jesus might say to him, how Jesus might respond to him. After all, they hadn't had a chance to clear the air. Yet Peter was met with love. He found himself face to face with a Savior who offered him grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He didn't bring up the past, he didn't shame Peter or make him feel bad, rather he reinstated him. Peter was the rock on which the church would be built, and Jesus was going to make sure Peter remembered that he had a calling, a purpose in life. Redemption was being played out in Peter's life as the burden of his guilt had been lifted by the Jesus he denied, the Jesus who had come back to save him.
Three days difference. His body was broken for all of them, his blood was spilled out to cover each of their sins. Had Judas waited, I believe the same loving Savior would have offered the same amount of grace, mercy, and forgiveness to him as was offered to Peter. Because there is no sin his blood did not cover. There is no guilt that it cannot wash away. There is no past he cannot redeem, and there is no brokenness that he cannot heal. And so we wait on the Lord, for salvation from the Lord, because "there is salvation in no one else!" (Acts 4:12) He died for you, for them, for me, and He rose that we might be saved.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. - Romans 5:6-8
They sat around a table with their Lord, and they broke bread together. He had washed their feet, served them, and he continued to teach them. He spoke about the events that were transpiring, but I don't think they really understood that they were mere hours from God's plan of redemption unfolding. He was going to die, there was really no other way around it. And as they fellowshipped together, Jesus said, "One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me." (Matthew 26:23) I wonder how the words sounded as they left his mouth. Was the room heavy? Did their pulses pick up and their palms begin to sweat? Did they think he was crazy for believing such a friend would ever do something like that? I wonder if the hairs on Judas' neck stood up. Did his stomach turn? Jesus knew who would betray him, and yet he broke the bread, the very way his precious body would soon be broken, and he said "Take this and eat it, for this is my body." (Matthew 26:26) And he took the wine, red as his blood, and he said, "Each of you drink from it, for this is my lood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." (Matthew 26:27-28) And he offered it to each of them, to Judas and to Peter, fully knowing what would come next. Judas ate, Judas drank, and then he left the last supper to go betray God's one and only son.
Peter piped up to make sure Jesus knew what a faithful follower he was. He said, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you...Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" (Matthew 26:33&35) There was no way Peter was going to be the one who betrayed Jesus. He wanted that known. There was no way he was going to mess up like that. Yet Jesus knew Peter's brave declarations wouldn't last long. He knew that before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny him not once, not twice, but three times. And yet Peter had eaten the bread and drank from the cup that was graciously given to him by his Lord, the one he would soon deny.
The moment that rooster crowed, Peter knew it. It was that sinking moment when realization set in, and he wept. Bitterly, uncontrollably, I'm sure. How could he live with himself after what he had just done? He told Jesus he would be the one to stand by him, to die with him, and all he had done was deny Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ. There wasn't going to be any time to clear this up. Jesus was on his way to the cross, and Peter was left carrying the heavy burden of unforgiven guilt.
But Judas, well, that was a different story. And as he realized his betrayal led Jesus to the cross, he was filled with remorse. A heart so heavy, so full of regret, that he couldn't take it. He couldn't bear the weight of his sin. He knew he was wrong, there was no denying that. He searched for forgiveness in all the wrong places. He begged that someone relieve him from his guilt, but no answers were found. Jesus would soon be hanging on a cross, and Judas would make the decision to end his life 3 days too soon.
What if he would have waited until Sunday? What if he would have held on to Jesus' words? What if he would have been there on that Resurrection Day? But he wasn't there. He had lost all hope. He could see no way out. There was not an easy solution to getting around what he had done. He couldn't live with himself. He couldn't bear the burden, the weight, the darkness of his sin and he gave up. He so easily forgot the redeeming words that Jesus had spoken when they were last together. And he missed the opportunity to receive grace, mercy and forgiveness from the one whose blood was shed to take away his sins. If only Judas had waited until Sunday.
But Peter did. Peter waited on the Lord. "It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord." (Lamentations 3:26) And although I can imagine that as excited as he was to see Jesus again, Peter might have been a little nervous about what Jesus might say to him, how Jesus might respond to him. After all, they hadn't had a chance to clear the air. Yet Peter was met with love. He found himself face to face with a Savior who offered him grace, mercy, and forgiveness. He didn't bring up the past, he didn't shame Peter or make him feel bad, rather he reinstated him. Peter was the rock on which the church would be built, and Jesus was going to make sure Peter remembered that he had a calling, a purpose in life. Redemption was being played out in Peter's life as the burden of his guilt had been lifted by the Jesus he denied, the Jesus who had come back to save him.
Three days difference. His body was broken for all of them, his blood was spilled out to cover each of their sins. Had Judas waited, I believe the same loving Savior would have offered the same amount of grace, mercy, and forgiveness to him as was offered to Peter. Because there is no sin his blood did not cover. There is no guilt that it cannot wash away. There is no past he cannot redeem, and there is no brokenness that he cannot heal. And so we wait on the Lord, for salvation from the Lord, because "there is salvation in no one else!" (Acts 4:12) He died for you, for them, for me, and He rose that we might be saved.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. - Romans 5:6-8
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