" Jesus, Judas and Peter" Easter Sermon

by Pastor David Layman                   April 16, 2006

John 20:1-10

My name is Andrew.  Im one of Jesus disciples.  A number of years have passed since that first Easter Sunday when Jesus was raised from the dead.  But it is still, without a doubt, the greatest day of all history.  Its certainly the day that changed my life forever.  It marked the beginning of a new world.  Friday and Saturday, following Jesus crucifixion, I and all those who loved Jesus were in fear and numbed by shock.  We also struggled with guilt.  We knew that wed all run after Jesus arrest.  We couldnt help but call to mind how wed been arguing earlier in the week about which one of us would be the greatest when Jesus came into his power.  We were so selfish, and self-focused!    We were still high from Palm Sunday, convinced that somehow, this was the pivotal time when we (along with Jesus) would come into earthly power.  We were so blind to what Jesus had been trying to teach us!   We blocked out what Jesus said about how he must suffer and die.  When he was arrested, beaten and crucified, we were totally shattered.

Perhaps none more so than my brother Simon Peter.  Peter had loudly boasted that, though all others might fall aside, he would stick with Jesus to the end.  Jesus told my brother that, before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny Jesus three times.  And low and behold, it happened.  Peter was absolutely devastated with grief Friday and Saturday.  Not only had he lost Jesus, hed lost all respect for himself!  

I havent mentioned Judas Iscariot.  It is painful to relate that one of us 12 not only betrayed Jesus by running at his arrest.  Worse than that, Judas negotiated with the temple leadership that desired to arrest Jesus, and led the soldiers to where Jesus was that night.  He even betrayed Jesus with a kiss, the greeting Jewish men give to one dear to them.  Judas always did seem to stand apart from the rest of the 12.  For one thing, Judas was from Judea, while the rest of us came from Galilee.  A number of us disciples were fishermen.  Judas was well educated, and a good administrator.  Jesus had him be our treasurer; Judas was skilled in financial affairs.  Coming from Judea, he had some good contacts in Jerusalem.  Judas was one of those smart people who knew he was intelligent, to the point of arrogance.  While Jesus had plans for each of the 12 he called, Judas had his own plans for what he wanted Jesus to do.  And in the closing weeks of Jesus ministry, Judas was becoming more frustrated with the path Jesus was pursuing.  Judas may have thought that having Jesus arrested would force Jesus to alter course and work some miracles that would bring about a huge following at the time of passover.  Judas was also naive, I believe, about the intentions of the temple leadership.  For whatever reasons Judas had, he betrayed Jesus, for 30 pieces of silver.  A significant sum, but money he did not desire to keep when he realized that the leadership was sending Jesus to the cross.  Judas was so distraught, that he threw the money back at the temple leadership, and went out and hung himself.

There werent just three people that died in Jerusalem that weekend:  Jesus and the thieves crucified on each side of him.  There was Judas, who went out and hung himself.  To be honest, all of us felt like dying when Jesus was crucified.  When Jesus was informed that his friend Lazarus was seriously ill, even though he knew it was risky to make a public appearance near Jerusalem, Jesus went to Bethany.  At that point, Thomas said Let us also go, that we may die with Jesus.  Not all of us were as brave as Thomas, but we all went back with Jesus.  Then Jesus called forth Lazarus from the tomb, and instead of thinking about dying, we began to think of the tremendous power that Jesus had.  But he chose not to use that power to save himself!  I know now that Jesus chose to die on the cross to do for us that which none of us can do for ourselves:  reconcile a sinful humanity with a holy God.  Only God can bridge a gap so great, and Jesus did that for us!  The resurrection of Christ reveals that God is not only loving:  He will use His power to establish His purposes!   

Ive found myself thinking about the tragedy of Judas.  Judas was so overcome by his sin that he couldnt bring himself to believe in Gods mercy, and he hanged himself.  One of Judas greatest sins was that, just as he had taken matters into his own hands and gone to the chief priests and negotiated to turn Jesus over to them, Judas had to take matters into his own hands again by hanging himself.  Judas didnt give the risen Christ the chance to forgive him, because Judas took his life before Jesus rose from the dead!  My brother, Simon Peter, had also betrayed Jesus by denying him three times.  But, in all his misery and grief, Simon Peter continued to cry bitterly because of his sins, until Jesus rose from dead and came back to forgive him.

Judas was different from Peter in another way.   All of us were guilty of running in fear at Jesus arrest.  Yes, Peter denied Jesus three times that night.  But no one could doubt that Peter, in spite of his sin, loved Jesus.  Judas, on the other hand, spent three years with Jesus, hearing him teach, being on the receiving end of Jesus love and grace.  And yet, there was coldness in Judas heart toward Jesus.  For example, when a woman annointed Jesus with a very expensive bottle of perfume, all Judas could think about was what a waste such an expenditure was.  Judas said We could have sold this perfume and given the proceeds to the poor, but we all knew it was poor Judas that Judas was thinking of, not the poor.  Jesus said the woman had done a wonderful thing, annointing Jesus body before his death.  Judas is an example of the fact that some can live in Gods neighborhood, and still have a heart as cold as stone!

Not everyone will behold the risen Christ!  The Apostle Paul speaks of numerous resurrection appearances of Jesus.  But there is no mention of the risen Jesus appearing to Pontius Pilate.  Or to Herod.  Or to Caiphas, the High Priest.  If I were writing the script, I would have had the risen Christ come and tap King Herod and Roman Governor Pontius Pilate on the shoulder, and say Im baaaaccck!  Imagine the fun Jesus could have had by returning to the Roman barracks where he had been beaten within an inch of his life, with about 50 buff angels, saying Now lets see whos going to whip whom today!  And the risen Christ showing up at the next meeting of the San Hedrin, rising and saying I understand that one order of business is the repair of the temple curtain, ripped from the top to bottom.  And, by the way, lets reconsider that item of business concerning handing me over to the Romans to be crucified.....

Most often, the risen Christ appeared to those who had loved his first appearing, whose hearts were warmed by his words.  Most often, the risen Christ appeared to those who grieved over their sin, misunderstanding and failings.  The risen Christ appeared to even those who didnt have a clue that he might rise from the dead.  They like me might be bewildered by his crucifixion, plagued with feelings of guilt and inadequacy.  But, like Simon Peter, they stuck around and gave the risen Christ an opportunity to appear to them.  My brother, Peter, wept bitterly for his sins, and he hung in there.  The risen Christ appeared to him, forgave him, and commissioned him to feed his sheep!  One of your modern day philosophers has said 90% of life is just showing up!  Thats an exaggeration.  But it points to a truth.  God can work with those who keep showing up, who keep being in the places they should be, and trying to do the things they should be doing, people that, even though they doubt and struggle, keep their faces in Gods direction while theyre doubting and struggling.  God is willing to work with people who acknowledge their sin and shortcomings, their frustrations.  Judas reminds us that God has a hard time working with those who think they know better than anyone else, who insist that life moves on their own schedule, who refuse to wait on the Lord!

I understand people in your day are eager to be sympathetic with Judas, theorizing that betraying Jesus really wasnt his fault, for one reason or another.  You know why I think this is?  Deep down, people fear that if Judas is considered guilty, we all could be liable to judgment.  When at the last supper Jesus said One of you here tonight will betray me, we were all asking Is it I, Lord?  We all knew we were capable of failing the very God who loves us so much.  Wed rather think that theres no such thing as sin and judgment.  But Im an eye witness to the harm sin can do.  Sin made a coward out of me.  Were all sinners, but only those who truly acknowledge and grieve over their sin, and stay in the neighborhood of Gods Grace, are likely to receive it!

Since the risen Christ ascended into heaven, he is not making the same kind of appearances he did to women such as Mary Magdalene and the 11 remaining disciples.  But by the power of the Holy Spirit, the risen Christ is making himself known yet today.  Sometimes we experience him through hearts that burn within us.  Sometimes, he opens our minds to receive insight.  Sometimes, he dries our tears and places within our hearts forgiveness and new hope.  Always, He calls us to rise and follow him, to do the things he did among us.

In closing, I want to say to you that, even though centuries separate us, theres really not that much difference between you today and the 12 disciples who first followed Jesus.  You call us saints and name churches after us today:  St. Andrew, St. Peter, St. John, and so forth.  We were sinful human beings just like you.  We didnt get the point of Jesus teaching much of the time--perhaps just like you.  But you live on the fortunate side of Calvary.  You know how the story ended, while we were first called before Christ was crucified and rose.  You can read about Peter, and Judas, and me, and decide what kind of a follower you will be.  You live on the fortunate side of Calvary, and also on the fortunate side of Easter.  Judas didnt stick around long enough for that.  As dark and troubled as your Good Friday world might be, hang in there--the risen Christ may appear to you!  

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