A Tale of Two Betrayals

This powerful exploration of John 13 confronts us with an uncomfortable truth: we are all capable of betraying Jesus. Through the parallel stories of Judas and Peter, we're invited to examine the hidden corners of our own hearts where unchecked sin, self-preservation, and comfort-seeking can lead us away from faithful discipleship. The sermon reveals Jesus in his full humanity—troubled, distressed, and deeply hurt by the impending betrayal of those closest to him. Yet even as he identifies Judas as his betrayer, Jesus extends bread to him, an act of honor and service that demonstrates love even toward the one who will facilitate his death. The central question pierces through our comfortable Christianity: Does our love of Jesus exceed our love of our sin, ourselves, and our desire for a faith custom-fitted to our comfort level? We see two paths diverge—Judas, whose love of money and self-created religion led to despair and death, and Peter, whose bumbling, chaotic love for Jesus ultimately brought him back to repentance and a life wholly given to Christ. The difference wasn't in the severity of their failures, but in where they turned afterward. Peter understood what he declared in John 6:68: 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' This message challenges us to honest self-assessment and accountability, reminding us that spiritual blindness can creep in gradually until we're indistinguishable from Judas at the table, asking 'Is it I?' while already knowing the answer.