What were they thinking???

Judging Judas are you?

Judging Peter?

How are they different from me?

How are they different from you?

Let’s talk about it…

I’ll start with Judas. 

I read the account of his betrayal of Jesus in every Gospel and several translations this morning, I knew how each was going to end but I continued to read to see if there were any redeeming qualities I could find to justify his action.

                                      I found no such redeeming quality.

However, I wondered what he was actually thinking and how long he had been thinking of just such an action against the man with whom he had traveled, eaten, shared laughter and tears. This is the man he saw divide five loaves of bread and two fishes and broke it into enough pieces to feed five thousand plus people and have twelve baskets left over, twelve? Yes, enough to feed all the dirty, hungry men that traveled with Jesus, the disciples.  This is the man whom he saw cleanse lepers, open deaf ears and blinded eyes and even raise the dead!  

                                          What was he thinking? 

He went and offered to betray the Man before he even knew how much he would be paid! Thirty pieces of silver was the price he received. Did he go out and buy himself a new garment or a place to live? How about food, did he throw a party and invite all the others who agreed with him that Jesus needed to be betrayed?

In the end he threw the money back at the Priests and went out and hanged himself.

What was he thinking?

What about Peter who had sworn he would drink the same cup and die with Him?  We see him in a cowardly pose standing in the shadows of the fire outside of where his friend was being tried. Peter had been bold enough to declare to Jesus “You are the son of God”, the boldness to un-sheath his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers, yet here he was not only hiding in the shadows… but loudly denying any knowledge of the man Jesus…  to His face no less!

I wondered why Peter was so afraid when he had seen this man walk on the water, curse a fig tree, tell the woman at the well all about her life and cast the evil spirits out of the mad man of the Gadarenes and into a herd of swine, then seeing this madman fully clothed and in his right mind! How could he be so afraid to stick up for this friend of his?

What was he thinking?

I could go on with my questions, but you get the gist of what I’m saying. We all miss opportunities every single day we live.

I can’t speak for where Judas is spending eternity, but I do know that Peter got forgiveness from Jesus and in the end died, crucified, hanged upside down because he didn’t feel worthy to be hanged in the same manner as Jesus…

this was after he had been forced to watch his wife suffer and die ten feet in front of his eyes.

At the end of my day, I think on all that has transpired during that day. I wonder how I may have succeeded in ways and miserably failed in others…and then I quote some verses from this hymn as a prayer, maybe you could pray it with me…

If I have wounded any soul today,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own willful way,
Dear Lord, forgive!

 If I have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Lest I myself shall suffer through the strain,
Dear Lord, forgive!

 If I have been perverse or hard, or cold,
If I have longed for shelter in Thy fold,
When Thou hast given me some fort to hold,
Dear Lord, forgive!

Have a blessed Easter Resurrection Day tomorrow!