Today we are being first-hand witnesses to the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today we are being called to watch closely as Jesus undergoes and endures the journey to Calvary. Today we are being asked to decide whether to stay close and walk with Jesus. On the first Good Friday, all of Jesus’ disciples left Him at various times along the route. Today we are asked to make the decision: to stay by the Lord, or to do as the first disciples did and desert Him. The choice is ours. If we choose to stay close to the Lord and walk by His side, then as Jesus takes each step, the horror of what is happening and what is ultimately going to happen becomes clearer and clearer. Everyone has gone, and it seems that even God the Father is gone.
As disciples of the Lord in this present day there is much to do and to learn if we are to be effective witnesses to the glory of Jesus Christ. There are two men who walked with Jesus in His daily life and who were there with the Lord as He was arrested. The two men are Peter and Judas. We can learn important lessons from these two disciples.
First let us look at Judas and see what we can learn from him. There are many theories about the why and wherefore of Judas, but this is not the place to discuss them. The facts from the scriptures suffice, and they are that Judas betrayed Jesus, and then killed himself when he realized what was actually happening to Jesus. Then there is Peter, who in essence did virtually the same thing as Judas. He betrayed any knowledge of the Lord, and when the cock crowed Peter realized what was happening, then left and wept bitterly. He went away and wept, full of shame.
Even if we desert the Lord and run away, He will always be longing to welcome us back.