A Tale of Two Men

The night Jesus was betrayed left two men in tears. The first man, Peter, denied Jesus three times. Jesus told him it would happen, but Peter refused to believe. And there he stood, in a courtyard, watching Jesus’ trial from a distance. After the third denial, Jesus turned his head and looked directly into Peter’s eyes. Peter was overcome with sadness. He ran outside the courtyard and wept bitterly.

The second man in tears that night, Judas, betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus told him it would happen, but Judas didn’t care. And there he stood, watching as Pilate condemned Jesus to be crucified. Judas was overcome with sadness. He grabbed the silver and returned it to the chief priests and elders.

Both men were warned by Jesus about what they were about to do. Both men sinned anyways. Both men admitted their sin, evident by the tears they shed. Both men confessed. Judas when he told the chief priests that he had sinned by betraying an innocent man, Peter when he told the Gospel writers what he had done. There’s a sense in which both men forsook their sin. Judas when he returned the money. Peter when he later chose to die on an upside-down cross rather than deny Jesus again. But only one of those men was truly repentant.

If you ran into Peter and Judas that night you likely wouldn’t be able to tell which one was truly repentant. Both men would’ve likely admitted that they had sinned against Jesus. Both men would’ve likely been in tears. Both men would’ve appeared broken over their sin. But in time the truth would become visible.

Although both men would trust, only one of those men would trust the Savior. When he took his own life, Judas was trusting his own ability to rescue himself from his shame. But things would be different for Peter. Yes, he denied Jesus three times. Once in fear of a mere servant girl. Peter’s sin was great. But Peter’s Savior was greater.

It's helpful for us to meditate on the destinies of these two men. But don't stop there. Ask yourself, which one am I? Have I truly admitted my sin? Have I truly confessed it? Have I truly forsaken it? Am I truly trusting the Savior? If the answer to all these questions is yes, you will find God's forgiven grace to be greater than all your sin. If the answer to any of these questions is no, what's keeping you from responding in genuine repentance right now? Your eternal destiny depends on it.