Judas and Peter

During the first communion meal, Jesus testified, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up His heel against Me.’ Joh 13:18. Immediately after this, Jesus became troubled in spirit and brought a specific word of knowledge to the disciples. He said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.’ Joh 13:21. When Jesus brought this word of knowledge, He was granting Judas one final opportunity for repentance. However, Judas was unwilling to humble himself to receive this word of truth that had the power to deliver him from his self-righteous blindness. He rejected Christ’s word even as he received the bread from His hand. The outcome of his choice was that Satan entered his heart, and that Jesus appointed him to his own place of judgement in the lake of fire. Joh 13:27.

Once Judas had left the communion meal, Jesus continued to minister to the other eleven disciples, whom He called ‘little children’. Joh 13:33. His ministry included a specific word of knowledge for Peter. Jesus said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow until you have denied Me three times.’ Joh 13:38. Peter resisted this word because he trusted in the integrity of his own heart and in the legitimacy of his own religious motivations.

We can identify the reality that Judas and Peter were both self-righteous. The significant difference between the two men was that Peter possessed the blessing of faith from Christ because he had received the word of the New Covenant. Judas did not possess this faith. Even though he was present with the rest of the disciples during the communion meal, he had rejected the word of the New Covenant. He did not eat and drink the communion in faith for a participation in the fellowship of Christ’s offering and sufferings. Without this faith, he ate and drank damnation to himself. 1Co 11:28-29. 2Co 13:5.