Recently I was in jail to share the story of the Passion of Christ with the incarcerated and I mentioned how Jesus was left abandoned after He was betrayed by Judas. Every apostle – even Peter – walked away from Jesus when He needed them most. Indeed, not only did Peter abandon Him, but he even denied knowing Him. I then pointed out the irony that the only person to defend Jesus from the authorities after he was condemned was Judas (recall that Judas returned to the chief priests to recant his testimony against Jesus and to give back the thirty pieces of silver). And yet, Peter becomes a pillar of the church and Judas a pariah.
How different would our history be had Judas returned to the Lord and said, “Lord I am so, so sorry…. have mercy on me”. Instead, we know that Judas – consumed with guilt and despair – hung himself. We have all denied Jesus, abandoned Jesus and even betrayed Jesus; this is why Good Friday and Holy Saturday are the perfect days to reflect on the question:
Are you Judas or are you Peter?
Before you answer, allow me to construct three definitions which are foundational to this question.
The definition of Blasphemy
There are many different definitions of blasphemy, all with subtle differences so, for the purposes of this writing, let us settle upon the following as a working definition:
“Blasphemy is the act of insulting, showing contempt of, or disbelief in God or His word”
We blaspheme when we say “OMG” (you can fill in the blanks), when we use Jesus’s name as an exclamation of surprise or indignation, or when we damn something or someone in the Father’s name. Blasphemy is a serious sin and brings with it a penalty that puts our soul in great peril.
The penalty of Blasphemy
In-and-of-itself, blasphemy is forgivable – that is, with the exception for one specific type of blasphemy:
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:29)
“Ouch!” You say,“eternal sin sounds bad.” And indeed, it should. In fact, it is something we should avoid at all costs. But what exactly is it?
The definition of eternal sin
The definition of eternal/unforgivable sin is neither hard to find nor hard to understand in the Bible and when taken in the context of the discourse found in Mark 3:22-30, we can define it as “A persistent, willful rejection of God’s grace”
So, in its simplest terms, the unforgivable sin is that sin which you refuse to confess.
Is there hope for Judas?
Given the evidence we have in the Bible, I would say no.
Look, we all fall short and every one of us has denied Jesus multiple times in our lives. But the difference between Peter and Judas is that Judas, overcome with despair, took things into his own hands and hung himself, refusing to seek forgiveness. In other words, Judas committed the unforgivable sin and will face the impossible task of standing in judgement before a God – in Whose presence – sin cannot abide. Imagine mounting a defense before a judge in whose courtroom you are not even allowed to set foot in. While it is true that God is love, and that He wants to forgive us, He cannot because of the blinding nature of our Sin.
Step one – The only way to The Father
In John 14:6, Jesus is very clear about approaching the Father:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”
Note that Jesus did not say “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; most will come to the Father, by me, but if you find your own way, that’s okay too.” This is when I usually get peppered with questions like: “But John… what about ‘that guy’ who lives in the middle of the Amazon rainforest who – though good and decent and through no fault of his own – never heard about Jesus? Jesus died for him too, you know…”
I reject these straw-man arguments as irrelevant because such a person resembles neither of us. Like Judas or Peter, we are neither ignorant nor un-catechized. Both knew full well who Jesus was and in fact, Judas even incriminated himself when he revealed Jesus’ identity to the chief priests. My advice to those who raise such arguments is to stop trying to make these unique situations fit your circumstances. There is no need to look for carveouts or hidden pathways because the way to get to heaven is plain.
Step two – You can’t earn your way to heaven
People will then say, “But Jesus knew and loved Judas.” While this is true, familiarity with Jesus does not save us. The Bible says that even the demons know Him (James 2:19) and surely, they are not saved. In fact, Matthew 7:22-23 Jesus says:
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.”
Did Judas prophesy?
Did Judas cast out demons?
Did Judas perform mighty works?
I contend that it is at least possible that Judas did all of this, and yet, he still falls under the same caution given in the passage above. Yet some press further and say: “But Jesus specifically CHOSE Judas…”. Again, true, but the fact that Judas was chosen by Jesus does not exempt him. Remember that Jesus has also chosen you and me,and just like Peter and Judas, we too have betrayed Him.
Allow me to rephrase that: it does not matter how well you know Jesus, how much you hear Jesus, how prophetic you are, how many people you’ve healed or how many you’ve led to accept Jesus into their hearts – the fact remains that you cannot earn your way into heaven with works and if you are unrepentant of any sin, you are liable to judgment.
Step three – Then who in the world can be saved?
Jesus was controversial because He put everybody under the same two criteria for judgment:
- Did you love God with all your heart, mind and strength?
- Did you love your neighbor as yourself?
No matter the size of your church, how long you’ve been ordained or how much you put in the collection plate each week, whether you are clergy or layperson, male or female, apostle or disciple, or whether you are Judas or Peter, there is only one God and one system of justice.
In fact, Jesus tells us Judas’ fate in Matthew 26:24 and Mark 14:21 when He states this about the person who will betray Him:
“It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
The theologians and Biblical scholars who are reading this can correct me, but I believe this may be the only time in the Bible where Jesus singularly condemns someone, and if there were even the smallest amount of hope that Judas could be saved, I do not believe that Jesus would have said this.
Step four – But what about hope, mercy and forgiveness?
Is there hope for us? Of course there is! But hope, mercy and forgiveness come at a price – repentance of sin. I’ve often quipped that “everyone wants to serve God, but the problem is that too many want to serve Him as His adviser” and this is clearly not the way to be! Yes, it is right and proper to have hope in God, but we cannot mold hope into a predetermined outcome that favors us. Why? Because hope is anticipatory, it is not predetermined.
Clear differences, simple solution
The difference between Judas and Jesus cannot be clearer and the way to salvation – although narrow – cannot be simpler, because all that is needed is to repent, confess your sins and seek absolution from Jesus. James 5:16 directs us to
“…confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.“
Catholics: This means you must do this through the Priest in the confessional.
Non-Catholics: You must still confess your sins to one another as outlined by the Apostle James, and while a Catholic Priest cannot grant absolution to non-Catholics, you will have fulfilled the requirements of James 5:16.
Jesus has risen, have you?
And so, my friends, tomorrow we will arrive at Easter. We’ve been through Lent and have (hopefully) prepared for this day, the most Holy day of the year. But then what? What will you do on Monday? Will it be back to business as usual? As if nothing ever happened? Or will you let yourself be changed?
Jesus rose from the tomb – never to return to it, but what of you? After all, tombs come in many shapes and sizes. There are the career-shaped tombs, tombs of addictions, tombs of too much time with our phones or watching TV, and many other things that simply do not lead us to a better life.
After Easter, can you read the Bible a little more? Go to church more often? Strive to be kinder to others? Will you set a goal to witness to at least one person this week? This month? This year? Or will you return to your tomb?
What could be worse than suffering the ignominious death that Jesus endured? Turning your back on Him and not accept the gift He has given us. Jesus died for one reason and one reason only, to take upon Himself all our sins. When we refuse to give all our sins to Him, we turn our back on Him and we say, “I don’t need you – I’ve got this”.
St. Philip famously started his day with the prayer “Lord; watch out for Phillip, lest he betray you” . If we insist on putting ourselves in a position to advise God, then “Lord; watch out for me, lest I betray you” would be good advice to offer Him.
Happy Easter
Why not allow God to change you this Easter? Nothing would please Him more!
On behalf of my wife Leslie and I, thank you for all your support. Enjoy this Easter, your families, your friends and the freedom that Christ has won for you on the cross and know that each of you are in our nightly prayers.
Happy Easter from the Kowalski family.
He is Risen!