Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. But he denied it before them all. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.
After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away. Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, "I don't know the man! Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. In the end, his commitment to Jesus would lead him to his own execution.
Why did Judas's betrayal ruin his life, while Peter seemed to emerge from his experience stronger and more fiercely loyal? First of all, Judas's treachery was malicious. He didn't just make a bad decision under the pressure of the moment; he sought out an opportunity to betray Jesus. It might be that he never considered for a moment that Jesus would actually be convicted and sentenced to death, but it doesn't matter much.
Regardless of his motives, he tried to financially benefit from turning Jesus over to the authorities. On top of that, Judas's character deficiencies made him someone that Satan could use as a tool to end Jesus's ministry.
Whether intentionally or not, Judas allowed himself to be used by God's greatest enemy to stage a coup attempt. Peter, on the other hand, responded poorly to a stressful situation. Betraying Jesus was never his intention. Unlike Judas's calculated treason, Peter stumbled into a situation where fear got the better of him.
Does that excuse his denial? No, but it makes it understandable. The Gospels tell us that both Judas and Peter felt remorse, and there's a lot we can learn from their responses to their guilt. Judas immediately tried to return the money he got for turning Jesus in.
He knew what he'd done was wrong and even told the priests, "I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood. His shame would lead him to take his own life. The moment Peter realized that he had done exactly what Jesus said he'd do, he wept bitterly.
But from then on, we see him with the rest of the disciples. He didn't allow his shame to isolate him. He's there when Mary Magdalene announces that the grave is empty—in fact, he outraces John to be the first one in the tomb. When the disciples are out fishing and Peter recognizes Jesus on the shore, he doesn't waste a moment.
He strips off his outer garment and jumps into the water to swim to the Lord. His grief drives him to Jesus, not away. And it's here that Jesus and Peter have a dramatic conversation of restoration and reconciliation:.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me? Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.
Then he said to him, "Follow me" John —19! Both Peter and Judas had spent years with Jesus. They'd heard Him teach on loving one's enemies. They'd watched Him extend grace to prostitutes, adulterers, Roman centurions, Samaritans, tax collectors, and other undesirables.
For whatever reason, their shared experience with Jesus encouraged them to respond in vastly different ways.
Peter ran toward Jesus, and Judas ran away. Peter felt he could trust the mercy and grace of his fellow disciples and the Lord, but Judas didn't. After years of walking beside Jesus, Judas never fully internalized the message that mercy triumphs over judgment—so when he needed mercy, he didn't know where to turn.
Every single one of us will make mistakes. Hopefully, they will not be premeditated acts of disobedience, but even if they are, we can't allow those sins to drive us out of God's presence. It's when we're at our worst that we need Jesus the most. If you're looking for inspiration to help you get through troubled times, check out the post 30 Bible Verses about Peace.
Some scholars believe there are more than prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. These prophecies are specific enough that the Compassion and kindness are surprisingly common. People all over the world, from every walk of life, are willing to make sacrifices in He was martyred for his faith although the method of his death is unclear.
Paul suffered for the Lord throughout his life. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. Paul was beheaded in Rome in 66 AD, possibly at the same time as Peter. Judas committed suicide after betraying Jesus.
John died of old age. But Judas chose a cursed path. He was not the only one who betrayed Jesus; all of the other disciples abandoned Jesus, Peter directly denied knowing him. Yet all of them embraced the grace and forgiveness of God and that same grace was available to Judas. The same is available to you. JOHN The writer of the the Gospel of John, the book of the Revelation and three epistles bearing his name, John is the only one of the 12 that history says was not put to death for his faith, although he suffered greatly because of Jesus throughout his long life.
MATTHEW The gospel writer who had previously been a tax collector, Matthew traveled to modern day Iran and then down to Ethiopia, probably following established trade routes and preaching the gospel along the way. The other two mouths of Satan, if you're interested, are chomping on Brutus and Cassius, the killers of Julius Caesar. At every mouth he with his teeth was crunching A sinner, in the manner of a brake, So that he three of them tormented thus.
To him in front the biting was as naught Unto the clawing, for sometimes the spine Utterly stripped of all the skin remained. Papias, a 2nd century bishop, gave Judas a sad departure from this world, but passed no opinion as to what happened to him thereafter. Judas, walked about in this world a sad example of impiety; for his body having swollen to such an extent that he could not pass where a chariot could pass easily, he was crushed by the chariot, so that his bowels gushed out. There are several theories as to why Judas betrayed his master.
The only motive shown in scripture is greed, but the gospels also say that Judas was possessed by Satan, and acted as he did to fulfil prophecies. A range of other reasons, most of which make Judas seem less blameworthy, are also worth looking at. Three of the gospels say that Judas went of his own accord to the authorities and asked them to pay him for betraying Jesus:.
Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What will you give me if I betray him to you? And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him. Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money.
So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples the one who was about to betray him , said, 'Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?
The Victorian art critic John Ruskin argues that Judas was not only greedy and dishonest, but stupid as well, and that is why he acted as he did:. We do great injustice to Iscariot, in thinking him wicked above all common wickedness. He was only a common money-lover, and, like all money-lovers, did not understand Christ;-could not make out the worth of Him, or meaning of Him.
He never thought He would be killed. He was horror-struck when he found that Christ would be killed; threw his money away instantly, and hanged himself. Judas was a common, selfish, muddle-headed, pilfering fellow; his hand always in the bag of the poor, not caring for them. Helpless to understand Christ, he yet believed in Him, much more than most of us do; had seen Him do miracles, thought He was quite strong enough to shift for Himself, and he, Judas, might as well make his own little bye-perquisites out of the affair.
Christ would come out of it well enough, and he have his thirty pieces. Both Luke and John say that Judas was possessed by the Devil and imply that this was a reason for his behaviour. Luke seems to suggest that Judas' actions may have been entirely the result of this possession; that he was, in effect, carrying out Satan's wishes:. John, on the other hand, suggests that Judas was a bad man before Satan entered him to inspire the final betrayal:.
For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. Yet one of you is a devil. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, 'Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me. 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. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. You might think that if Satan had taken over Judas, then he is not to blame for his actions; Jesus did not think that way:. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.
I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen.
0コメント