Maundy Thursday
Peace Sanctuary open for guided prayer & communion today from 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. 
Come experience an individual time of prayer and contemplation.  Walk in Jesus' steps through a series of meaningful prayer stations.
Scripture
Matthew 26:20-35 (NIV)
 
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
 
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely you don't mean me, Lord?"
 
Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."
 
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely you don't mean me, Rabbi?"
 
Jesus answered, "You have said so."
 
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
 
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, " Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
 
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
 
Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
 
"'I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
 
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
 
Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
 
"Truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."
 
But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

Meditation
Two Betrayals - Cindy Wheatley
 
Matthew gives us a more complete picture of Judas than the other gospel writers. Matthew includes the detail that the chief priests offered Judas 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus (Matt. 26:15). He also shows Judas displaying remorse over his betrayal and trying to return the money (Matt. 27:3). When the chief priests refused to take it back, he threw the money at them and committed suicide. This is a much more human portrayal of history's most notorious betrayer than we see in the other gospels.
 
Peter also betrayed Jesus quite spectacularly, just as Jesus told him he would. Matthew devotes six verses to Judas' betrayal and twelve to Peter's! Narrative space alone would suggest that Peter's betrayal was the more significant of the two. In fact, Jesus predicts that all the disciples will betray him in one way or another (Matt. 26:31). How heartbreaking that must have been for Jesus: to spend day and night with these men for three years only to be betrayed by them in his final hours.
 
But Peter was special. Matthew made that clear from the moment that Peter stepped out of the boat onto the waves. Peter would be the rock on which the church would be built. Peter had a front row seat at Jesus' transfiguration. Jesus had big plans for Peter. Judas is never mentioned, except as Jesus' betrayer. We can only assume that they did not enjoy the close, intimate relationship that Jesus and Peter had. Judas betrayed Jesus once; Peter betrayed him three times. So why is it that Judas is remembered as a betrayer and Peter is venerated as a saint?
 
In his book The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey sheds light on this gospel mystery: "Judas, remorseful but apparently unrepentant, accepted the logical consequences of his deed, took his own life, and went down as the greatest traitor in history. He died unwilling to receive what Jesus had come to offer him. Peter, humiliated but still open to Jesus' message of grace and forgiveness, went on to lead a revival in Jerusalem and did not stop until he had reached Rome."
 
The difference is grace. When Judas felt pangs of guilt, he confessed to the wrong people. He thought that giving the money back would fix everything. Judas killed himself believing that there was no forgiveness for someone like him. He died in hopelessness. Peter lived in the hope that he could be forgiven and redeemed. Matthew tells us that Peter "went outside and wept bitterly" when he realized what he had done (Matt. 26:75). But he did not commit suicide; he did not lose hope.
 
John gives us the precious gift of witnessing the reunion of Peter and Jesus after the resurrection. After Peter declared his love for Jesus three times, cancelling out his three betrayals, Jesus calls him anew: "Follow me!" (John 21:15-19). We serve the God of second chances. We must all ask ourselves, "Am I Judas or am I Peter?" Are we living with the shame of temptation and sin believing that God won't forgive the darkest parts of ourselves, or are we living as a redeemed people who serve the living Christ?
Reflection
Imagine an alternative ending to the story of Judas in which he repents of his sin and asks Jesus for forgiveness. How might God have turned him from a sinner to a saint as he did with Peter and Paul? What sin are you harboring that you think is unforgivable?
Prayer
Gracious God, I have betrayed you many times. I have denied you and your grace. But I know that you died so that I can be redeemed. You died loving me and wanting me to be with you forever. Forgive me for losing sight of the one unchanging constant in the universe: your love. Shine your light of grace into the darkest parts of my life. Create in me a new heart. Amen.
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