A Tale of Two Betrayals

Transcript

Well, friends, we find ourselves back in our study of the Gospel of John. And this morning we’re going to look at kind of an interesting topic. We’ve been going week by week and looking closely at Jesus, the worship of Jesus, the person of Jesus. And today we look at what happens when in the heart of somebody who calls himself a disciple and a follower, there’s unchecked sin and Jesus is not followed and worshiped as he ought to be. And so from John chapter 13, we’re going to look at a tale of two betrayals. John chapter 13. If you have your Bible with you, I’d like to invite you to open there and we’re going to look this morning at verses 21 through 30. And then we’re going to jump over verses 31 and 35 and look at verses 36 through 38. But to set the scene for us, I’ll just read from verse 21 through to the end

A Tale of Two Betrayals

of the chapter so that it can be in front of mind for all of us as we look at these two stories of the betrayal and the denial of Jesus that he foretells this evening sitting around the table with his disciples. So if your Bibles are open to John chapter 13, saints, if you’re able, I’d like to invite you to stand for the reading of the word of God. After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit and testified, truly, truly I say to you, one of you will betray me. The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus side. So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple leaning back against Jesus said to him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, it is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I’ve dipped it.

So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, what you are going to do, do quickly. Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that because Judas had the money bag, Jesus was telling him, buy what we need for the feast or that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out and it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, now is the son of man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I’m with you. You will seek me. Just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you where I am going, you cannot come.

A new commandment I give to you that you love one another just as I have loved you. You also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples. If you have love for one another, Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus answered him where I am going. You cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward. Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. This is the word of the Lord. Please be seated, friends. Would you pray with me? Father, would you extend your grace to us this morning as we look to your word to be

shaped by it, to be corrected by it, and to grow in love for the one in whom the whole of our lives sits, in Jesus, in whose name we pray, amen. Charles Spurgeon, speaking of one of his heroes in the faith, said the following, remember John Bunyan, when he refused to give up preaching. They put him in prison and said to him, Mr. Bunyan, you can come out of prison whenever you will promise to cease preaching the gospel. He said, if you let me out of prison today, I will preach again tomorrow by the grace of God. Well, they said, then you go back to prison. And he answered, I will go back and stay there if need be till the moss grows on my eyelids, but I will never deny my master. I think every Christian would want to have the inner fortitude and the firm foundation

to be able to cling to Jesus in this way, right? I think every one of us, to some extent, feels like we would be able to say this and mean it, should that moment come. If it would be demanded of us to give up our lives, to give up our freedoms, to give up our comforts, to give up the things that we cling to, we think, man, if that moment comes where I have to choose between this and him, this goes. Peter certainly thought so. So much so that he preemptively said, if it needs to be my life, take it. I don’t need it. Just Jesus. That’s all I need. And you know, I think at some point, Judas probably thought so as well. Maybe very early on, maybe at the very beginning, but I’m sure he never would have thought that he would be the betrayer of Jesus.

How then does a follower of Jesus, someone who calls themselves a disciple, a Christian, one who is set on faithfully following him to the end, how does that person come to deny Jesus? To betray him? To turn from him? To run? Friends, do we think that for you and I, this is something that’s so far outside the realm of possibility that it’s just beyond us? Do you and I think that this is something we’re incapable of? Remember 1 Corinthians 10-12, therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. Paul there is warning the Corinthian church and us to be watchful over ourselves, to be watchful over our hearts, our motives, but with a humble vigilance. Take heed. That fateful Thursday evening that we find in John chapter 13 progresses from Jesus washing the feet of his disciples to him foretelling the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter.

Just a few hours remain. This all takes place on a Thursday night. This all takes place, as I mentioned last week, in the shadow of the cross, the day before Jesus’ arrest and ultimately his murder. And in the middle of this section, in the middle of the section that we just read, beginning in verse 31, we see the beginning of what’s referred to as the upper room discourse, which is the longest section of private teaching recorded in the Gospels, and it’s recorded here in the Gospel of John. And sandwiching the introduction to that discourse are these two things Jesus says about the one who will betray him and the fact that Peter’s faithfulness won’t last as long as he thinks it will. And we see here that in saying this, in starting to say these things, in starting to point to his disciples what will happen in just a matter of hours, in verse 21, that Jesus

was troubled in his spirit. Now there are two other times in the Gospel of John that this happens, where it says that Jesus is troubled. We see it in 11.33, when he sees his friends weeping over the death of Lazarus, grieving, saying Lord if you’d just been here, and he shows up to this whole scene and it says that he was troubled, he was distressed. And we see it in chapter 12, verse 27, as he’s speaking about the impending hour coming, his hour coming. And the common factor between chapter 13, chapter 12, chapter 11, what’s it talking about? Death. In his humanity, Jesus, the Son of God, is deeply troubled over death. It grieves him. It distresses him. He’s upset because he knows just how unnatural it is, just how wrong it is. And he’s upset here because of the other contributing factors to his impending death.

This is what death produces, physical death to be sure, but spiritual death also produces things like this, betrayal, deception, cowardice. So he’s grieved, he’s distressed. So now as we look at our text and seek to learn and apply what the Lord has in store for us in these verses, I want to encourage you to really try to place yourself in this room. Don’t just kind of observe what the text says or doesn’t say. Like mentally, emotionally, try to seat yourself at this table. Try to feel the tension. Try to see the shifting of eyes and the uncomfortable shuffling of the disciples laying down around the table trying to figure out what is he talking about? Who’s going to betray him? Why would they, why would we betray him? Why would we turn from him? Feel the tension, observe the disciples as the Lord communicates these difficult truths

to them. And in the midst of his own distress, what he must be feeling on his way to the cross. We’ll study this section of John 13, as I mentioned, by breaking it up a bit. This week we’ll look at verses 21 and 30 and then we’ll jump over to verses 36 and 38. And next week, Lord willing, Pastor Thomas will lead us in the study of verses 31 through 35. And so in considering this topic of betrayal and denial, in considering the topic of a lack of faithfulness to Jesus, we’ll look at Judas and then we’ll look at Peter. We’re not going to divide up the text exactly in the way that, you know, we often do. And so we’ll just look thematically at the topics of Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denials. And we’ll see here what’s similar in their betrayals. We’ll see also the differences.

The Betrayal of Judas

We’ll look at the heart of what brought them to the failures of faithlessness. While trying not to dig too deep into these stories, because we’ll actually have a chance to look at them a little bit closer as we continue our study of the Gospel of John. And so for now, how will these two disciples come and betray and deny their Lord? Let’s look at Judas. In the earlier part of this chapter, which we studied just last week, we saw that the single most important person to ever walk on this earth took on the form of a servant, stooped down, stripped down, to wash his disciples’ feet. And he does this as an act of love. He does this as an act of service. He does this humbly. And after he does this, he calls for his disciples to also live in this way. Not necessarily to be those who are regularly washing the feet of others, but more the heart

behind what he did. Stooping down, taking on the form of a servant, taking on the look of a servant, and doing that which was considered shameful, embarrassing, lowly. And after he does this, after he says these things, it says our Lord is distressed. He’s overcome by worry. In his humanity, in his human limitations, Jesus was pained. Jesus is God, yes and amen, but Jesus is fully human, fully God, fully man. And in his humanity, he felt all that people feel. And so in that pain, he says, truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And I read that as, I’m telling you the truth, as honestly as I can communicate it. One of my friends will stab me in the back. He understands the reality of where Judah’s heart has been these last three years. He understands where Judah’s trajectory was leading him.

He understands where he was emotionally, where he was in terms of his desires, the things that he was longing for. He knows the prophecies about the one who will betray him. He sees Judah’s love of self. He sees Judah’s love of money, and yet he’s hurt. He looks to his friend and he’s upset. This is someone with whom he’s shared meals. This is someone alongside whom he’s ministered. This is someone with whom he’s conversed, likely shared a laugh. You know, it still hurts even when you see the gut punch coming. Jesus feels the pain. The disciples, understandably, are confused. They’re trying to figure out who he’s talking about. They’re trying to figure out what he’s talking about. Why would we betray? Why would any of us betray you? Peter, like, you don’t even have to talk about betrayal. And he’s already saying, I’m going to give my life for you.

And I’m sure that all of them in one way or another assume that when the time comes, surely they’re going to stick with him, if the time comes. They still didn’t see the whole picture. And the other gospels share an interesting detail about this whole scene that John doesn’t. After Jesus says that one of them will betray him one by one around the table, they go, is it I? Just imagine this. Again, put yourself in this room. Just one by one, the murmurings, me? Surely it’s not me. It can’t be me. You can almost imagine each of them thinking to themselves as they’re muttering, oh God, please don’t let it be me. How could that happen? Lord, please, just not me. We never want to betray God, do we? Saints, we never want to disobey or dishonor him. And yet when unchecked sin, when uncontrolled desire, when fear of man, when self-preservation

kick in, we do, regularly. And in the moments leading up to the betrayal, in the moments leading up to the faithlessness, in the moments leading up to self-preservation and sin and arrogance and all of that, if someone were to say this might happen, I think every single one of us would say, surely not me though. Why would I do that? How could I do that? And yet, such is our pattern. This is why an honest self-assessment, regular accountability are so necessary for each of us. What are we living for? What are we working towards? What are we standing on to keep us firmly rooted? We can fool others well. We can present ourselves as doing better than we’re actually doing. And when the disciples one by one ask this question in Matthew 26, 25, even Judas says, is it I, Rabbi? It’s so gross. He knew.

He knew where his heart was leaning. He knew where the offer stood. And yet he was indistinguishable from the others around the table. Is it I? Sin is deceptive. Sin is ugly, beloved. Sin will take your very life from you. His disciple whom Jesus loved, who is he? Now we know because we’ve studied the Gospels. He shows up again in chapters 19 and 20 and 20 and in chapter 21 of the Gospel of John, John actually says that it’s him. What a wonderful title to have. Beloved by Jesus. This might sound kind of like a little bit pompous, a little bit arrogant, but really it’s not. It’s sweet. It’s tender. What are you known by? Not much. Just that Jesus loves me. The disciple whom Jesus loved. I love this picture of, you know, this whole scene. And again, you have to put yourself in there to try to imagine this of Peter trying to

get John’s attention. Just like, because they’re kind of seated around the table and again, they’re all leaning down like this towards the table. Their feet are out and they’re all kind of laying in a circle looking at each other and they’re close enough to where it says that he was leaning on Jesus. So he’s at his right and his, his head is almost on Jesus’s right shoulder. And Peter trying to kind of figure it out, he’s like, John, John, who is it? Who’s he talking to? Ask him. Ask him. And as Peter prompts John to ask Jesus who it is that will betray him, our text says that John just leans back and says, Hey Lord. And there’s this, you know, there’s this intimacy and this closeness. And you have to also consider the fact that this wasn’t said so loudly that everyone heard it. There were several of them in the room, but this is how close they were where Jesus basically

just turns his head and it’s face to face with John right here. It’s a very intimate scene. John leans back and he asks Jesus and Jesus leans to him and Jesus response was likely spoken so softly that only John heard it because otherwise when he handed the morsel of bread to Judas, everyone would have flipped out. Everyone would have been like, what? It’s you. But nobody reacted because it says that the text tells us that they’re assuming that like, well, he’s probably running some errands or Jesus is just sending him to take care of some ministry stuff. And so it was very intimate. Who’s it going to be Lord? Watch with whom I share the bread. Jesus extends bread to the one who will betray him. Don’t miss this detail. He feeds the one who is about to facilitate his death. He feeds him. If the host hands you food during a meal at this time, it would

have been seen as a sign of honor, as a sign of care, as a sign of ministry. Jesus is identifying Judas as the one who will betray him and yet he still shows him honor. He’s still serving him. You’re going to kill me, Judas. Let me feed you. Let me give you the strength that you need to make that journey to the religious leader so they can give you the coins for which you’ll sell me. Moreover, during this time to be seated at either the right hand or the left hand side of the host would have been seen as the place of first or second honor. There’s an intimacy, there’s a closeness here. And we see that John is seated at Jesus’ right hand and although the text doesn’t tell us, many scholars think that seated at the left, the other place of honor within reach

to be comfortably given a morsel of bread was Judas. So close yet so far. Back in verse 18 of our chapter, Jesus cites Psalm 41.9 pointing to the distress that David details when he speaks of the betrayal of a friend. It’s hard enough to be stabbed in the back, just in general, to be betrayed, to be abandoned by anyone. But to be betrayed by a friend, by someone you know and you love, that’s a different kind of pain altogether. In ancient Near Eastern culture, to betray a friend was considered a terrible crime. But that was amplified by the betrayal of a friend with whom you shared a meal, with whom you sat together at a dinner table, who you had in your home. It’s one thing to be hated by an enemy, but another thing entirely by someone that you trust and that you call your friend.

And then, only to be denied by another, not once or twice, but three times. It’s no wonder our Lord is distressed. It’s no wonder he’s troubled. He’s restless. Now some might see verse 27 as maybe speaking to us about demon possession, where a demon entered and possessed Judas. It doesn’t seem like that’s what’s happening here. I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. Rather, I think that Satan had already taken a hold of Judas’ heart. His desires at this point were given over, and that he was already set on his path to do what he was going to do. Friends, can you imagine what John must have been thinking and feeling in that moment when he watches Judas get up and leave? After Jesus hands him that morsel of bread? The sense of shock, the sense of betrayal, the coming together of the pieces that didn’t

quite make sense about Judas. How he might have acted at times, things he might have said at times, connecting the dots over the course of the ministry, his volunteering to take care of the money. Maybe him isolating himself from the group at times, doing things his own way. Remember, Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples, but he was also a friend to the others. He was a co-laborer in the ministry. So what was it that prompted Judas to go this way? Did he just hate Jesus from the outset? Did he just plot this from day one? What made him betray Jesus to sell his friend to be murdered for a measly 30 pieces of silver? It was greed. It was a love of money. It was a desire to build his own religion, to have his own kind of Messiah. It was a desire to grab hold of the life that he wanted and that he saw Jesus wasn’t offering

him because Jesus keeps talking about giving his life up. Jesus keeps talking about serving the poor. Jesus keeps talking about going the way of discomfort. What is he on about? This isn’t what I signed on for. This isn’t what I want. When are we overthrowing the government? When are we taking back our land? I’d rather have the money. When we studied Mary’s act of adoration and worship for Jesus, our text pointed us to the fact that Judas’ love of money was such that he actually worshipped it. We saw his selfish ambition, his following Jesus only to get what he wanted from him, not because he loved the Lord and he was even upset when others would offer extravagant worship and sacrifice to Jesus. Judas didn’t want Jesus. Judas wanted what being with Jesus could offer him. Judas’ love of money, for which the scripture offers us plenty of warnings, dear saints,

The Denial of Peter

led him to sell the Messiah to be killed. It owned him. It led him. It took over reason and common sense and it tragically made him completely and totally spiritually blind to the fact that the Savior of the world was with him this whole time. Judas chose money. Judas chose comfort. Judas chose his own way over Jesus and when the moment came, he ate his meal and he left to collect what he felt was worth the betrayal of innocent blood. And then it’s night and the scene shifts to Peter. Now when we consider the betrayal of Judas and we consider the denial of Peter, we tend to think of them as being quite different and certainly they are in a variety of ways. The details differ, the reasons differ, the ways that it all unfolded differs, but we should also consider their similarities, how at the core of what both of them will do,

there’s this instinct of self-preservation. There’s this instinct of doing what seems right, what seems easy in their own eyes. Judas’ betrayal would be more quiet, would be covert. He doesn’t say much. He’s not super active. He’s not a prominent, dominant figure in these stories. It’s quiet. It’s covert. There’s no pomp or circumstance to the way that he does it. Just money changing hands in the dark of night. Peter on the other hand was loud. Peter was in your face with his promises of faithfulness and the supposed impossibility of his betrayal. His claim to be the one who absolutely could not do the thing that he would actually do. In Matthew 26, 33, Peter emphatically says that he simply can’t betray Jesus. Though they all fall away, I will never fall away. Lord, all of them can leave. Every single one of them for all I care.

I’m right there by your side. No matter what, ride or die. When Jesus says to Peter, where I’m going, you cannot come, in verse 33, Peter responds with, Lord, where are you going? Only for Jesus to tell him, where I am going, you cannot follow me, but you will follow afterward. This then brings Peter to making quite the bold claim, Lord, why can I not follow you? What are you talking about? Why would I not go with you? I’ve been by your side this whole time. I’ve been up on the Mount of Transfiguration. I’ve been in every one of those healings. We’ve done the ministry. We’ve walked the land together. I will lay down my life for you. But Jesus still teaching them, still helping them see, says, Peter, you think you’re going to follow me? You won’t even make it through the night. But as you all may know from having read the Gospels at some point, it’s not just Peter.

All of them will run away. They’re just a little bit quieter about their cowardice. All of them will run away. All of them will go to safety. All of them will abandon him. All of them will go into hiding. Peter just happens to be the loudest and the boldest about his supposed faithfulness. No, Peter, you won’t lay down your life. At least not when and how you think you will. You talk a big game, Peter, but my time has come and it’s not yours yet. This pressure will make you buckle. Isn’t this just, isn’t this how so much of Peter’s ministry and life with Jesus has gone? Here he promises that he’ll never abandon Jesus. At other times, he’ll even rebuke Jesus. On different occasions, he’ll just act on impulse. He’ll be brash. He’ll be loud. He’ll talk too fast. He’ll do things that are inappropriate.

So Peter’s denial will go the way much of his ministry along Jesus has gone, erratic, needing correction, at times self-serving. Peter, your denial will actually happen three times. You won’t just deny me once. You’ll do it three times. You’re not as strong as you think you are. Peter thought he was set. I’m next to Jesus. He couldn’t imagine betraying him. He couldn’t imagine going away from him. He was sure that even if it cost him his life, he would rather die. And yet what we see is that his confidence seemed to be in his own strength, in himself. So how are Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s betrayal different? Judas’ betrayal was planned, was thought through, while Peter’s denial was something done in a moment of panic, in a moment of fear. Peter went the way of expediency and comfort, while Judas carved out his own way.

Judas’ despair over his sin led to death, not repentance, while Peter’s led to a bitter sadness and a repentance over his sin. Peter’s repentance ultimately led to a life wholly given over to Christ. And how is it that Peter would actually die? True, this wasn’t his time, which is what Jesus was telling him, but he would die a horrific martyr’s death. You see, church history tells us that when Peter was being crucified for following after Jesus, his response was, I’m not worthy to be crucified in the way that my Lord was. Turn the cross upside down. So church history tells us Peter was crucified upside down. He didn’t think he deserved to look like Jesus in his moment of death. Tragic as the upcoming denial of Peter was, it wasn’t the end of his story. That’s the difference. Why? Peter loved Jesus. It was a bumbling and at times somewhat chaotic love, but a deep love and a commitment to

Two Different Endings

the Lord. He understood on a deeper level than possibly most of the other disciples what he actually said to Jesus in John 6, 68, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. So when Peter’s whole world crashed, maybe even just barely at this point, but he was holding on to that reality. Where else can I go? What else can I do? Jesus offers a certain kind of hope and comfort to Peter, which he didn’t offer to Judas, but you will follow afterward. You won’t follow me now, Peter. You’ll go your own way, but you will come back and you’ll follow me later. Is he giving Peter some kind of encouragement? Was he offering him something to hold on to? As you can likely see, we’re not looking too deeply into the actual betrayal of Judas and

the actual denial of Peter. Like I said, we’ll study that a little bit later on in our study of the gospel of John, but what I wanted for us to consider this morning is we see Jesus pointing to the disciple who will betray him, and Peter’s impending denial is what’s at the heart of these betrayals. Saints, I want for each of us to look a little closer at ourselves and to see that although we may not want to admit it, we too are capable of denying Jesus. When the pressure comes, if we’re not rooted, if we’re not anchored, we too can deny him. And I’m not talking about falling away forever. I’m not talking about losing our salvations. If you’re saved, the Lord keeps you, not your ability to hang on. You’re safe in his hands. But what I am talking about is dishonoring Jesus.

What I am talking about is living your life in such a way as to go the way of self-preservation. This is the kind of Christianity that I want, and this is what I’m going to hold on to. We’re all capable of that. And so where do Peter and Judas’ betrayals of their Lord ultimately lead them? Well tragically, Judas comes to realize what he’s done, but his sorrow over his sin didn’t lead him to repentance. His sorrow over his sin didn’t lead him to run back to Jesus. Now once the regret sets in, he tries to return the 30 pieces of silver to the Jewish religious leaders, and he says in Matthew 27, 4, I’ve sinned by betraying innocent blood. And the despair just overwhelms him, and at that point he takes his own life. So incredibly sad. He was right there. He saw it. He heard it.

He felt it. And he gave it all away. Peter’s story, however, unfolds in a different way. When Jesus is resurrected and he makes his way back to the disciples, we’re told in John 21 that a few of them are out on the lake fishing, and Jesus comes to the shore and he’s talking to them from the shore and he tells them where to cast their net. And Peter realizes that the person talking to them from the shore is Jesus, the resurrected Jesus. And the text says that he throws himself into the water to swim to his Lord. And just like Peter, he leaves the other disciples to struggle against the waves and to try to get the net in the boat, and he just leaves them alone. He just couldn’t not be by Jesus’ side. When he understood that he’s back, I have a chance to tell him how sorry I am.

He jumps in the water and he swims as fast as he possibly could. And then, just like his three denials, he and Jesus have this exchange where he’s asked three times, Peter, do you love me? To which he finally and emphatically answers, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. That’s what kept Peter alive. The love that Jesus is pointing to as he’s speaking to his disciples in this middle section in verses 31 through 35, this is the love by which they are to be known. This is the love that sets his people apart from everyone else in this world. This is the love that keeps them hanging on when everything gets chaotic and everything falls apart. You see, one loved the Lord, and the other loved himself and his sin. One understood that it was Jesus or nothing, and the other saw only hopelessness in his

Where Hope Is Found

failure. Beloved, does your love of Jesus exceed your love of your sin? Your love of yourself? Your desire to do things your own way? Your instinct of self-preservation? Does it exceed your love and desire of having a Christianity of your own making suited to your comfort level? Are there things in your life that occupy this space that only Jesus is meant to occupy? Where does your hope lie? Where do your loyalties lie? Do you have a plan B for your life? If not this, then that? Or are you able to say along with Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go? It’s with you and only you that eternal life is possible. We are to stay the course, beloved. We are to hold tightly and desperately on to Jesus. But when we don’t, what do we do? When we fail, what do we do? Where do the unfaithful, the doubters, the betrayers find hope for being brought back?

Is there hope for these kinds of followers? Is there hope for failures like me? With Jesus there is, and only with him. Peter got that. So that’s where he went. He swam and he ran with all his might because he understood that if it’s not him, there is no hope. So we go to him for the hope and the forgiveness that only he can offer. Amen? In closing, I want to read the words of a hymn that I love. It tells us where we can go when everything crashes around us. Come ye souls by sin afflicted, bowed with fruitless sorrow down. By the broken law convicted, through the cross behold the crown. Look to Jesus. Mercy flows through him alone. Take his easy yoke and wear it. Love will make obedience sweet. Christ will give you strength to bear it while his wisdom guides your feet, safe to

glory where his ransomed captives meet. Blessed are the eyes that see him. Blessed the ears that hear his voice. Blessed are the souls that trust him and in him alone rejoice. His commandments then become their happy choice. Sweet as home to pilgrims weary. Light to newly opened eyes. Or full springs in deserts dreary is the rest the cross supplies. All who taste it shall to rest immortal rise. Would you pray with me, saints? Jesus, our Lord, our God, our Messiah, our only hope, we beg you to hold on to us. If not you, we have no hope, and so we ask that you would keep us and that you would allow us like Peter, even in the midst of our faithlessness, to live fruitful lives for your glory. We pray this in your wonderful name, amen.