Peter and Judas. Where Do You Turn After You Fail?

Read the passage first

Begin with Luke 22:31–34 and 54–62. Then read Matthew 27:3–5 and John 21:15–19. For the background to Judas's betrayal, read Matthew 26:14–16 and 47–50.

Notice what each man does, but also what Jesus does. The hope in this story rests on the Savior, not on the strength of a person's feelings.

What happens in this passage

The night of broken promises

Perhaps you know the feeling. You promised someone you would stand by them. Then, when it mattered, you let them down. Your stomach drops. You replay the moment and wish you could take it back.

Peter and Judas both sinned against Jesus during the events surrounding his arrest. Both belonged to the Twelve. Both had heard his teaching and seen his works. Yet being close to Jesus outwardly was not the same as trusting him. John identifies Judas as one who did not believe (John 6:64, 70–71).

Judas had arranged to hand Jesus over for money. That night he led the crowd to him and identified him with a kiss (Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50). Peter had insisted he was ready to go to prison and die with Jesus. Later, challenged about his connection to Jesus, he denied knowing him three times (Luke 22:33, 54–60).

These were both serious sins. We do not need to pretend they were identical to see that neither man could make his guilt disappear by his own goodness.

Two men who felt sorrow

After Peter's third denial, the rooster crowed. Jesus turned and looked at him. Peter remembered what Jesus had said, went outside, and wept bitterly (Luke 22:60–62). His confident promises had collapsed.

Judas also felt remorse. When he saw that Jesus had been condemned, he brought the money back to the chief priests and elders. He acknowledged that he had sinned and that Jesus was innocent. They dismissed him. He left the money in the temple, went away, and took his own life (Matthew 27:3–5).

We must not make Judas's remorse unreal to make Peter's story hopeful. Judas recognized that he had done wrong and tried to return the payment. But Matthew does not describe a believing return to Jesus, and it does not explain all of Judas's final thoughts. We should not invent them.

His tragic death must not become a verdict on every person who experiences despair or dies by suicide. Feeling despair does not itself prove that God has rejected someone. A person in anguish needs care and companionship, not an accusation that they are another Judas.

Sorrow is not the whole of repentance

Paul distinguishes sorrow that leads to repentance from sorrow that leads to death (2 Corinthians 7:10). He is writing about the Corinthians, but the distinction helps us here: feeling the pain of sin and turning to God are not the same thing.

Repentance means admitting our sin and turning from it to God. It includes a real change of direction. We stop defending the wrong, ask for mercy, and begin to obey. Tears may accompany that turn, but tears do not pay for sin. Nor can the intensity of our grief tell us whether we have earned forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift of grace.

Peter's story does not end with his tears. The Gospels show him again with the risen Jesus. To understand his return, look first at what Jesus had already promised.

How this points to Jesus

Jesus prayed before Peter fell

Before the denial, Jesus told Peter that he had prayed for him, that his faith would not fail. Jesus also spoke of Peter's return and told him to strengthen his brothers afterward (Luke 22:31–32).

Jesus knew the failure that was coming. Peter's recovery did not begin with a better promise from Peter. His Savior was already interceding for him. Peter truly needed to turn back, and Jesus' words gave him reason to hope that his failure would not have the final word.

Three questions, and a call to follow

After the resurrection, Jesus met Peter and the other disciples beside the sea. After breakfast he asked Peter three times whether he loved him. Each time, he entrusted Peter with caring for his flock. Peter was grieved at the third question and appealed to Jesus' knowledge of him (John 21:15–17).

The three questions echo the three denials. It is a powerful parallel, although John does not explicitly explain it as three wrong answers being cancelled by three right ones. There is no formula to copy, and Peter is not purchasing pardon by answering correctly. Jesus is addressing his love and giving him work to do.

Then Jesus told Peter to follow him (John 21:19). Peter's failure was real. So was the grace that restored him to service.

Our hope is the Savior who receives sinners

Christian hope rests on what Jesus has done: he died for sins and rose again. When believers sin, they are called to confess rather than hide; their advocate with the Father is Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice deals with sin (1 John 1:9–2:2).

Salvation is by grace through faith, not a reward for a good record or enough suffering over a bad one. That grace leads to a changed life (Ephesians 2:8–10). Jesus promises to receive the person who comes to him (John 6:37).

So when you fail, tell God the truth. Turn from the sin and trust Jesus for mercy. Where you have hurt someone, acknowledge it and seek to put things right. Tell a trusted believer who can pray and walk with you. These are responses to grace, not payments for it.

You do not have to measure your tears before coming to Jesus. Bring him your real guilt, your need, and even your difficulty knowing what to feel. The reason to come is his promise, not a verdict you have reached about the quality of your own heart.

Words to know

Repentance means turning from sin toward God. It goes beyond wishing an event had never happened. It brings our wrongdoing into the open before God and begins a new direction of obedience.

Grace is God's undeserved kindness. Peter's restoration was not wages for weeping. The mercy Jesus shows points us to the Savior on whom sinners must depend.

Forgiveness means God pardons sin because of Christ. It does not make the wrong harmless or turn repentance into permission to repeat it. It gives us reason to stop hiding and follow Jesus.

Reflect

1. When you do wrong, what do you tend to do first: defend yourself, hide, punish yourself, or tell God the truth? What would turning to him look like today?
2. Jesus prayed for Peter before his denial. How does that change a picture of God who waits for you to become good enough before you may approach him?
3. Is there someone you need to apologize to, or a trusted believer you need to speak with? What is one honest step you can take?

Pray

Lord Jesus, I have sinned, and I cannot save myself. I believe that you died for my sins and rose again. I turn from my sin and put my trust in you. Please forgive me and save me by your grace. You are the way to the Father; through you alone I come to him. Teach me to follow you, seek forgiveness from those I have hurt, and live in the new life you give. Amen.