Betrayal and Denial

 

After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.


I find this passage one of the saddest in the entire Bible because there is nothing quite as hurtful as being let down by your friends, especially those very dear to you. When an enemy approaches you, your defenses automatically go up because you expect them to attack you. With friends, you lower your guard, because you trust them explicitly. And when they turn against you ... I don’t think Jesus found even the scourging he received to be as painful as having one man he loved betraying him, and another man he loved denying him. 


Why did Judas do it? Why did he betray Jesus? Greed is the obvious answer, and while I don’t doubt that it played a part, I think it was more because Jesus wasn’t who Judas expected him to be. Like many others of his time, Judas expected the Messiah would restore Israel to the days of its former glory, and he would rule beside him. Instead Jesus kept talking the weirdest stuff about dying and suffering, things that Judas didn’t want any part of.


And why did Peter do it? Why did Peter deny the man he had sworn to follow to the death. I think he simply turned chicken. When it was relatively safe, he bragged about how he would stay with Jesus no matter what happened, and he probably meant it. However,  when the moment of reckoning came, he realized he wasn’t as brave as he would have liked to be, and ran away, trying to hide himself. When people recognized him, he denied knowing Jesus. Not once. Not twice. But three times.


I suspect we might have a little of both Judas and Peter in us. Like Judas, we are often self-seeking. Like him, we too may be disappointed with the Jesus we read about in Scripture, and sell him out for what the world offers. Like Peter, we too make grand promises, but when the time of testing comes, we often fail miserably. So, what do we do?


Whatever we do, let us always remember that there is no sin so great or grievous that God cannot, or will not, forgive. We just need to turn towards him in repentance and that’s all it takes to restore harmony in our relationship with God. Like John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).


So, even if you may done terrible things like Judas and Peter did, let us do what Peter did at the end: turn back.

 


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