A portrait of betrayal and denial

Sermon for Holy Tuesday

+  Luke 22-23  +

Certain details of the Passion History are repeated by all four Evangelists and should be emblazoned on our memories. The one I’d like to focus on for just a moment this evening is the betrayal of Judas and the denials of Peter. And this is what I want you to grasp: all Christians may fall into one or the other of these sins, but not necessarily both. Jesus speaks of Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial quite differently. About betrayal He says, Truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It would be good for that man if he had not been born. While about Peter’s denial, He says, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.

The betrayer, like Judas, is the Christian who is baptized, who begins in faith. But over time, he becomes disillusioned with the Jesus whom the Bible describes to us. His faith flickers and then dies. He remains in the Church, but in his heart, the Word of Christ no longer dwells richly. His heart is on earthly pleasures, earthly gain. He’s already a dead branch on the Vine. He is truly a hypocrite, a pretender, pretending to be a Christian on the outside, but not one on the inside. And at some point, he turns his back on Jesus entirely, by turning his back on the sound doctrine of the Word and leaving the Church, or even by turning against the members of Christ and speaking evil of them.

The denier, like Peter, is the Christian who is baptized, who begins in faith and who grows in faith. He recognizes his sin, that he deserves to die because of it. But he also recognizes the grace of the Lord Jesus and finds God’s mercy in Him. He knows and confesses Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. He remains in the Church because he knows it’s the best place to be. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! He is genuinely devoted to following Jesus, genuinely penitent and believing. But he still carries around the sinful flesh, which is always weak. He grows too confident in his own devotion, too sure of his own strength. He doesn’t listen to His Lord’s warnings to watch and pray. And then, when he is suddenly in danger, when he is afraid, when he is distracted, when he is put on the spot, he speaks or he acts as if he didn’t know Jesus or His Word, and he gives into temptation and falls.

Now, there is a way back for both the betrayer and the denier, when they recognize their sin. But recognizing the sin is only the first step. Judas recognized his sin of betraying innocent blood. But he never did trust in Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, either before his betrayal or after. His remorse wasn’t accompanied by faith. Peter, on the other hand, eventually recognized his sin of denial and the sin of self-confidence that came before it, and he wept over it, and trusted in his dear Lord Jesus to receive him back, sinner though he was. And, of course, all was forgiven, and Peter was restored, not only to a place in Christ’s kingdom, but to His office as apostle, and given the honor of suffering for Christ in the future.

Be careful of the preachers who accuse all Christians of being betrayers like Judas. That’s not how the Scriptures speak. Not every Christian becomes a Judas. But many, and maybe all, fall into the sin of denial, like Peter, maybe not as crassly, but on some level. Learn from Peter not to say, “That could never happen to me! I would never do that!” And when you fall, learn from Peter to repent. Learn from Peter to return to the Lord Jesus and to seek mercy from Him. You will find it, as Peter did. For Christ didn’t suffer and die for the innocent, but for the guilty. He didn’t suffer for the righteous, but for sinners, to bring them to repentance, and to give them the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting that He purchased for them by His blood. Amen.