"And said, "Brothers and sisters, the scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as a guide for those who arrested Judas. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry." (Acts 1:16-17 NIV)
We were beginning our study of Acts last night when these words about Judas nearly jumped off the pages. I’m impressed by Peter’s sudden spiritual maturity. Peter; the man who butchered an enemy ear during the arrest of Jesus just forty days prior, had quickly come to terms with the traitor in their midst and his critical role in the larger story. (Please note: I am not saying Judas lacked free will. Judas used his freedom to tear down the Kingdom, rather than build it. God, in His great mercy and absolutely sovereignty, had already factored Judas’ betrayal into the big picture.)
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I feel like I have experienced more than my fair share of betrayal over the years. (Does anyone really deserve betrayal?) I won’t name names; I feel an obligation to protect the reputation of the forgiven. That said, there has been far more than one Judas penned into my personal pages. All too often they have been the ones I least expected: people charged with great responsibility, who’s role went to their head as the enemy’s poison sank into their hearts.
Thankfully, God has factored disloyalty into the arc of history (His story). If Judas’ selfish and destructive plot couldn’t detract from the objectives of heaven, neither can the betrayers amidst our business. The will of God goes forward, whether the world cooperates or not.
Peter somehow understood this just after the Ascension. It’s my personal opinion that the Holy Spirit (breathed upon him in John 20:22) was pulling Peter along toward right perspective. Peter had already worked through the demanding process of forgiveness and expressed an absolute confidence in God’s ability to work all things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Peter was essentially refusing to lose any more sleep over Judas’ betrayal and instead refocusing all of his efforts on loving God and answering His call. Peter understood that he and his fellow disciples had holy tasks to accomplish and being stuck in unforgiveness would only stall them out.
Do we understand this? Can we see today how the traitors in our story keep wining when we sit out of the gospel effort because we’ve grown bitter? It is absolutely essential that we start the forgiveness process immediately after we experience betrayal. Consider again how our Jesus forgave His hecklers in real time. Forgiveness may very well feel impossible, but we serve a God of the impossible and He has sent His Holy Sprit to aid us in the mission-critical task.
The Kingdom is built by forgiving people. Period. We ourselves have been forgiven of much. How could we be anything less?
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)
Lord, please forgive us for being less hurried to offer amnesty than Your Majesty. Your love always eclipses our own, but we long to grow in that area. Lead the way. Help us see clearly how Your sovereignty can overcome each and every breach of trust in our story. Grow our confidence in Your ability to redeem all things. Strengthen us by Your Spirit for the hard work of forgiveness. Heal our hearts as You healed Peters, prepping us for the new work that lies just ahead. We love You ad we’re called. we refuse to get stuck. Amen.