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GRACE ISN’T LOGICAL
By Erwin Bourne
Haven’t we found a way to forgive ourselves? So up
the hill of regret we climb. While Jesus was climbing
up the hill of Calvary, Judas was climbing another
hill. He walked it alone. Its trail was rock-strewn
with shame and hurt. Its landscape was as barren as
his soul. Thorns of remorse tore at his ankles and
calves. And on his shoulders he bore a burden that
bowed his back—his own failure.
At the trail’s end there are two trees. One is
weathered and leafless. It is dead but still sturdy.
Its bark is gone, twigs and buds no longer sprout.
Only bare branches fork from the trunk. On the
strongest of these branches is tied a hangman’s noose.
It was here that Judas met with his failure. If only
Judas had looked at the adjacent tree. It is also
dead; but there is no noose tied to its crossbeam. No
more death on this tree. One death for all.
There remains no resurrection anticipation for the man
who dashes his body and his hope in the ravine
below—for tradition tells us that the strap around
Judas’ neck broke as he hurled himself from the “hill
of regret.” But let’s carefully read another message
found in the last chapter of Mark. The women had
discovered the stone rolled away and an angel had
said: “He is not here, He is risen—but go tell his
disciples and Peter that he is going before you to
Galilee.”
It’s as if all heaven had watched Peter’s fall—and
it’s as if all heaven wanted to help him back up
again. “Be sure and tell Peter that he’s not left
out, and tell him that one failure doesn’t make a
flop. No wonder they call it the gospel of the second
chance. Even the angel wanted the distraught
net caster to know that it wasn’t over. The next time
Peter saw Jesus, he got so excited he jumped into the
cold water of Galilee.
by Erwin Bourne
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