In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, amen. I was just reading yesterday the efforts being made to restore the famous painting of the last supper in Milan. You know, the painting's almost destroyed for one reason or another. So they're trying to restore, to bring back, and the more they work on it I only know what I've I've seen it, but I'm no I wouldn't I'm no artist at all. But they say the more they worked on it, the more detail has come out as regards the picturization of the disciples assembled around Jesus even to the hair and the glint of the the light on the apostles hair.
I just remember that one little detail. The point is that here we have the scene of the last supper, an extremely, extremely significant point in our Lord's life. As far as I'm concerned, I could care less whether it was the actual Paschal meal or another meal. But notice, it is not a proved fact that it was the past Passover meal. Keep that in mind.
You it was that is not beyond the shadow of a doubt. Now, the point I want to make is this, you see how confusing this picture is. I don't understand all that went on there. This business of our blessed Lord put it taking a morsel of bread and putting it into the wine and giving it to Judas. It doesn't all, you know, there's there's some problems with it.
To understand how it all goes. There is no problem about one thing here, and that's Peter. As usual, he's the spokesman. Notice that. It's always Peter who's the spokesman.
Nobody ever appointed him in it. He was that he but he's a self made man, you know. Until our blessed Lord said, thou art Peter and on this rock I will build my church. Notice Christ called Peter a rock and just notice what happens here. Peter says, Lord, don't worry about me.
Any place you go, I'll go with you. Even if I have to die for you, Lord, you can count on Peter. You know, you said I was a rock. I won't disappoint you. The rest of this crowd, oh, well, you know what they are.
But me, you can count on me. You know, Peter, you can go on and on, you know. You can't exaggerate. You cannot exaggerate the confidence that Peter had in himself. In himself.
And you know where it ended? Notice, I I I'm perfectly I'll debate anybody in favor of Judas over Peter. As far as it comes down to being loyal to Jesus Christ. Judas never denied he knew Christ. Judas never denied he was a disciple.
Just the reverse. Whereas Peter, for an insignificant reason, denied that he even knew Jesus and did it three times. Three times. Now and yet, when Judas left that upper room or wherever it was, John says, it was night. And we know that Judas went out and hanged himself.
See, it's it's very likely Judas had no idea that his betrayal of Jesus was going to wind up the way it did. There is no reason to think that. See, on many instance, not many, but several instances, our blessed Lord had been on the point of being put to death, being cast off of a precipice, being stoned to death, and he just simply walked through the crowd. They couldn't hold him. It's very possible that when Judas betrayed Jesus, he thought he was going to to play a trick on the leaders of the Jewish people, on the on the priests, high priests.
That he could betray Jesus and they couldn't hold him. He would escape from them. So he'd have their money and Jesus would be free. It had happened on other occasions. Anyway, the point is this, when you come down to say whose crime was the greatest, whose love with for Jesus was the highest, who was most loyal to Christ, you have that great contrast between Peter and Judas.
And of course, Judas was the suicide, and Peter repented. The point is this, we are there are times in our lives when we are so enthusiastically with Jesus Christ. We are so much one with him. There these moments in our life may not be many, but they are some. We feel that we are strong.
Don't believe it. Don't believe yesterday, when Fisher and Moore went up to the scaffold to be executed, they prayed to the bystanders that they would pray for them, that they would be courageous and persevering to the end because they knew they couldn't do it alone, and neither can we. Don't let us ever ever think we can play the role of a Peter. If you try it, you'll end up just where Peter did. You will deny Christ three times.
If it happens, remember, Peter repented. In the name of the father and of the son and the holy spirit. Amen.