Judas and Peter
“Why does Jesus insist on going to Jerusalem?” asked Peter, “They’re going kill him!”
“Remember?” Judas replied. “He told us the time has come for him to be glorified. Don’t you see, Peter? It’s God’s appointed time! Jesus is going to lead us into a new era. The Romans will be overthrown. Israel will be back in God’s hands and we, Peter, are the privileged ones. We’ll be right beside him, fighting for freedom and bringing God’s rule into this, his Holy Land!”
“But,” said Peter, “If he’s killed in Jerusalem, if those Chief Priests and Pharisees get their hands on him, how he can be the king of God’s kingdom?”
Judas raised his hands in excitement, “You saw how he walked right through that crowd that was going to throw him off the cliff. You saw the Jews at the temple pick up stones, determined to kill him, and he just walked away. Don’t worry, Peter! Nothing and no one can stand in his way.”
“But what is his way?” countered Peter. “When I protested against him dying, he was angry, told me to get away. I just don’t understand.”
“Well, I do!” said Judas. “He has decided now is the time for the final showdown; the last confrontation between him and the authorities. Peter, Jesus is powerful in a way no one has ever seen before. They can’t even trap him with words. All his opponents will fall away. Either, they will be scattered powerless, or, they will take up anything they can find to wave as flags at his triumphal procession. And, Peter, we will have prime places of honour!”
Peter, thoughtful, had no answer.
“He told us to get swords,” Judas reminded Peter, “Go and get yours. You have your part to play in this and I have mine.”
Later, the twelve disciples walked the dusty road to Jerusalem, found an upstairs room and prepared it for the Passover Feast. They were surprised when Jesus took a towel and a bowl of water and began washing their feet.
“Shh,” said Judas to Peter, “He’s cleansing us, making us ready for the kingdom. Trust him, Peter!”
“I wish I knew how all this is going to end. I trust Him, I do! But why wash our feet? Why keep talking about death and leaving us? Aren’t we going with him to rule the kingdom?”
“You’ll see, Peter! At the last moment, when all seems hopeless, he’ll confound all our enemies, rise to take command, as the great leader he is, and then, all the people – they love him, Peter – they’ll rise up, strong under his leadership, and the sheer numbers will strike fear in every Roman’s heart. I reckon we’ll flee to the hills and set up headquarters there. I’ve been putting money aside for our expenses.”
“You have such a practical mind, Judas. No wonder Jesus called you to be one of the twelve.”
“We’ll need a substantial amount of money to set up our new government, Peter, but I have a plan. I can get enough to get us started.”
“Listen, what’s Jesus saying now… one of us will betray him?” John was between Peter and Jesus at the table, so Peter nudged John and said, “Ask him who it is.”
Jesus and Judas dipped their bread into the bowl at the same time.
Jesus, troubled, looked full into Judas’ eyes and said, “Go quickly. Do what you must do.”
Obediently, Judas left.
After supper, Jesus and eleven of his disciples were resting in the Olive Grove when Judas came back with temple officials and soldiers who arrested him. All the disciples realized Jesus was condemned, deserted him and fled.
Judas and Peter ran in different directions.
Judas, blinded by tears, ran straight to the temple. Gut-wrenching sobs tried to expel his crushed belief in himself, hopelessness drove him to panic. “What have I done?” he accused himself, “I have thrown his love away! I have stabbed him in the back. He is goodness itself, pure and beautiful. What was I thinking?”
“I’ve done wrong. Here’s your money back,” he said to the chief priests in the temple. “I have betrayed innocent blood!”
“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
Judas flung the coins into the temple, left and committed suicide.
Peter, distraught and confused, ran to the courtyard of the High Priest’s house and lingered there as the trumped-up court proceedings took place. Scared of the way events were unfolding, he vehemently denied that he even knew Jesus. A rooster crowed and Peter remembered Jesus’ words, “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” He went out and wept bitterly. “What have I done?” he accused himself, “I have thrown his love away! I have stabbed him in the back. He is goodness itself, pure and beautiful. What was I thinking of ?”
But, several days later Peter ate breakfast with Jesus on a beach at Lake Galilee and learned that Jesus’ love for him had not depended upon his efforts or even his faithfulness. Jesus’ love and trust in Peter had never waned. Peter discovered that nothing is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Based on scripture passages Matthew 27:3-5, Luke 4:30, 22:36, John 10:39, 12:23 and chapters 13, 18 &21 and Romans 8:39.
by Andrea Kidd
