We all need just such an excuse. We all delight in a reasonable story which accounts for our evil. At the same time, we also want to remain close to Jesus. Both Judas and Peter follow Jesus secretly after His arrest. Judas is present to see Pilate condemn Jesus Mt. At the home of Caiaphas, Peter remains in the courtyard, waiting to hear news from inside, where Jesus is being tried. Peter wants to be near Christ, but he is terrified to accept the fate which comes with it.
Peter desperately wanted to love Christ more than he actually did. Peter wanted to be a safe distance from Christ, close enough that he might mourn when Christ was executed, but sufficiently far away that he might escape execution himself.
Every man is Peter. We have all sworn our fidelity to Christ, but excused ourselves from our obligations because of stress, diet, fear, family, or biology, and huddle just close enough to Christ that we might be confused for His disciples, but just far enough away that we might be nothing more than innocent bystanders.
This perfect distance will allow us the fate of Judas. From here, we can get away with everything. But why betray Christ if we intend on returning to the fold? Judas simply regarded his sin very lightly. Scripture tells us that Jesus knew in advance that both men would betray Him.
Jesus, being fully omniscient, knows also that we will turn from Him at times. It is a wonderful assurance to know that the Cross covers these sins too. He promises that He will forgive and restore us when we confess that we have turned from Him and gone our own way 1Jn. He rejoices when we repent and turn back to Him much like the father of the prodigal son rejoiced when his wayward son, after squandering his wealth and recognizing his miserable state, realized that there was no true life to be found in the world and returned home Lk He will always give us an opportunity to turn back to Him.
It is never too late. Even the angels rejoice when a sinner turns back to God Lk But the man believes he is doing her husband a great favor. When her husband returns, will he thank the man? He will see the man as a traitor and deal with him violently for debasing his wife. We have been given a great responsibility: the care of the church.
This especially applies to leaders in the church. Are we guilty of dressing up the church in a way to attract more members? Do we scheme and look for ways for the church to cater to worldly appetites, all in the name of spreading the Gospel? Maybe we see that the numbers in the pews are dwindling, so we come up with some new thing that the church can do to get more attendance on Sunday morning.
The church becomes a beggar willing to do anything in exchange for an hour of attendance on Sunday, rather than a bride keeping herself pure for her Betrothed. Will Christ thank us for this when He returns, or will He be angry that the church is dressed like a harlot? Will he find us faithful stewards of His kingdom, or traitors willing to sell His Bride for the favor of the world? The answer to these warnings is not to micromanage our every movement or to sit still until our motives are pure before doing good things.
The answer is simple: love Christ. We cannot love Christ because of what we want Him to do for us, but we should love Him because of Who He is. Could it be Jesus? Clearly, he was chosen by God. He performed miracles. He spoke with authority about a new kingdom.
He attracted huge crowds. No matter what the case, Judas did ultimately betray Jesus. The Bible catalogs, in somewhat gory detail, the death of Judas. When the religious leaders refuse to accept the 30 silver pieces, Judas casts it on the floor, goes to a field, and hangs himself.
After all, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, people waved palm branches and rejoiced. But less than a week later, they called for his death. The Old Testament prophesied that Judas would betray Jesus, and through his betrayal, Jesus died for our sins. We can often tsk at Judas when we read what he did, until we realize that we, in fact, are Judas.
We betrayed Jesus. Our sins led him to his death.
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