Remorse or Repentance?...Matthew 27:1-10...Judas or Peter?

The perfect passage for this quote is what we went through as a body of believers of Jesus at Stillwater Community Chapel last Sunday.  Judas is said to have remorse or regret for what he had done.  His remorse didn't take him to the Father or to Jesus but rather back to those he had made a pack with.  It would also lead him to continue on the path of man on what to do with sin.  

This passage was our first in chapter 27 but it is the third of looking at individuals around Jesus who is headed to the cross.  We had devoted Mary of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  We had self-confident Peter.  We have this week the just remorseful Judas.  Next week we will have the perceptive and people pleaser Pilate.  

This topic of remorse and repentance has dominated my thoughts this week.  It turned into these two lists for me.

Remorse:

• regret
• change your mind on how you feel
• your plan enacted
• follow the world's solutions

Repentance:

• to make a turn
• change your heart followed by continuing actions
• submit to God's plan forward
• radical "make it right"

Our court system looks for remorse when someone is tried and convicted.  They look for remorse when the prisoner comes up for parole.  They are looking and listening for some type of outward demeanor.

Our Bible looks for repentance.  It will start with remorse, a feeling of regret as we realize in our mind that we have done wrong, but it must lead to repentance where the heart is engaged to physically, spiritually, and mentally turn from the direction of sin to the direction of reconciliation.  

Remorse still follows the advice of the world.  In vengeance, Judas throws the 30 pieces of silver in the part of the temple that only the priests could be so that they would have to deal with what they had done.  In worldly sorrow, Judas followed through with the taking of his life instead of surrendering it.  The world gives us plenty of solutions to our sin when we feel remorse and regret.  "It wasn't such a big deal."  "Everyone does that at times."  "They will get over it."  "It was just a little 'white' lie."  "Don't beat yourself up over it."  "Time will heal all wounds."

The way of repentance follows the advice of the Bible.  We should weep bitterly like Peter.  We should come to the feet of Jesus again.  We should submit to the confession of the sin followed by the obedience of making things right.  We lay aside the world's excuses and rationalizations to take up the Bible's examples like Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10.  

Zaccheus is known as a sinner.  This sinner puts himself in a place to see the Savior.  This is the start.  He needs to bring himself before the One who created him.  Jesus stops and notices Zaccheus in the tree and gives a simple command, "Come down from there."  Zaccheus immediately obeys what the Master has said.  His response is to submit to the One who has called him.  His sinful state is recognized by the crowd and he takes the next step to make things that he had done wrong right.  It would probably be hard but he wanted to see reconciliation with others after meeting his Savior.  

Is this our pattern when we have sinned?  Do we seek out the Savior rather than the excuses and rationalizations of the world?  Afterwards do we immediately respond with obedience to the Spirit's instruction on what to do or do we find our own plan that we think is better?  Do we follow up with a physical response of reconciliation that comes from a changed heart or do we find a place hide and wait it out?

Be Zaccheus not Judas.

Adam