“PRETENDING OR REPENTING”
LUKE 22:47-62

I. Introduction
When you were child and you disobeyed your parents, were you sorry you disobeyed them, or were you sorry when they caught you? How can you differentiate between these two kinds of sorry? Well, ask yourself this: How sorry would you have been if your parents had never known what you did and you got away with it?

There are two kinds of “sorry” we’re going to talk about today. One kind is, “I’m sorry I did it. It was wrong and I should not have done it. The other kind is, “Even though I know it was wrong, I’m not sorry I did it. What I’m sorry about is that I got caught.”

Let me give you an example. I got my last speeding ticket in the summer of 1998. When I was pulled over I was sorry. When I got the ticket I was sorrier. When I paid the fine I was sorrier still. But I broke the law. I was caught. It cost me. And I was so sorry. But was I sorry that I broke the law, or was I sorry that I hadn’t gotten away with it?

How sorry would I have been if there were no police around when I was doing 76 in a 55? Well, at least I didn’t try one of those classic excuses. You know, like, “I’m sorry officer. I know I was speeding but I had to get to the gas station before I ran out.” Or, one of my all-time favorites, “Sorry, officer, but without my glasses I can’t even see the speedometer.”

“I’m sorry I did it,” or “I’m sorry I didn’t get away with it.” That is not a minor distinction!
In today’s passage in Luke we will see two men commit sins. Both of them will hurt the Lord Jesus Christ to the core. That’s because both sins are against God’s Son. In fact, the Scriptures tell us that all sin is against God. David knew that when he confessed his sins of adultery and murder.
*Psalm 51:1-4a
1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4a Against You, You only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in your sight…

The two sins we will look at this morning are committed by two different men. The effects of both of their sins will devastate Jesus. Yet one of the men will be forgiven. The other man will be condemned. Peter and Judas have one thing in common – they’re both sinners. But one of them, Peter, is a believer, and he will be sorry for committing his sin. He will repent, he will be forgiven, and he will be restored. The other man, Judas, is not a believer, and he will only be sorry that he didn’t get away with his sin. He will not repent, he will not be forgiven, and he will be condemned.
Sorry for sinning or sorry for getting caught! This is what separates Peter from Judas. This is THE distinction. Peter’s sorrow was for his sin. In it we see his repentance and salvation. Judas’ sorrow was for himself. In it we see only regret, remorse, and condemnation.

In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth the apostle speaks of this distinction of sor-rows. In an earlier letter of admonition he had told the Corinthians the truth about their sin and their willingness to embrace false teachers. The result was that they were sorry.
*2 Corinthians 7:8-10
8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it – for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while –
9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sor-rowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

In v. 9 and the first part of v. 10 you see sorrow like that of Peter. It leads to the repentance that is according to the will of God. Such repentance is proof of salvation. In the last part of v. 10 you see sorrow like that of Judas. There is no repentance according to the will of God. There is only regret and remorse. The lack of such repentance is proof of condemnation.

That’s the difference between a pretender and a “repenter.” By the way, when someone says that all you need do to be saved is believe in Jesus and that repentance is an unneces-sary work, you can remind them that Judas “believed” in Jesus, but he was lost because he refused to repent and seek forgiveness. Belief without repentance is not saving faith.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

II. Review
It is just before dawn on the day of our Lord’s crucifixion. Jesus and the eleven remaining disciples have left the city and spent most of the night on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus has suffered greatly as the reality of His being made sin for us draws near. He has prayed and pleaded with His Father not to make “…Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf… (2 Corinthians 5:21).”

But Jesus knows that there is no other way. He knows that God’s plan must be carried out and He knows that He – the only One who is without sin – is the only One who can bear the wrath that God is about to unleash. And so He submits to the will of His Father, and says, “Father…not My will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42).”

When they arrived at the garden Jesus told His disciples to pray with Him, so that they might be prepared for what He knew was coming. But while their spirits may have been willing, their flesh was weak, and instead of praying Jesus found them sleeping.
So He rebuked them again. In v. 46 He said, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” But it’s too late to prepare. They’re coming for Jesus.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

III. Text
And that brings us to this morning’s text in Luke.
*Luke 22:47-62 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
47 While He was still speaking, behold, a multitude came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him.
48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 And when those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
50 And a certain one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And he touched his ear and healed him.
52 And Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber?
53 “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”
54 And having arrested Him, they led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
55 And after they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
56 And a certain servant-girl, seeing him as he sat at the firelight, and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”
57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
58 And a little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 And after about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And imme-diately, while he was still speaking, a cock crowed.
61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a cock crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
62 And He went out and wept bitterly.

Judas had already plotted his betrayal with the Jewish religious leaders.
He had already received his payment of thirty pieces of silver. All that was left for Judas to do was to return to our Lord’s enemies and lead them to where he knew Jesus would be.

But in order to set the stage we need to go back a few hours to the upper room, where Jesus had just initiated the first Lord’s Supper, our communion service. He announced that one of the disciples would betray Him. At this point John’s gospel reveals some details that Luke’s does not.
*John 13:24-27, 30
24 Simon Peter therefore gestured to (John), and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
25 He (John), leaning back thus on Jesus’ breast, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus therefore answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when he had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
27 And after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
30 And so after receiving the morsel (Judas) went out immediately; and it was night. (back to Luke 22)

Judas goes to the high priest, who gathers the elders, the rest of the priests, the Pharisees, the temple guards, and a cohort of Roman soldiers. (A cohort was anywhere from three hundred and six hundred soldiers armed and prepared for battle.) Doesn’t that seem like more firepower than necessary to arrest one man? Doesn’t that lead you to think they might fear Jesus?
*Luke 22:47-48
47 While He was still speaking, behold, a multitude came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him.
48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Notice that Luke tells us Judas was one of the twelve. That means he was one of them, the Lord’s own disciples. He had been with Him for three years. He had heard all of Jesus’ teaching and was a witness to all of His miracles. Judas knew all about Jesus. He knew the truth, yet he rejected the truth. Why? He rejected it because his heart was hard.

There is a great lesson for us here. Judas Iscariot is proof that believing about Jesus and believing in Jesus are two completely different things. Belief about Jesus – without repent-ance – can never save anyone. That’s because only believing in Jesus accompanied by gen-uine repentance can save a soul. That is saving faith.

When John the Baptist came he did not preach a baptism of belief; he preached “…a bap-tism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3).” He was saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2).”
Jesus used the very same words when He began His ministry. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).” Repentance was an ongoing theme of Jesus’ preaching and ministry. He said, “I tell you…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).” The word “repentance” has a very specific meaning. Yet today it seems that few Christians fully understand what it is.
• A common misconception of repentance is that it’s “a feeling of sorrow about one’s sin.” But you can feel sorry for your sin and still not repent of it. Sorrow may well accompany repentance, but repentance is not sorrow. Judas would be sorry.

• Another common misconception of repentance is that it is “a turning around and going in a different direction,” or as “a turning away from one’s sin.” Listen, turning away from sin is a result of repentance, but by itself, turning away from sin isn’t repentance either. Judas would also “turn away” from his sin.

• Yet another misconception is that repentance is “changing what one is doing.” This is also a result of true biblical repentance, but that still isn’t what the word itself, actu-ally means. Judas even changed what he was doing.

But the biblical definition of repentance requires “a change of mind” about the Person of Jesus Christ. Who is He? Unless a sinner repents – changes his mind about Christ – that is, recognizes His deity, puts his faith in Him, and trusts Him alone for his salvation – he can never be saved. It is by this biblical measure that Judas, a man who knew all about Jesus, was not saved. He never trusted in Jesus. Despite all of his knowledge he rejected our Lord and turned on Him.

Feeling sorry for sin, turning away from sin, and even changing what one does about one’s sin can be called many things, but none of it can be called repentance as Scripture defines it. Unless there is a corresponding change of mind about Jesus, all of it profits a person nothing.

It’s easy to see how repentance, a truth of biblical Christianity and salvation in Christ, can be so thoroughly misunderstood when people have such different ideas about what repentance – as Scripture defines it – actually is. It’s no wonder there is such confusion about what the gospel is, and how it should be preached. (back to Luke 22:48)

Judas’ kiss is without doubt one of the most blatant acts of hypocrisy in human history. It has been called brazen, cynical, despicable, treacherous, and numerous other things. What-ever you may choose to call it, it is an act perpetrated by one who is possessed by Satan. What more would you need to know? It’s right here, after the traitor’s kiss, and just before they seize Jesus, that John tells us an amazing thing happens.
*John 18:4-9
4 Jesus, therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them “I am (He).” And Judas also who was betraying Him, was standing with them.
6 When therefore He said to them, “I am (He),” they drew back, and fell to the ground.
7 Again therefore He asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am (He); if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way,”
9 (so) that the word might be fulfilled which He spoke (Jesus’ own word spoken in John 17:12), “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”

Jesus declares His deity three times in these few verses. In vv. 5, 6, 8 He says, “I am.” Our best English translations add the word “He” for clarity, but that word is not in the original writings. When Jesus refers to Himself as, “I am” – as He does at least three other times in John’s gospel – He is using the same words that God used at the burning bush when Moses asked Him what was His name. In Exodus 3:14 God answered Moses and said to him, “I AM WHO I AM… you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.”

With this verbalization of God’s name, the entire crowd – hundreds of men and soldiers – are blown backward and fall down. Don’t you think at least someone would get it? Don’t you think at least someone would recognize that they’re in the presence of deity? But they do not! What an incredible example of spiritual blindness! God has literally knocked them to the ground. What do they do? They get up, dust themselves off, and come at Jesus again.
*Luke 22:49-53
49 And when those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
50 And a certain one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And he touched his ear and healed him.
52 And Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber?
53 “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”

At this point the disciples want to fight. But Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. As such, He does not need to be defended with either the methods of this world or its weapons. But that doesn’t stop Peter, whom John tells us is the one who lashes out with his sword.

Now there is another miracle as Jesus instantly heals the high priest’s slave. Again, I ask, don’t you think someone would “get it”? But these are unbelievers. They are spiritually blind. They don’t get it because they can’t get it. God speaks to them. God works miracles in their presence. And they say, “I don’t believe any of it!”
And we wonder why we cannot, with logic and reason, talk an unbeliever into saving faith? Listen, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t touch that heart, that heart will not be touched. Period!

Jesus makes a simple but important point in vv. 52-53. Before it was God’s time Jesus was “untouchable.” By the way, did you know that you are too? No enemy, disease, mishap, or accident can claim you until it is “your hour.”

We know that because of what Job said in Job 14:5 – “Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You, and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” We know that because of what King David said in Psalm 139:16 – “…in Your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” The fact is that no one will pass from this life until the hour God has appointed for him or her.

Now it is Jesus’ hour. His enemies have tried to take Him before, yet they could not. But now it is His hour. This is the moment our sovereign God has chosen from eternity past. It is an hour of deep spiritual darkness.
*Luke 22:54-62
54 And having arrested Him, they led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
55 And after they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
56 And a certain servant-girl, seeing him as he sat at the firelight, and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”
57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
58 And a little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 And after about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And imme-diately, while he was still speaking, a cock crowed.
61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a cock crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
62 And He went out and wept bitterly.

Peter and the other disciples are so much like us. Or should I say we are so much like Peter and the other disciples. Either way, it’s true. These verses (54-62) tell a story I think we all know pretty well. If we don’t see ourselves in it, we’re just not paying attention. It’s no secret that we Christians can have moments that display spiritual discernment and wisdom.
But we can also have moments that display little of either discernment or wisdom. Here are two examples of spiritual discernment and wisdom that can only come from God. Both of them involve Peter.
When Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, Peter said…
Matthew 16:16b-17
16b “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus…said to him, “Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

Later, some of those who were following Jesus left Him because He was saying things they did not want to hear. When they were gone He questioned the twelve, asking…
John 6:67b-68
67b “You do not want to go away also, do you?”
68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”

Those were bright moments. But now, in this dark hour, the disciples (and especially Peter) are anything but bright. They’re all about to flee, and Peter will do exactly what Jesus had said he would do. He will deny that he is one of the Lord’s followers, one of Jesus’ disciples. He will do so three times. He will even deny that he knows Him. (back to Luke 22:57)
• In v. 57 Peter responds to the inquiry of a woman in the crowd. He says, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

• In v. 58 He answers a man who says that he is one of Jesus’ disciples. But he denies it and says, “Man, I am not!”

• In v. 60 He answers another man who claims that he saw Peter was with Jesus. Again, Peter denies it by saying, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.”

With regard to this third denial Matthew tells us that Peter “…began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know the man!’ And immediately a cock crowed (Matthew 26:74).”

Isn’t it interesting that Peter has tried to blend in with the crowds? He seems to think that he will be safe if he “hides in plain sight.” But is blending in with the world, and trying to look like it, where God wants us to be? No, it isn’t. So when Peter is exposed, he does what so many of us do. We try to minimize our faith, or as in Peter’s case, we outright deny it.

We can handle it. So we venture off into the world. Like Peter, we’re too confident in our own strength and wisdom. Listen again to Peter’s brash words from a few hours earlier:
“Even though all may fall away because of You, I will not fall away (Matthew 26:33).” “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny You (Matthew 26:35).” “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death (Luke 22:33)!” “I will lay down my life for You (John 13:37b).”

Really, Peter? Can you imagine what goes through his mind when he hears the cock crow? His pride and self-confidence are destroyed. Unlike Judas he had already repented. He had already changed his mind about who Jesus was and what that meant. And in a short time, Jesus would begin to restore Peter and turn him into a great (and humble) man of God.
But right now, as the cock crows, Peter is being taken to school, as the saying goes. And he is sorry with a godly sorrow. “And he went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62).”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IV. Conclusion
What does all of this mean to us? What can we learn? We can learn the difference between Peter and Judas. We can see that the difference between them is the difference between us and the world. As Christians, we have repented. We have changed our minds about Jesus. We know what our sin has done to Him and, like Peter, we are truly sorry for that sin.

But the lost people of this world have not repented. The lost people of this world have not changed their collective minds about Jesus. The lost people of this world are oblivious to what they have done to Jesus. They could care less. And when the lost people of this world are trapped in the snare of their sins they, like Judas, are sorry only for themselves.

Peter was sorry for his sin. Judas was sorry for himself. Peter was repentant and was restored. Judas was regretful and remorseful, but was not repentant and committed suicide. How was Peter restored? After Jesus was resurrected He and the disciples were having breakfast on the shores of Galilee.
*John 21:15-17
15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend (feed) My lambs.”
16 (Jesus) said to (Peter) again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd (pastor) My sheep.”
17 (Jesus) said to (Peter) the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And (Peter) said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend (feed) My sheep.”

Judas pretended to be a Christian, but in the end he proved he was not. Peter repented and proved he was a Christian. His threefold denial of Christ was followed by a threefold restor-ation! Peter became the first preacher of the first church. “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).”

Take this with you today: You cannot follow Christ in your own strength. Only unbelievers and foolish Christians make vows they cannot keep. It’s only when we humble ourselves and recognize our weaknesses that we can be truly useful for Christ and His kingdom.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (Paul speaking)
9 And (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ~ Pray ~