Divergent Disciples Poem by Bill Upton

Peter denied Him.
Simultaneously, he lost his courage
And his faith.
When he pleaded, 'Not me, Lord',
He spoke with the failure of humanity's lip service-
Not unlike the lip service we hear today
From hypocrites,
From politicians,
From deceivers who say one thing
And act in diametrically opposite manners.
The difference-and it was a huge difference-
Was that Peter believed his words.
He did not deliberately,
Nor for personal advantage-
Deny the Lord.
His moment of ultimate weakness
Came as a surprise, a glancing setback
Against his actual belief system.
Although overt in nature, his sin was involuntary.

Judas betrayed Him.
It was not just an unfortunate roll of the dice.
He voluntarily premeditated his actions,
Weighed his greed against his conscience
And emotionally separated himself from his Master.
He made a deliberate choice at that time for idolatry.
Many are like him in current society-
The progressive, secular elitists who have 'discovered'
Their own gods (some by just looking in the mirror) .
The self-appointed spiritual gurus
Who translate scripture in a manner to satisfy their own narrative,
Who offer validation and reasoning for sinful life choices.
They will meet you in any coffee shop and go toe-to-toe
With Biblical directives,
Laughing at the possibility of Heaven and Hell
And marginalizing the role of God in this world.
Their betrayal, like that of Judas, remains voluntary.

Peter and Judas.
Denial and betrayal.
Remorseful endings, both.
God did not play favorites when deciding on mercy.
Peter was given a second chance...
Judas was not.

Evidently, involuntary denial and deliberate betrayal
Get reviewed differently.