Freedom Through Forgivenessنموونە

Examples of Forgiveness

Peter and Judas

"And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him." - Matthew 10:1–4 NKJV emphasis added.

Peter and Judas both betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times and cursed out a group of people and a little girl. Judas sold Jesus out for money. What Peter and Judas did to Jesus was not a surprise to God. However, God still called them to be disciples.

Do not focus on your mistakes so much that you disqualify yourself.

God knows that you will make mistakes, and He still created you for right here, right now, with a purpose, for a purpose. God did not create you based on your mistakes; He created you for a purpose, despite the errors you will make.

Even though he and Judas both made a mistake, Peter was the disciple who later in life came back to God. Peter had a revelation of who God was, and Judas didn’t. Peter understood that even if he made a mistake, he could always come back to God. This is a fearlessness that we should all possess. Let’s look at the two mistakes made.

Judas’ Mistake

"Judas, one of the twelve followers, came while Jesus was talking. He came with many others who had swords and sticks. They came from the religious leaders of the Jews and the leaders of the people. The man who handed Jesus over gave the men something to look for. He said, 'The One I kiss is the One you want. Take Him!' At once Judas went up to Jesus and said, 'Hello, Teacher,' and kissed Him. Jesus said to him, 'Friend, do what you came to do.' Then they came and put their hands on Jesus and took Him." - Matthew 26:47 - 50 NLV

We see here that Judas made his mistake. He sold Jesus out—literally! Later, you will see that people paid Judas to betray Jesus.

Keep in mind that Jesus was taken to stand before the religious leaders. Here, people spat on His face and beat Him. This was a time that Jesus needed support (verses 57–68).

Peter's Mistake

" Peter sat outside in the yard. A young servant-girl came to him. She said, 'You were also with Jesus Who is from the country of Galilee!' But Peter lied in front of all of them, saying, 'I do not know what you are talking about.' After he had gone out, another young servant-girl saw him. She said to those standing around, 'This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.' Again he lied and swore, 'I do not know this Man!' After a little while some of the people standing around came up to Peter and said, 'For sure, you are one of them. You talk like they do.' Then he began to say bad words and swear. He said, 'I do not know the Man!' At once a rooster crowed." - Matthew 26:69–74 NLV

We have two people called of God who made huge mistakes. One sold Jesus out, and another abandoned Jesus when Jesus could have used him the most.

Both men regretted what they did.

Peter cried out loud with tears - Matthew 26:75 NLV.

Peter remembered the words Jesus had said to him, "Before a rooster crows, you will say three times you do not know Me." Peter went outside and cried out in loud sobs.

Judas gave the money back - Matthew 27:3 NLV.

Then Judas was sorry he had handed Jesus over when he saw that He would be killed. He returned the thirty pieces of silver and gave them to the head religious leaders and the other leaders.

Both responded differently.

Judas hung himself - Matthew 27:4 NLV.

Peter went away for a time - Mark 16:7 (Get the disciples AND Peter)

What was the difference between Peter and Judas? Why didn't Peter hang himself? Why didn't Judas walk away as Peter did?

Peter had a revelation of who Jesus was.

"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'Jesus said to him, 'Simon, son of Jonah, you are happy because you did not learn this from man. My Father in heaven has shown you this.'" - Matthew 16:15–17 ESV

Notice what Jesus said: "My Father in Heaven has shown you this."

The difference was that Peter had a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father, whereas Judas was merely a follower. And because Peter had a relationship with God, he knew who God was to Him and that he could go back to God at any time.

Peter knew that God would forgive him, so he knew he could forgive himself.

Peter Had This Revelation Before He Messed Up.

Earlier in the chapter, he had the revelation, but it was later that Peter made a mistake.

Even when you have a relationship with God, mistakes will happen. Peter went away but later came back. He forgave himself because he had a revelation of who God is. He knew that he could forgive himself because God would forgive him. Judas didn't have that revelation, so Judas killed himself.

You may not physically kill yourself, but you may be killing your hopes, dreams, and plans. Don't wait until you make a mistake to strengthen your relationship with Christ. You won’t forgive others because you haven’t forgiven yourself.