Last week we discussed the response to Jesus by Zacchaeus. His response was immediate. We talked last week about how our response to Jesus needs to be like this tax collector. We must own up to our mistakes. Repent, and then offer our lives as an example of what a follower of Jesus looks like. This morning we’re going to take a look at two guys, Judas and Peter and what their response to Jesus was. At first you might think that they had two completely different responses, after all, Judas betrayed Jesus, but the truth is that both of these guys had a similar response. Judas betrayed Jesus, but, Peter denied him. The betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter came within hours of each other. The responses were similar, but, the overall outcome of each of these men was completely different. This morning I want to take a look at the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter and I want us to notice the similarities between these responses. Then we’ll take a look at what was different about these two men. What we will discover this morning is that these men are flawed and deeply so, but, Peter is a life worth imitating and Judas is certainly not and we’ll discuss why that is.
First I want us to take a look at the personality of these men, at least as far as we can ascertain from the accounts we have recorded in the Bible. Judas first shows up on the scene in Matthew 10 as one of the twelve apostles. Jesus gives each of his apostles the authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of illness. I think this would’ve been an exciting time to be an apostle of Jesus. Just think about what kind of power these guys held in their fingertips. To heal the sick, the lame, the leper and the demon possessed. Jesus instructs his apostles to go to towns and preach to the people of Israel. And he tells them, “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick.” These guys were beginning the mother adventure of all adventures. But this admonition not to take money with them would’ve been a sticking point with a guy like Judas.
Remember that every apostle of Jesus was just a guy. These were men who were flawed just like you and I. We don’t have time to take a look at each one of them, that might be a great study one day, just looking over the names you can’t help but notice that these men are regular guys. From what we remember from our Sunday School days we know James and John had terrible tempers and had a tendency to be full of themselves, Thomas has gotten a bad rap for his doubts about Jesus after his resurrection, Matthew was a tax collector, we would consider him an extortionist, Simon also known as “the zealot” was a political extremist, and then there’s Judas.
John 12 gives us a little more insight into the personality of Judas. Jesus decides to make a visit to some very close friends in Bethany; the sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. Some time before this Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Now Jesus was returning and his friends prepared a special meal in his honor at Simon the Leper’s home. No doubt they were still beyond belief at the resurrection of Lazarus and unbelievably grateful for the power of Jesus and his willingness to express that power through the blessing of continued life for Lazarus. We have a sense of how overwhelmingly grateful they are through something that Mary did. Mary picked up a 12 ounce bottle of perfume called, spikenard, which doesn’t sound like it would smell all that great, but, was actually very expensive. John tells us that this jar of perfume was equal to a years wage. According to Canada statistics the median after tax income for a family of two or more in 2009 was $63,800. That’s pretty good compared to other median incomes for first world countries including the U.S. I doubt that would be how much this bottle of perfume costs though. For single folks in Canada the median income in 2009 was a little over $25,000 and that was probably closer to the cost of this perfume. I don’t know about you, but, whatever the cost, we know it was worth a years wage, so I’m thinking this was a very expensive gift meant to communicate how valuable Jesus was to them.
This was no spontaneous event. As soon as they were aware that Jesus was going to visit, Mary and Martha prepared a feast and a gift of gratitude that Jesus and those who were present would never forget. And even now more than two thousand years later people are still talking about what happened that evening. It was the night before Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem for the last time greeted by a huge crowd of adoring fans shouting his name and proclaiming him as the King of Israel.
Judas is indignant. John tells us what he’s thinking. “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” But John also tells us something about Judas’ character. John says, “Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.” And this is the clue into the character of Judas that separates his example from Peter.
Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 9:5 that the Apostles including Peter were married and that their wives often traveled with them. Jesus had healed Peter’s mother-in-law early on in his ministry. The reason it’s important for us to consider that Peter was married is that this relationship contributes to his character study. We have a glimpse into Peter’s character from his own hand, “And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. “ 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Peter was an elder in the church. For Peter to be an elder he had to meet some pretty high spiritual standards. Titus explains what these standards are, “An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife,and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. An elderis a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.” Titus 1:6-9
Last week we talked about how Zacchaeus became a follower of Jesus during a meal in his home. Some of the best work Jesus did was during a meal. Jesus said, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35 Of these five acts of service, providing a meal, a drink, clothing, health care, and visiting a prison, four of them can be done in our home. And the first three we can provide through a meal. Jesus said, “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet, don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” Luke 14:12-14
The best thing you can do to serve Jesus is simply open your home. I like the advice of Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer, “Don’t start with a big program. Don’t suddenly think you can add to your church budget and begin. Start personally and start in your home. I dare you. I dare you in the name of Jesus Christ. Do what I am going to suggest. Begin by opening your home for community. You don’t need a big program. You don’t have to convince your church board or leaders. All you have to do is open your home and begin.”
Well this was the kind of guy Peter was. We know because he was an elder. An elder sets the standard of behavior for the rest of the church. Leaders are leaders when they have followers who follow. Peter, as an elder, would’ve enjoyed the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with folks in his home. We see a big difference in who Judas was and who Peter was. They were both flawed because they were human. We know Peter often said and did stuff before he thought it through. And sometimes his impetuous behavior got him into trouble there were a couple of times his impetuousness almost killed him. And Peter denied that he knew Jesus. In the moment of severe crises when his best friend needed him most Peter denied that he knew him. The same guy who said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you,” couldn’t even admit to a group of folks around a campfire that he had any knowledge of who Jesus was.
We all have our flaws. One of the reasons I hear most often for why people don’t like Christians is that as a crowd we are considered judgmental and therefore hypocritical. This is ironic. If there is any group of people on the earth who are convinced that they are not the judge, it should be us! I have a good idea why this is. Jesus gave us the model for how to present His message to the world. It’s simple. Serve first. Jesus always served others first. He met their needs, he fed them, he offered healing, he loved their kids, and then he taught. I’m not convinced that is how we are perceived in our community. We talk first. We teach first. We say, you’re a sinner, you’re not like us, you’re different, your behavior needs to change if you want to hang with us. Then we wonder why they consider us haters. Jesus served first. Jesus accepted people and he helped them without approving of their behavior. How many of you would come back next week if I said I had a youtube video of every wrong thing you’ve ever done and I was going to show it? If I knew that someone could do that and had the video to show every wrong thing I’ve ever done, I wouldn’t be here next week. But that is the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness. He has that video.
Judas was greedy and selfish. When he agreed to betray Jesus Luke 22 records the event this way, “The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.” Luke 22:1-6
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
And here’s the takeaway for us today. We are all flawed. We are all like Judas and Peter in that we betray and deny Jesus and our relationship with Him every time we sin. Remember Judas didn’t want anyone to know about what he was doing behind the scenes. Matthew records a conversation between Judas and Jesus at the last supper, “When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples. While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it.” Matthew 26:20-25 Judas was hiding his sin. He was keeping it secret. Why? Because he loved money; he was like all of us at his core a selfish person but he consistently allowed his selfishness to dictate his choices.
Peter was a loudmouth, impetuous person who could be a jerk when he was in an argument, and I’m sure he struggled with selfishness like anyone else but it didn’t dominate his life like it did Judas. Both Peter and Judas were dismayed when they were confronted with the consequences of their betrayal and denial. Judas tried to return the money he was rewarded for the betrayal and discovering that his actions led to the death of Jesus committed suicide. We can read about Peter’s denial in Luke 22, “So they arrested Jesus and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.”
Jesus says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23 And this is what it comes down to for us today. There are those who like Judas can be in the crowd and hear all the things that Jesus says, they can even act like they are one of his followers, they can do and say all the right things, but, at the end of the day they aren’t willing to let go of their selfishness. And there are those who are like Peter, who aren’t perfect, who make mistakes, who sin, but, who ultimately offer their life in service to Jesus. The genuine follower of Jesus is defined by sacrifice.
Paul sums this up in Colossians 3, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.”
Every life ends up like Judas or like Peter. We are all flawed like these men, but, we either submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus and spend our life in sacrifice for Jesus as Peter did, or we can choose to allow our sinful, selfish nature dictate our choices and end up like Judas, desperate, empty, filled with shame and spiritually dead. Even if we spend our life around Jesus and around people who follow Jesus we can still end up like Judas.
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:12
