Perspective: The Story that Never Happened

I share these thoughts, hoping they are of help to someone else.


The Story that Never Happened

Scripture:

In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied Him up and paraded Him to Pilate, the governor.
Judas, the one who betrayed Him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, "I've sinned. I've betrayed an innocent man."
They said, "What do we care? That's your problem!"
Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself.

Matthew 27:1-5 (The Message)

There's so much more
This is not the end
It's all in your hands
Don't throw it away
A beautiful life
With so much to give
The image of God
Underneath your skin

From "Missing Pages" by Seventh Day Slumber

Some of the most beautiful stories in the Bible, in my opinion, take place after Christ's resurrection. These are stories of forgiveness, of redemption, and of broken relationships with God being restored. These are stories of new faith being born and of new-found purpose in life. These stories put the entire Gospel into perspective as they show us the extent of Christ's love and mercy. These stories give us hope.

THOMAS' NEW-FOUND FAITH

On the Sunday morning after the crucifixion, Jesus' grave is found to be empty. That evening, the Disciples, confused and afraid, are gathered in their meeting place with the door locked. All of a sudden, Jesus appears in the room with them, saying "Peace be with you." He shows them His scars, and imparts to them the Holy Spirit, commissioning them to continue the ministry He started here on earth. Unfortunately, the disciple Thomas is not with the others. Overjoyed, the ten go and tell him that they have seen Jesus, but Thomas refuses to believe them. He even tells them that he will not believe unless he can see and touch the scars where Jesus was pierced during the Crucifixion.¹

One week later, the disciples are gathered in the same room once again, but Thomas is with them this time. Jesus appears in the room with them in the same way He did the week before, saying, "Peace be with you." He turns to Thomas and invites Him to touch His scars, exhorting him not to doubt but to believe. Thomas then cries out, declaring Jesus to be "my Lord and my God."²

Christ addressed Thomas' doubt directly, and real, living faith grew from seeds of doubt. Along with the other disciples, "Doubting Thomas" went on to continue the work Christ started. According to church tradition, Thomas was a great missionary, taking the Gospel as far as India and China.

PETER'S SECOND CHANCE

Peter was one of Jesus' closest disciples. He was also the most vocal of the Disciples. Whenever Jesus challenged the Disciples in some way, Peter was almost always the first to speak up.

On the evening of Jesus' Last Supper with the Disciples, Jesus begins to speak cryptically of His coming trial and execution. He then tells the Disciples that they will all desert Him. Peter protests, saying that he would follow Jesus to the grave if necessary; Jesus, however, prophesies that Peter will deny knowing Him three times before morning.³

Later that night, Jesus is captured and brought before the religious leaders. As Jesus is being questioned by the high priest, Peter is nearby, and people begin accusing him of being associated with Jesus. As he tells the third accuser that he does not know Jesus, the rooster crows. Peter immediately remembers what Jesus had predicted and is filled with regret.⁴

One morning after Jesus' is raised from the dead, Jesus takes Peter aside and asks him three times if he loves Him. Each time, Peter replies that he does indeed love Jesus, and, each time, Jesus charges Peter with the task of "feeding His sheep."⁵

Three times, Peter denied Jesus, and, for each denial, Christ gave Peter the chance to redeem himself. For each time Peter told Jesus that he did love Him, Jesus gave Peter the task of leading the church. After Jesus ascended into Heaven, Peter went on to become a very influential leader in the early church.

SAUL'S RADICAL TRANSFORMATION

As the church increased in numbers, Christians began to face persecution from those who saw Christ as a threat. One such person was a man named Saul. This man persecuted Christians with a passion, and even endorsed the first execution of a follower of Christ.⁶

One day, Saul heads out to begin dealing with the Christian threat in the city of Damascus. Suddenly, a blinding light from Heaven falls down upon Saul, knocking him to the ground. The voice of Christ then asks, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"⁷ In Damascus, Saul is given back his sight, and the entire experience leaves him a changed man. Immediately he turns from his old life of fighting the church and begins his new life of serving Christ.⁸

Saul changed his name to Paul and went on to become a great missionary and another influential leader in the early church. He traveled abroad, starting up local churches in non-Jewish communities. He wrote numerous letters to instruct and encourage these churches, and these letters make up a significant part of the Bible. Ironically, this man who once caused so much suffering for those who followed Christ would himself face much suffering on account of his ministry.

THE STORY THAT NEVER HAPPENED

Thomas, Peter, and Paul were all personally touched by Christ, and they were never the same afterward. Thomas found new faith; Peter found redemption and a new calling; and Paul found new faith and a new mission in life. All three of these men were changed radically, and their stories inspire us even today. There is one story that never happened, though. There is one man who did not give himself the chance to be transformed by Christ's love and mercy.

Judas Iscariot was another of Jesus' twelve disciples. All of the disciples shared their money, and Judas served as their treasurer. He acted as though he was charitable, but he would often steal money from the group.⁹ Judas was also the one who betrayed Christ, setting into motion the chain of events that led to the Crucifixion.

On the evening of the Last Supper, Judas has already been paid a sum of money to help the religious leaders apprehend Jesus.¹⁰ Judas leaves early to meet with them and, that night, leads them to the garden where he knows Jesus will be praying. In the darkness, Judas points out which man is Jesus with a literal "kiss of death." Jesus is then taken before the high priest and put on trial.¹¹ Judas realizes what he has done, throws the blood money back at the religious leaders, and, unable to live with himself, commits suicide.

Judas' life had the makings of another beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation, but Judas gave up. He gave up on himself, believing that there was no other option for him but to go silently into the darkness. He also gave up on God, believing that God could not forgive him and that no amount of grace could ever cover what he had done.

What would have happened if Judas had not killed himself? How would the story be different if Judas had not given up?

I believe that forgiveness and grace were available to Judas. Jesus, as He was being crucified, prayed for the forgiveness of those executing Him.¹² If those who mocked Him and drove the nails into His flesh could be forgiven, then I believe that Judas could be forgiven for his part in the plot.

I believe that Jesus would have confronted Judas, just as He had confronted Peter, asking "Judas, do you love Me?" Perhaps Judas, seeing that Christ was giving him a second chance, would answer tearfully, "Lord, I never loved You, but I do now!" Jesus would then impart to him the Holy Spirit and send him out into the world to serve God. Judas would have struggled, like Paul, to be accepted in the community of faith, but he would have gone on to do great things for Christ.

Like Thomas, Judas would have been given the personal encounter with Christ needed for living faith to grow in his heart.¹³ Like Peter, Judas would have been given a second chance and a new calling in life. Like Paul, Judas would have been given the opportunity to turn from a life of hurting the cause of Christ to a life of serving Christ.

No matter what you have done in your life, it is never too late to turn around and run into the arms of Christ. Christ wants to show you love and mercy. He wants to turn your life around. He wants to grow living faith in your heart and to give you new purpose in life. Christ wants to be part of your life, and He wants you to be part of His. Never give up on God, and never give up on yourself.


Notes:
1 - John 20:19-25
2 - John 20:26-28
3 - Matthew 26:31-35 / John 13:36-38
4 - Matthew 26:69-75 / John 18:15-18,25-27
5 - John 21:15-17
6 - Acts 8:1-3
7 - Acts 9:1-9
8 - Acts 9:17-19
9 - John 12:4-6
10 - Matthew 26:14-16
11 - Matthew 26:47-57
12 - Luke 23:34
13 - I just want to give a shout-out to my pastor for highlighting this in a sermon recently.



If you have any feedback, thoughts, stories, or even arguments to contribute, please leave comments.