At church this morning, pastor Robin Boisvert continued the series “The Path to the Cross” with his message titled, “A Denier Restored; A Betrayer Rejected.” Preaching from Matthew 26:69 – 27:10, Robin explained to the congregation how the gospel offers a clear hope and issues a firm warning.
Peter was the preeminent disciple, the unspoken leader. He was bold, passionate, opinionated, forceful and confident. Peter also dearly loved Jesus. At the Last Supper, Peter argued with Jesus that he would never deny Him, even if he must die. In the Garden, Peter put up a fight and cut off the ear of high priest’s servant. After Jesus’ arrest, Peter, with trepidation and courage, followed Jesus at a distance. But Peter’s boldness soon evaporated. In the courtyard of the high priest, Peter denies Christ three times to two servant girls and some bystanders. Each denial intensified until Peter thoroughly repudiated Jesus by swearing and calling down a curse on himself. Just after Peter denies Jesus for the third time, the roster crows. At that moment, Jesus caught Peter’s eye. Peter remembered Jesus’ prophecy that he would deny the Savior three times before the rooster crowed. Peter realized what he had done. The weight of his sin crashed in on his conscience and he went out and wept bitterly.
Why did Peter fall? Peter was supremely confident in himself. He was not aware of his own weakness. When he was warned, he refused to take the point. He even argued against it. Crisis reveals what is in the heart. In this crisis, there was pride, self-will, and a lack of humility in Peter’s heart. Peter was strong in himself, but weak in the Lord. Peter’s estimate of himself was completely false and needed to change. So God engineered the perfect circumstances for Peter’s ultimate benefit – and for ours.
Peter needed a Savior. But before that could happen, Peter needed to know that he needed a Savior. This entire incident was engineered by the Lord to show Peter that self-confidence and self-trust are entirely at odds with the humility that trusts in Christ. As well, Peter’s restoration, which happened after the resurrection, served as a wonderful demonstration of God’s grace in forgiveness and restoration.
“It is a matter worthy of the deepest consideration, that not only is so very little told us of the Saints of God, but what is recorded is for the most part to their prejudice … we may humbly venture to think that this melancholy failure in one so eminent and favored was permitted to occur to afford us encouragement and hope in similar derelictions and temptations. And that since our Lord could not give us an instance of human infirmity in Himself, He has given it to us in the person of the most exalted of His pastors: that all may fear, and none may presume, and all may hope.” – Isaac Williams
Judas, on the other hand, looked and acted like the other disciples. But he wasn’t. His sin in betraying Christ was intentional and pre-meditated. Peter’s sin was not planned but resulted from his pride and self-confidence.
Judas had betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he turned Jesus over to the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver. When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, Judas experienced feelings of regret and remorse, so he ran back to the chief priests and tried to return the money, but the chief priests ignored Judas. Judas had tried to do something to save Jesus, but he did not repent or have a change of heart. Peter, on the other hand, repented after he denied Jesus three times and ran back to Jesus.
Judas’ remorse led him to “worldly sorrow” (2 Cor. 7:10), despair and ultimately death. Peter’s remorse led him to godly sorrow, repentance and restoration. Judas valued Jesus cheaply. He betrayed Him for the price of a slave. When he realized what he had done, the money meant nothing. Peter valued Jesus differently. Later Peter would write that we have been ransomed “with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19).
The message really makes me think about what value I place upon the blood of Jesus and how highly I esteem the ransom price paid for my redemption and forgiveness. That Jesus would die for me, who, before I knew the love of Jesus, was just like Judas – a betrayer, lover of self, hater of justice, chief among sinners – is too amazing for my little mind to grasp. That Jesus would love me enough to die for me! What kind of love is this! That Jesus would sacrifice His own life to save mine. That I am made righteous in the eyes of God by Jesus’ blood. That His blood has washed me clean. When I think on these things, I am brought to my knees and reduced to tears. Thank you, Jesus, that when I was dead, you died to bring me life.
Young Ladies Tea
After church today, I attended the Young Ladies’ Tea at my sister Susan’s church in Charlestown, W.Va. It was a delightful afternoon of tea, sweets and inspiration spent with my mom, my sisters Susan, Jackie and Betty, and my niece, Madison, as well as two of Susan’s confirmation students, Kim and Renee. Susan was the hostess of our table, and she provided a beautiful setting for us. We had a pot of Darjeeling tea, along with several different types of teabags and hot water. For food, she had cookies, mini muffins, breads, pastries, hard boiled eggs, cheese and crackers, pickles and mints. As part of the program, we heard from 3 young ladies. Julianna Perkowski, a precocious 7-year-old who is making her First Communion this year, gave an uplifting message entitled, “Where is God?” In it, Julianna explores all the places her 7-year-old mind sees the wonder of God, including nature and babies. Eleven-year old Anna Leigh Marino’s speech was, “Loving God is My Choice.” Unfortunately, her voice was so soft that I could not hear anything of what she was saying. Lastly, Molly DiServio, 16, who is in this year’s Confirmation class, spoke on “Love is an Action – Come Fall in Love.” In her presentation, Molly took a look at 5 things facing teenage girls today, including clothing and boys, and how these things affect a girl's behavior and reputation, and can distract her from what should be her first love: God. Overall, I had a wonderful time spending “teatime” with some of the most important ladies in my life.
