Deacon Tam Tran

BETRAYERS, DENIERS, AND DESERTERS

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant - John 13:21-22

Meals were an integral part of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus practically ate his way through the gospels. Scripture tells us that Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners. Today we add a few more to that list of table guests; betrayers, deniers and deserters.

This morning we return to the Upper Room where Jesus had his last meal. Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of the world and to go to the Father. Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me". Jesus knew it was coming and one of his own disciples would betray him, because the Scriptures had said so. Another one will deny him and the rest will desert him.

Peter denied his Lord, Judas betrayed Jesus, and the rest including all us became deserters. Since our deserting story is very long, we will limit our discussion to Peter and Judas. What is the difference between denial and betrayal?

They both sound just as bad.  If you figure in premeditation difference, we can easily deny someone or something in the heat of the moment when embarrassed or afraid. However, betrayal takes some thinking about it ahead of time.  Betrayal is more cold-blooded.

Jesus Himself has already explained this. Jesus said that Peter already bathed and needed to wash only his feet. Judas did not bath and never opened his life to Jesus. Peter had dirty feet but a clean heart. Judas had an evil heart of unbelief, and that sort person who would betray Jesus.

What Peter lacked was the understanding of love. Peter thought that he loved Jesus, and he did with all the human emotion of which he was capable. However, Peter had not yet learned to walk by Christ's love for him. He had not yet learned to find his identity and Jesus knew that. Peter, with the utmost dedication of his flesh, with complete consecration and sincerity of heart, could say to Jesus, Lord, I know where you are going – you are going into death. I will lay down my life with you. Jesus understood and said, “Peter, thank you. But before the morning breaks, you will have denied me three times”.

Peter loved Jesus but Jesus’s arrest and trial took him by surprise. Peter follow the soldiers into the high priest’s courtyard and was shocked when they found Jesus guilty and beaten him. Peter denied knowing Jesus, because he was unprepared for these events and was probably afraid for his own safety. After his denials, Peter wept with grief.

On the other hand, Judas permitted Satan to enter him, planned the betrayal, pretended to be loyal, took 30 pieces of silver as payment, and intentionally inflicted pain to Jesus by an evil kiss. Perhaps Jesus chose Judas as a disciple – one of the Twelve - as a warning to Christians in the future that such people might be in their ranks even among the leadership.

If we put together the many little references to Judas in the Scriptures, we can see what was happening to this man. When Judas first joined the twelve, he evidently was a sincere and dedicated follower. Judas had a good business head and a reputation for honesty. Therefore, he was the treasurer of the twelve in charge of the moneybox. This indicated that the other disciples had confidence in Judas, and that he had a reputation for honesty.

Judas had joined the group because Judas believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah who would deliver Israel from its bondage and make it the head of the nations of the earth. Judas, like other Jews, had read all the wonderful passages of glory, but had ignored those which dealt with the suffering Messiah. Therefore, he joined the band with the anticipation that he would be in the inner circle.

However, when Jesus began to speak about the cross, and when Judas saw him offending the leaders of the Jews, and he saw the growing opposition of the Pharisees toward Jesus, Judas knew that his dream was fading, and he became inwardly resentful and bitter against Jesus. Finally, Judas took matters into his own hands to betray Jesus.

Judas hanged himself and this is not a proper repentance. Judas was not looking for the forgiveness of his sins, but rather he was determined to pay the penalty for his own sin. Judas put himself in the place of God and acted as his own judge and executioner - leaving God out of the picture. He rejected Christ as the atoning sacrifice for his sins and he did not call upon God as his Savior.

In contrast, Peter with good will, love, generosity, simplicity, and nobility is Judas’ counterpoint. It is true that Peter denied Jesus three times, but his intentions were not mean. Peter did it out of fearfulness and weakness. Peter’s remorse and repentance was sincere as shown by his excruciating pain full of love. Peter did not rejected Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for his sins and he did accept Jesus is the Lord and his Savior.

Although Peter is the denier, Jesus reaffirmed Peter as the head of his Church. What about the rest of Jesus’ disciples - the deserters? They all became saints because they follow Jesus footsteps and carried their own cross. The map to become a saint is clear and if we want, we could be a saint too.