Judas and Peter

The Life and Death Difference Between Godly and Worldly Sorrow

Acts 1-2

Peter is beginning to lead the disciples as Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit comes to fruition. Additionally, Judas' death is mentioned at this point. Peter and Judas in many ways were very similar, both in their time as disciples and also in their betrayal of Jesus. However, there is a major difference in their lives afterwards, and this illustrates the critical difference between Godly and worldly sorrow.

This is part 3 of a series on Acts.
Series Introduction
Part 1
Part 2

We’re not very far into our study of the book of Acts, but it’s clear that Peter is going to be the central character in Luke’s account. He will be the central character through chapter 12, then Paul will become the central character for the remainder of Luke’s account.

In chapter one we read about how Peter took charge over Jesus’ Apostles and about 120 other believers who had gathered together and who were trying to figure out where they were to go and what they were to do now that Jesus was gone.

Jesus had ascended into heaven, but he hadn’t left them alone, he hadn’t left them as “orphans” (John 14:18). Jesus had assured them the Father would send them the Holy Spirit who would be with them, live in them and enable them to do God’s will, to be witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:4,5,8).

While they were waiting for the Holy Spirit—probably not sure what exactly to expect, but expecting when the Spirit did come they would know it—Peter led the group in picking a replacement to fill the vacancy left by Judas. This, Peter told the group, was in accord with prophecy given in Scripture (Acts 1:15-17, 23-25). They picked Matthias.

On the day of Pentecost—a Jewish festival (Feast of Weeks or Harvest) celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover—the Holy Spirit miraculously came on Jesus’ disciples and they proclaimed in many languages the “wonders of God” in Jesus to the many out-of-town Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival. Peter gave the “keynote” address. And “those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:1-41).
In the middle of Luke’s account of these things he inserted a note about what had happened to Judas (Acts 1:18-19).

(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

Luke doesn’t spare us the gruesome details. Matthew was the only other writer to tell us what happened to Judas (27:3-5):

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood….” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Though Matthew’s account differs from Luke’s, it is possible to reasonably reconcile the two.

What I want you to think about the is the sad difference between how Judas and Peter ended up.

Both Judas and Peter started off with the same advantages. Both Judas and Peter were hand-picked, they were called by Jesus to be one of his twelve Apostles. Both Peter and Judas had left “everything” to respond to Jesus’ call and join him.

Both Judas and Peter were standouts among the Twelve. Peter is mentioned frequently in the Gospel accounts, but Judas also must have distinguished himself in the group. Jesus picked him to be the treasurer of the ministry. Judas was held in such esteem and was so above reproach among the others, that when Jesus’ seemingly unmistakably identified Judas as the one who would betray him, none of the others understood Jesus.

Both Judas and Peter had outstanding failures. All four of the Gospels tell us of Judas’ failure: He betrayed Jesus. Judas was motivated by greed. He was a thief. He stole money from the “purse” he was supposed to manage for the group. He was a hypocrite. But I don’t think he was a murderer. I don’t think he believed that when he was selling out Jesus, that he was betraying him—that he was going to be crucified. I think he thought Jesus would be arrested and threatened, but not killed. After all, Judas had seen Jesus get out of life-threatening situations before. Judas may have even justified in his mind what he was doing. He might have convinced himself that some of the money he got he would contribute to the ministry. And he might have believed that by selling out Jesus to the authorities that it would ignite a confrontation that would lead to the rebellion and revolution the disciples believed Jesus had come, as God’s Messiah, to lead the Jews in. That was why even Judas didn’t believe it was he who Jesus’ was talking about when, at the Last Supper, Jesus identified Judas as his betrayer (see Matthew 26:20-25). And consider how Judas responded when it became clear that what he had done was going to lead to Jesus’ crucifixion: “he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood….’ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:1-10).

All four of the Gospels tell us of Peter’s failure: he denied Jesus three times in just a few hours. It was at the same time (the Last Supper) when Jesus had said one of his Apostles would betray him, that Peter declared his commitment to Jesus, his willingness to die for Jesus if necessary, “even if all fall away on account of you,” he said he “never” would (Matthew 26:31-35). To which Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Peter was sincere, but he was also prideful, hypocritical, arrogant, self-confident and belligerent. After Peter’s third denial of Jesus, when the rooster had crowed, “Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken…. And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75).

Jesus had foretold both Judas’ and Peter’s failures. And in so doing, Jesus was extending to both Judas and Peter God’s grace. Jesus’ foretelling was a warning for both them (see Genesis 4:6-7). Even though Jesus knew what was going to happen, it didn’t mean it had to happen. The Scriptures would be fulfilled, the Messiah would be betrayed and crucified, but not necessarily by Judas. Peter didn’t have to deny Jesus.

I think what Paul told the Corinthians applies to both Judas and Peter. With every temptation to sin that we face, God provides a way out (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). God offers us the grace to stand up under the temptation, to not give in to sin. Both Judas and Peter could have repented of the sin that was in their hearts before they acted and committed their sins. Both Judas and Peter chose to reject (ignore, deny) God’s grace and, therefore, they fell and were responsible for what they did.

We know that after his sin, Peter was forgiven and restored. Do you think that Judas could have been forgiven and restored? Jesus said that every sin can be forgiven except one: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32). Did Judas commit the one sin that cannot be forgiven?

I believe that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is refusing God’s forgiving grace in two ways: (1) by refusing to acknowledge your guilt, your need, your accountably to God; (2) by refusing to acknowledge that God’s grace is sufficient for your need, your sin.

Both Judas and Peter acknowledged their guilt and their accountability to God. Judas was seized with remorse when he realized what he had done. Peter went out and wept bitterly when he realized what he had done. But here is the critical difference between Judas and Peter: Judas refused to acknowledge that God’s grace was sufficient for his need, his sin. So he would not take the grace that was available to him. He hanged himself. Peter, on the other hand, did take the forgiveness, the grace that he knew was sufficient for his need, for his sin. He was forgiven and restored.

Biblical repentance is turning from sin and turning to right behavior and to God. Repentance is acknowledging your sin and guilt and taking the grace and forgiveness God offers you.

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul confronted the Corinthian believers about some sinful behavior they were engaged in and tolerating. In his second letter he wrote this (2 Corinthians 7:8-11):

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.

Paul talked about two kinds of sorrow for sin. Worldly sorrow is sorrow for sin. It is the first step in repentance. It is acknowledging one’s sin and guilt. But that is all it is. It ends there. It ends in “death” because it does not move on to accept the forgiveness that saves. Judas had worldly sorrow. It ended in death.

Some people have great sorrow for the sins they have committed. They feel tremendous guilt. Like Judas, they are seized with remorse. And, as Paul said, that’s hard, but that’s a good thing that God intends. It is a necessary first step. But for many it ends with only the first step. They refuse to believe that they could be forgiven, that God could forgive them for their sins, for the terrible things they have done. Some Christians are this way in regard to the Christian life. They see their sins and failures, but refuse to believe that God’s grace is sufficient for them to live a holy and God-pleasing life.

Peter was different, but not better than Judas. Peter exhibited godly sorrow. He took the first step—he acknowledged his sin and guilt—and then moved on to the second step: he believed and received the forgiveness and grace Jesus offered him, and he was restored, he received the salvation that leaves no regret. Judas wouldn’t get his focus off himself and how bad he was. Peter took his focus off himself and put it on to God. What mattered to him was doing the will of God for the glory of God. Believing that God could forgive and enable him to live according to God’s will for his glory, he moved on from his remorse and his own weakness and inability. He took his eyes off himself and fixed them on God. He took his eyes off his weakness and failure and fixed them on the greatness and glory of God (see Philippians 3:12-14). That was what Paul identified in the Corinthians: earnestness, eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what readiness to see justice done.

What similarities and what differences there were between Judas and Peter. Judas had a sad ending. Peter had a happy ending. Peter was no better than Judas. Peter accepted the grace God offered him. ▲