"Surely not I, Rabbi?” (Judas)
Matthew 26:25 NIV
"Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will….
Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Peter)
And all the other disciples said the same.
Matthew 26: 33, 35
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"I would never do that! No not me!” Hasn’t that thought at some point drifted across your mind, maybe after seeing someone mess up? I’ve had such thoughts more than I care to admit. On those occasions, I simply couldn’t see myself stooping so low.
That’s just how Jesus’s disciples felt when He foreshadowed their impending failure. They could not comprehend how far they would fall in the coming days. Judas had no idea how low down his greed would pull him when faced with temptation. The eleven had no idea how quickly fear would launch them into a fight-or-flight survival mode ”“ causing Peter to strike his sword at a soldier, and later deny his association with Jesus. They all would abandon Jesus in His darkest hour.
The disciples adamantly insisted that they would stick with Jesus, no matter what. Hadn’t they always stuck with Him? Surely He was mistaken when He said, "You will all fall away.” Surely the prophesy didn’t apply to them: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”
(from Zechariah 13:7)
As for you and me? None of us knows how far we might fall in testings which we have never yet faced. We don’t know how much temptation we are able to resist. Nor can we know what threats may someday assail us. And so we do well to take note of the disciples’ experiences. In them we see ourselves. Through them we recognize our own potential for failing our Lord ”“ and His potential for restoring us.
Eleven disciples accepted their failings and experienced Christ’s exhilarating grace. Undoubtedly, that helped ignite their passion for the Good News.
As for Judas, surely his ultimate failure was not his betrayal, but his resistance to Christ’s restorative grace. Surely he condemned himself by turning his back on a merciful God. Judas never got to see how God would use his grievous sin to bring about good. How sad for Judas.
Jesus’s disciples remind us that we need not be anxious about our potential to fail. Instead, we can trustfully cling to the promise of God’s faithfulness to restore all who reach out to Him for His forgiving grace. It’s the privilege of salvation!
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Prayer
Dear Father, As we remember Christ’s suffering, help us also empathize with His disciples’ anguish during those dark days. May we feel Peter’s bitter tears when he realized he had denied his beloved Master. May we be energized with renewed trust in Your power to bring about good through our fallibility too ”“ knowing it is always for Your glory. Amen