A Tale of Two Disciples

Lessons from the lives of Peter and Judas

By Kelly Cilano

I tend to root for the underdog.

I am a bit sentimental – maybe even naïve at times – but I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt unless they prove me wrong.

At times this interferes with my ability to see a situation as God sees it.

God sees us for who we really are: humans who can only look from the outside in and who rely on actions, spoken words, and other exchanges of communication for information of the heart.

It is the heart that ultimately chooses the pathway of life.

Have you ever noticed the similarities between Judas and Peter?

Both were chosen by Jesus and were His trusted traveling companions. Both hated Rome and its domination over the Jews and hoped Jesus was going to restore Israel.  Both were strong-willed.

Peter and Judas both preached the gospel and healed the sick; Jesus loved them both and they each held an honored position within the structure of the Apostles. Each thought he was right most of the time.

And they both betrayed Jesus.

For a long time I saw Judas as more of a victim than a willing participant in his sin.

After all, how could someone like Judas, an honored companion of Jesus, end up in this awful scenario… and what does this mean? 

Could I end up like Judas?

On the surface it appears that Peter and Judas do have an awful lot in common; but like the tares and wheat (or here in Tucson like the weeds and the wildflowers) it is by their fruit that you will know them. 

Let’s look closer at Judas. Judas was chosen by Jesus just like the other eleven.

Both Peter and Judas hated the domination of the Romans, and the Romans themselves. 

Yet Judas could only see from the world’s and more specifically, his own vantage point.

Peter started with that same vantage point, but Peter moved upward toward seeing more and more of the spiritual realm.

Peter began to see things through the eyes of Jesus. 

One of the reasons I can identify so well with Peter is because he was constantly struggling, yet through his struggles – and with the help of Jesus – he broke through the mist of this world into the heavenly realm and then essentially fell back down to earth time and again.

His vision was constantly being perfected through His relationship with Jesus, yet he still lived on earth.

Judas never seemed to see through the eyes of Jesus. He could only see his world, and how Jesus was going to fix it his way. He only saw Jesus for the purposes of Judas.

His relationship with Jesus wasn’t about who Jesus was; it was about how it served Judas. 

Both Peter and Judas saw Jesus as a deliverer for the Jews.

Peter, like Judas, initially saw Jesus as someone who would help rid the Jews of the Romans.  Yet as time continued Peter saw that very premise develop into a revelation of who Jesus really was: not just a deliverer from the Romans but the long-awaited Messiah, the Deliverer from sin.

Judas, on the other hand, became frustrated with Jesus because his perception was that Jesus was becoming unfocused from his real purpose as earthly deliverer. He saw Jesus only from the standpoint of what Judas wanted Him to do: deliver the Jews from the tyranny of Rome. It wasn’t a bad desire – in fact it was noble to desire freedom. Yet Judas wouldn’t allow Jesus’ vision to become his own. 

Consequently, Judas was shortchanged in his vision, his expectations and ultimately his physical and spiritual life.

But the main difference between Judas and Peter – the decisive difference – was how they saw Jesus. 

Judas was there when Peter made his remarkable acknowledgement that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Judas was silent and unbelieving.  I wonder if Judas ever saw Jesus for who he was, and as a result of his unbelief his sin increased, his repentance alarm was silenced and Satan himself took advantage.

When Satan left Judas, Judas was left with remorse, shame, and great regret. But worse, he had bought the lie that Jesus would not forgive him, and ultimately the burden of his sin was too great, and he killed himself. 

He recognized who God was, he knew the law, and he felt the weight of his sin. But he would not recognize who Jesus truly was, and this kept him from repentance.

Judas died with Judas on the throne of his heart rather than Jesus.

But Peter had also denied Christ. He, too, was shortsighted when it came to his own heart’s prideful desires.

He truly thought nothing would stop him from defending Jesus.

Peter was unaware of what he was coming up against, and he didn’t heed Jesus’ warnings, either.  He was sure he could and would handle it.

Both he and Judas were wrong. Both were confident in themselves.

Yet Peter knew Jesus for who He really was: a loving forgiving Savior – and that made all the difference.

Despite all of Peter’s mistakes, his saving grace was that he really knew Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

He knew Him! That is exactly why Peter, who suffered shame and great remorse just like Judas, could still come crawling back to Jesus in repentance.

It was his belief based on his relationship, on knowing who Jesus really was, that was Peter’s  salvation.

Really knowing Jesus was the key to saving Peter’s life, and it is the same key to saving yours.