Up Next: Failure
Failure.
Failure is one of the only things that every single person has in common. We have all experienced failure in our lifetime, and we are destined to experience it again before we die. Failure is just a part of life. No one likes it, but we all experience it.
Failure has existed since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve experienced failure in the garden, and mankind has been experiencing failure ever since. Even the disciples experienced failure. In fact, in my (I’m sure) unpopular opinion, there were two major failures in the Gospels; possibly, the biggest failures ever made. One was made by Judas (no surprise there), and the other was made by Peter.
Most of us are quite familiar with both Judas’ and Peter’s failures. Judas’ failure occurred when he went to the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus. Peter’s failure occurred when he betrayed Jesus not once but three times. Both men had failed. Both men had betrayed their Lord. The end result of their failures however, could not have been more different.
It is unknown why Judas went to the chief priests and agreed to lead them to Jesus. Some think it may have been motivated by financial greed. Some believe that he had given up on Jesus and was trying to force Him to make a political move. Still others believe that he may have been put off or confused by the idea that a real Messiah could actually die when Jesus began to speak about His own burial. Whatever the reason, most people agree that Judas had put himself in a position that opened him up for temptation by the enemy. Satan wasted no time using Judas’ discomfort (whatever that discomfort may have been) to motivate him to betray his Rabbi.
Similarly, it is unknown why Peter would betray Jesus by disowning Him three times, especially since Jesus had just warned him about it a little earlier that night. It seems odd right? Peter had just been on fire for Jesus, courageously wanting to fight for Him, go to prison with Him, and even die with Him. He even cut off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest in Jesus’ defense. It is possible that Peter had been disheartened by Jesus’ response to his courageous act. Maybe it confused him when Jesus fussed at him for his actions. Maybe his being confused and disheartened had clouded his judgement for a moment and that is why he so easily betrayed the One he loved so dearly. Who knows?
Another similarity between these two apostles’ betrayal stories is that both experienced a moment when everything became crystal clear again. In that moment, both men felt the weight of their individual failures and became remorseful. Peter’s moment came when the rooster crowed. Judas’ moment came when he saw that Jesus had been condemned. Both these men suddenly became overwhelmed by what they had done. Scripture tells us that Peter “went outside and wept bitterly” when he was seized by his moment. Judas returned the money to the chief priests and confessed his sin after experiencing his moment.
Up to this point, I would argue that both Judas and Peter had very similar experiences with failure. So how is it that Judas hung himself while Peter went on to become the rock on which Christ built His church? I believe we need to take a trip over to 2 Corinthians for this answer.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sadness produces a changed heart and life that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but sorrow under the influence of the world produces death.” (CEB) Don’t miss this friends. Yes, we will all experience failure in our lifetime, but the way we respond to our failures is, quite literally, a life or death matter.
Judas deeply regretted his actions. In fact, scripture says he was “seized with remorse”. Unfortunately, his sorrow was not the kind that leads to forgiveness. Rather than running to Jesus in repentance, he ran back to the chief priests and elders. He sought out forgiveness from the world rather than the only One that offers true forgiveness. This resulted in him being directed and lead to death. Literal, physical death.
Peter, on the other hand, literally chased down any moment he thought might lead him back to Jesus. When Mary Magdalene came to Peter and John to tell them that someone had taken Jesus’ body, Peter immediately took off running for the tomb. John may have beat him to the tomb, but Peter ran right past John straight into the empty tomb without a moment’s hesitation. He was desperate to be with Jesus again. Later, when Jesus appeared on the shore while Peter was out fishing with some of the disciples, it was Peter who jumped into the water to swim to shore once he realized that it was Jesus calling to them. He could have stayed in the boat with the others and rowed to shore, but he again seemed desperate to be with the Messiah again and chose to dive into the water instead.
Jesus responded to Peter by allowing him to repent through confessing his love for Jesus the exact same number of times that he had denied him on that awful night. This is what amazing grace looks like, friends. He goes on to reinstate Peter by repeating the same two words that He first spoke to Peter when they met. Follow me.
The beauty of failure is that it does not have to be final. The shame and regret may haunt us for quite some time, and make no mistake, the enemy will try to exploit our shame and regrets. But God…
God is in the business of redemption. Jesus is set on redeeming us. Jesus foresaw Peter’s failure, and He foresees ours as well. This is why He tells Peter in Luke 22:32, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (NIV) Peter was probably so confused by that because at that moment, he was convinced that he would never betray Jesus.
Jesus prayed for Peter’s failure before it even happened, and He prays for ours too. Judas lost his faith through his failure, as evidenced by his decision to seek forgiveness from worldly leaders and then take his own life. Peter held on to his faith despite his failure, as evidenced by him chasing down every opportunity to be with Jesus again. Jesus’ prayers were bigger than Peter’s failures. He prayed for Peter to keep his faith, and because he did, Jesus was able to use Peter to strengthen others. Jesus was able to use Peter to build His church.
Let that sink in.
Jesus is praying for you. He is praying for your accomplishments and your failures. Not only is He praying for your failures, He plans to use you, through and despite your failures, to strengthen others and build His church. I know you don’t like to fail. No one does. But consider this, it was through Peter’s failures that Christ built His church. Let that be an encouragement to you the next time you fail. Yes, failure sucks, but please don’t be afraid to fail because the things Jesus can do through your failures are more than you could ever ask or imagine.