Repentance

Summary

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders | 3

In the story of Peter’s denial we saw the miraculous grace and mercy of God toward His people; His faithfulness in spite of ours. We get into trouble if we take this for granted. It has become a common, in reaction to works-based theology of the past, to understand God entirely through the lens of grace. The story of Peter seems to confirm this: Peter is faithless, but God remains faithful. Then we have Judas Iscariot. Judas was sorry for what he had done and tried to correct his mistake. He felt remorse to the point of suicide, yet Jesus calls him the ‘son of destruction.’ How can we reconcile the loving embrace of Peter with the rejection of Judas? Why does one get forgiven and not the other?