TwoSides

Written by cycleguy on March 29th, 2012

Have you ever seen the movie Dark Knight?  I know one person who has.  This guy will tell you it is his favorite movie.   While it is a good movie, everyone who knows me will say my favorite is this one.  Anyhow…back to my idea.  If you have seen Dark Knight then you will know that one of the habits of the District Attorney, who eventually become known as “Two Face” because of a gruesome accident, is flipping a coin and saying, “Heads or Tails.”   He always wins.  Near the end of the movie we find out why:  the coin is the same on both sides.

Everyone knows there are  two sides to every story.  There are two sides to every coin.  Any good counselor knows there are two sides to every story.  Every wise pastor knows there are two sides to every story.  A wise friend will listen, but will also listen with both eyes open, because…there are two sides to every story.

You have seen it, as have I.  Two people, sometimes from the same family, living and working side by side, take different paths.  Same parents. Same love.  Two different characters and two different results.   We have that in the Bible.  More specifically, in the life of Jesus.  Two men who lived, laughed, ministered, cried (maybe), right alongside Jesus…but with two different results.

PETER…AND…JUDAS

Names ring a bell?  I’m sure they do.  One man failed miserably and ended it all. One man failed miserably and turned it around.  One man sold his soul for cheap money. One man traded his during a moment of fear.  One man lost out.  One man won.  I am sure you know the difference between the two.  Judas, the traitor, sold his Lord and his soul for 30 pieces of silver.  Eventually realizing the destitution of his act, he returned the money, but refused to see the life of forgiveness Jesus offers.  He went out and hanged hung dangled himself from a tree.  Peter denied his Lord and any connection to Him (as Jesus said he would), but when he heard the cock crow, went out and wept bitterly.  But repentance is a funny (not haha) thing: it restores your soul.  It gives hope.

TWO SIDES. ONE HOPELESS.  ONE HOPEFUL.  ONE LOST. ONE FOUND.

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, will feature Peter and Judas.  My series,  Transformed by His Presence, is taking a look at people transformed by being in the presence of Jesus.   No two people give us a better picture of the reaction toward Jesus than these two.  I know you have a ton of things to do and pray for, but would you please include me in those prayers?  Thanks.

What is your take on Peter and Judas?  Do you see yourself in either? Do you have trouble with repentance? 

 

30 Comments so far ↓

  1. Daniel says:

    Prayers out and up. I would also say, don’t let the “pageantry” of the next two weeks get in the way of the message. I’m not sure why I said that, but I think that sometimes Jesus gets lost among the chocolate and bonnets. As for me, I’m a little bit Peter and a little bit Judas (something like being both Donny and Marie?). One moment I am strong, the next weak. One moment forthright, the next slinking in the shadows. I am hoping that this is a case of two steps forward and one step back, ultimately leading to forward progress over the long haul.

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks for the admonition Daniel. I try really hard not to allow that in my own life and in the church’s life. The focus is Jesus not us. I like your reference to “I’m a little bit country, & I’m a little bit rock and roll.” 🙂

  2. Dan Black says:

    I relate well with Peter. He failed big time but received God’s grace and after did great things. I know he felt like giving up after he denied Jesus but Jesus come and lifted Peter up. I know I make a lot of mistakes but each time I rely on God and His grace to lift me up.

  3. tom says:

    Praying now for you Bill! I am in both and find find peace knowing both were used for God’s purpose and His Glory…so can we…regardless

  4. lindaM says:

    Hi Bill,
    I see Peter and Judas as being quite different in their acts of betrayal of Jesus.

    In scripture we are told that Judas ended up with Satan entering him at the table before he left the room to betray Jesus. His betrayal was planned, strategized. Judas looked for a way to profit while trying to force Jesus’ hand. Make Jesus usher in the kingdom.

    Peter loved God. Peter imagined himself standing with Jesus through thick or thin. Peter had received revelation from God (the Father) that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

    When Peter went to the high priests palace it wasn’t to betray Jesus. In some ways I believe that Peter did not even realize what he was doing when he kept denying that he knew Jesus. Until, the cock crow. Then he knew.
    I believe Luke’s book says that at that time Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Peter realized then. I believe Peter sobbed because he couldn’t imagine how he could do such a thing. He cried because he loved Jesus so much, and yet he had denied Jesus when his life and freedom were threatened.

    Later when Jesus spoke to Peter his first question to him was, “Peter, do you love me”? Jesus asks Peter 3 times for the three denials. “Peter, do you love me”? Peter says,’You know Lord that I love you. hallelujah!!

    Scripture says that ‘love covers a mulitude of sins’. Peter’s love for God, I believe, saved him. I don’t think that the fear of death had any more power over Peter after this reconciliation with Jesus .

    Judas I believe, had a guilty conscience. Judas had planned this whole betrayal out, and it wasn’t going the way he had thought it would. Everyone was dispersed, Jesus was on death row. He wasn’t going to be the hero in all of his deception, with 30 peices of silver in his bank account to boot, he was the villan. It would have been better for him if he had never been born, the Bible says.

    There was no repentance granted to Judas by God. Judas in my mind did not have the opportunity to return to God. He had made his choice over many months of deliberation, maybe a year or two. He was destined for death and he knew it at this point in time. I believe this certain knowledge is what cause Judas to hang himself. He had given up the greatest thing that had ever happened in his life, for 30 pieces of silver. Judas had no more hope.

    My 2 cents Bill.

    • cycleguy says:

      I would disagree on one thing: no matter how much of “planning” Judas had done, if he had recognized the error of his ways and repented I do believe God would have forgiven him. Like you, I don’t believe Peter realized what was happening as he was denying Jesus. The cock crowing did it and his remorse was genuine.

      • lindaM says:

        Hi Bill,
        The term son of perdition came to my mind yesterday. I looked it up and found it in John 17:12 as well as other places in Scripture.

        the second part of this verse says ‘None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled’.

        ‘Perdition’ is a King James Bible word. Rev 17:8,11 ‘The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction’.

  5. Hey Bill! I will definitely be praying for you and your message for the weekend! What a great lead up to Easter. I like that it’s not the traditional Palm Sunday sermon. 🙂

    As for your question, when I was in bible college we had to choose which biblical leader we most identified with, and I chose Peter. However, I chose the impetuous, emotional, act/think-before-speaking Peter. I saw so much of myself in how he responded and led. What that assignment did for me was to open my eyes to the ways God can take a person and transform them. My prayer is to see that type of transformation in my own life! 🙂

    • cycleguy says:

      Hey Melissa! It is so good to hear from you. I thought you had given up blogging. 🙂 I can appreciate your thoughts on peter. I related a whole lot more to the impetuous one than the new one, but am so grateful the new one shows there is hope. Thanks again for coming by.

  6. Desert Jim says:

    Peter’s life gives me hope.

    My favorite song about Peter:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7PwfgpFfF8

    Praying for your church this weekend and next that it will be a beacon for Christ in Spencer.

    • cycleguy says:

      Yep, hope is right Jim. Thanks for the song. Listened to it. Are they more of a local band. Not familiar with them. Thanks for the prayers.

  7. floyd says:

    Great comparison. Many of us at one time in our lives were like the younger Peter. After witnessing God’s power over this world, we become more like the mature Peter, standing against a lost world with compassion and no fear…

  8. Tammy says:

    Praying for you, Pastor, that your congregation will “see Jesus” in your message. Sounds like it’ll be a good one! Any chance it’ll be on the Internet anywhere?

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks for your prayers Tammy. Every prayer I pray just before I preach is “Help me to step aside that we might see Jesus and Jesus only.” It will be posted at ovcf.org (church’s site) by Monday. Thanks for asking.

  9. I definitely want to be Peter and not Judas.

  10. Jon says:

    Wow very powerful post. It’s so crazy how different their paths turned out to be, and all because of the choices they made. Peter is one of my favorite people…the growth in his life is such a beautiful thing. He went through the motions, had his moments of weakness, but he was able to turn it around, and become such an amazing vessel for Christ.

  11. Larry Hughes says:

    I can’t relate myself to either Peter or Judas. Perhaps John might be a closer match.

    Peter failed in standing up for Jesus but it was foretold on his actions to save his own skin.

    Judas on the other hand profited from his betrayal and ploted his actions. Also foretold of what he will do.

    Certainly the human nature factor plainly came into play here.

  12. Robin says:

    Bill, saying a prayer for your church right now…
    And about those 2…I see myself in both of them…sigh.
    Thankful for grace dear friend.

  13. Robin says:

    I also said a prayer for you…not sure how I could forget to mention that!!! 🙂

    • cycleguy says:

      Thank you so much for praying for the church (and for me) Robin. It is so good to hear your “voice” again. Grace is for all of us my friend. 🙂

  14. Ike says:

    Simon Peter was as bad as Judas…he did not sell Him…but he denied Him. The difference between Judas and Peter is that Peter repented. Our Lord prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail.

    When Judas went to the temple and threw down the silver given to him to betray the Lord…he could have changed his mind. As the priests were taking Jesus to Pilate..Judas could have fallen down before Him and said..”Forgive me, Lord, I did not know what I was doing.” The Lord would have forgiven him.

    Prayed up.

    • cycleguy says:

      I’m with you on this Ike. Forgiveness is for all of us until, IMHO, we breathe our last breath. I see the same with peter and Judas as you do: the difference was repentance. Thanks for the comment.

  15. Ed says:

    I’m a little bit of both I have to say. There are somethings in life that I’ve done, and many people I have forsaken in someway or another that I find myself like Judas. But I always know that I have to pick myself off like Peter.
    Praying for you. I wish I could be there it sounds like you are going to deliver an awesome sermon!

    • cycleguy says:

      Thanks so much for your prayers Ed. I can only say it will be online after the morning. You can check it out at ovcf.org.