Lent Devotionals – Day 25

John 13: 21 – 38:

Let me ask you two very simple questions: How many people do you know called Peter? How many people do you know called Judas?

The two names carry vastly different connotations. One is the rock on which the Church is built; the other is the betrayer who tried to derail it. One is the faithful, the brave, the courageous; the other is the coward, the weak, the fickle. One is exalted; the other is vilified. One is a hero; the other is a villain.

Peter and Judas are considered men on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. While both had their faults, Peter is seen as a model, historic figure, someone to admire, to be revered, to be inspired by; Judas is seen as the depths of human wrongdoing, so much so that his name has since become a delineation of evil, of back-stabbing, of treachery.

And yet, these apparent polar opposites are similar in more ways than our modern, sheltered, cushy selves would ever dare to admit in case the truth shattered the facade that humans can indeed by beacons of greatness.

In today’s passage, we see Jesus predict the impending betrayal of Judas and the subsequent denial of Peter. They are two infamous accounts of human sin: the first was the founding act that saw Jesus imprisoned, crucified and ultimately resurrected; the second was the instigator for Peter’s deep and entrenched relationship with God that would quickly inspire much of the work of the early Church.

God is so good, that even through our sin, He is working it for the best of His people.

However, there is a deeper, more meaningful, more poignant lesson that can be drawn from this passage. You see, Judas’ life would culminate in him hanging from a rope, his head twisted through a noose, legs dangling, breath seeping away. Contrastingly, Peter would be the man who God chose to instigate and initiate the life of the Church through.

So what’s the difference between these two sinful men?

Well, put simply, grace. God’s amazing grace.

Judas never accepted God’s grace into his life. Peter, on the other hand, was wholly reliant on it. The reason why God chose Peter was because Peter was not good enough on his own. And he knew it. Peter abandoned any self-ambition, wholeheartedly obeying the commands of the Holy Spirit, using the strength of the Holy Spirt to do the work of the Holy Spirit.

All of us are like Judas and Peter. All of us are great sinners. But thankfully, our Christ is a great saviour.