As we come mid-week into the events of the Holy Week of Easter, we find a cluster of failings on the part of groups and individuals. Those entrusted with the administration of God’s laws and the accessibility of the “Holy Temple” failed in numerous ways as they were more concerned with laws of ceremonial cleanliness than with being clean in their hearts by casting off every kind of corruption, greed, and evil. Towards the end of the ministry of Christ, on earth, there would be the great failing in the denials by Peter, the strong but weak and impulsive Apostle. Yet of all failings in all of history, one failing rises to the pinnacle of treachery and brutal savagery and that is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. In a pragmatic attempt to understand the failures of these two Apostles, we are left with two distinct messages. One is the story of a sinner utterly lost in the consequence of their actions unable to find any glimmer of redemption from the evil they have fostered. One is a story of failure redeemed in hope wrapped around the same events of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Is the sin of Judas unforgivable? Is Peter forgiven of a greater sin than any of us have had in our own lives or will yet do? Yet, only one of these transgressors finds redemption and hope in the dying, risen, and forgiving Savior.
In the crux of the life that we all live, we all listen to the stories and lessons that Jesus the Teacher tells us but we must go beyond just hearing them. We all can hear about the way Jesus loves, but only those who trust in His grace can find redemption, restoration, and hope. The Risen Christ offers forgiveness for every failure. Only He offers a grace of which the extent of it, we cannot fully understand. Only He gives a grace that is just too amazing for any of us, to fully comprehend. We cannot live without failing at times, yet we are loved beyond all of our failures and redeemed from every single one, great or small. It was the immeasurable mercy that propelled our God to send His Son to bring forth a grace beyond amazing to cover every failure. This is the truth, lived out and fulfilled in the events of “The Passion Week” with extravagant love given to all those in need. The Savior who suffered, died, and rose again secured a solid and secure anchor for our faith throughout all of our days, beyond every one of our failures, and allows us to join Him in His kingdom now, and forever.
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (English Standard Bible, 2 Corinthians 9:15).
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2Lane Hardy and 1 other
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