K i n g ’ s
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September 1930
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B u s i n e s s
a deep, though perhaps somewhat crude, loyalty. He found Him the most attractive person he had ever seen. He gave to Him a devoted and straightforward affection. True, his love was at times ignorant and mistaken. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, he protested against the prophecy of the Cross; and Jesus had to rebuke him sharply for his utter lack of spiritual understanding. Yet his protest was against that death which Jesus predicted, for Himself, and which he felt would be utterly unjust. His love was unenlightened and misdirected; but it was love, nevertheless. It is noteworthy that Judas never so much as ventured a word' of sympathy; Jesus’ prediction of His own death did not seem to trouble him. Look at Peter on another occasion. Some disciples, puzzled by the strange words of Jesus about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, had begun to withdraw slowly. Jesus turned to the Twelve, and said: “ You are not going away also, are you ?” It was Peter who loyally replied: “ Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Love has learned its lesson. Though he may not understand the meaning of the coming shadows, he will accept them because his Master seems sat isfied, and he will share them with Him. Listen to him on the eve of his sad failure: “ Lord, I am ready to go with thee to prison and to death.” He meant it. See.him in the Garden, the only disciple who dares to offer resistance to an armed force. See him fol low to the judgment hall, though “ afar off.” Though he blundered, and faltered, and failed, Simon Peter loved Jesus with all his heart. Judas, on the other hand, was always cool, calculating, and self-contained. He was not afflicted with Peter’s boisterous enthusiasm. He was not an incorrigible blun derer ; what was worse, he was selfishly proper. He did no unseemly thing because he did not care enough about Jesus to do anything. His thought was centered on Judas. Jesus was the instrument of his ambitions rather than the object of his love. No genial warmth emanated from his soul; he lived in the dead calm o f a frozen selfishness. IV. The fourth and greatest reason for this divergence was that Peter acknowledged Jesus as Lord, and Judas did not. Peter, from the very first, acknowledged the superiority of Jesus, and finally acknowledged his sovereignty over his personal life. There is no record that Judas ever addressed Jesus by the title of “ Lord.” He saw in Jesus a great man, a possible king, a popular hero, a religious leader, but not a personal Lord. He maintained an attitude of exclusive ness. He never allowed Jesus to influence his personal life. Peter accepted Jesus” rebukes, and changed for the bet ter; Judas, was not sufficiently interested to make efforts to please Jesus, and changed for the worse. Because Peter had acknowledged the lordship of Jesus, he had the protection of Jesus at a time when he needed it sorely. “ Simon, Simon,” said Jesus, “ Satan hath desired you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” The intercession of Jesus stood between him and the powers of evil; and though he failed under trial, he was not lost, Jesus did not pray for Judas; in fact, he made a defi nite exception of him. Judas, who would not acknowl edge His lordship, did not merit His protection. Satan, who sifted Peter, entered into Judas. The power o f evil shook Peter, but possessed Judas; for the life which is not dominated by Christ, sooner or later is dominated by evil. ( Continued on page 422)
God Hath Chosen Us in Him Ephesians 1 :4 B y A da E. B rowne Chosen first by God the Father In eternal ages past; Human thought can never fathom Love so wondrous and so vast. Chosen in Him, God’s well-beloved, Chosen from among the lost, Lifted up through grace . to glory, Saved at such tremendous cost. Chosen by the Eternal Spirit, Sealed, securely—His alone, Earnest o f the blood that bought us, Precious pledge “ Until He come.” Sing my soul in exultation For the wondrous grace bestowed; For the love that stooped to save us; Glory to the Triune God. —Christ Life.
pained by its own defilement. Peter had started on the right road. We may search Judas’ life in vain for any confession like Peter’s. The argument from silence is, of course, indecisive in itself. Perhaps he did say something of the sort, which has not been recorded for us. However, Judas never once, in any recorded speech, expressed con trition for any act, or sorrow for any sin, until his day of opportunity had passed. When the realization of his sin burst upon him, his sorrow was the foretaste of retri bution rather than the evidence of repentance. II. Again, Peter was eager for truth, and Judas was not. Peter was always asking questions. Sometimes they were foolish; often they were impertinent. He was slow to understand many things. He frequently blundered, and on one or two occasions showed a lack of spiritual discern ment truly surprising in a man who had companied with Jesus as long as he had. Nevertheless, he was eager to learn all that he could concerning the marvelous things of which Jesus spoke, and he seldom lost a chance to interrogate Jesus on some point. Not so Judas. Only once is it recorded that he asked Jesus a question, and that was really an insinuated criti cism of Jesus’ act: “ Why was not this ointment sold' for three hundred pence, and given to the poor” (John 12: 15) ? Here is no eagerness for truth, but a smug self- satisfaction and carping criticism, coupled with avarice; for Judas’ glittering eyes could see only shekels. The spontaneous sacrifice of a loving heart was, to him, only “ waste.” The significance of the act provoked no ques tion, from Judas which might indicate interest in spiritual matters; instead, it elicited only disapproval. He was sat isfied with himself; he cared only for shekels. III. A third cause for the divergence was that Peter aban doned himself to love for Christ, and Judas never did. From the very beginning, Peter seemed bound to Jesus by
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