Peter and Judas: Part One

Disclaimer
Every once in a while, I like to delve into areas of theological interest. I'll do this from time to time because hopefully there are some issues that are worth investigating within the grand scheme of the topic. I really want to open these types of posts to interaction, as they are largely issues rather than doctrine or straight up teaching topics. So, with that disclaimer stated, let's hit it!

Peter and Judas
This is a topic that came up on Sunday and I believe that it merits further discussion. Stanley Jones stated that the wonder isn't that Judas hanged himself but that Peter didn't. Wow! You know, I had never really given much thought to that, but this is a weighty subject. First, I want to let know that I still stand by Matthew 7:1-2, in that I am not going to judge the eternal destination of Judas. That's not my goal here or even something I have any business weighing in on, so I won't. In a comparison between Judas, one who is despised and vilified and Peter, one who is praised and admired, some comparisons can be made. One betrayed Christ and the other one denied him. Really, Peter's denial isn't as far removed from Judas's betrayal as we'd like to think. John 18:25-27 gives more detail about Peter's denial than the other gospel accounts do. I believe this is because the writer of the gospel was more than likely there. I've spoken a bit about this and the credit goes to Ben Witherington (2006) on the topic of the writer, but I agree with his thinking that the writer was the beloved disciple, Lazarus. This would account for the more exacting detail of the denial. All of that to say this. When Peter is confronted by a relative of Malchus, the servant who was de-earred by Peter in the garden and healed by Jesus, Peter folded for the third time. After this third denial, we don't hear anything about Peter until John 21, when he is restored by Jesus.
Interestingly, in Matthew's account Peter denies knowing Christ so vehemently that he swears and curses, possibly towards himself and possibly towards Jesus. Matthew builds on this and adds that Peter recognizes that he had fulfilled Jesus's words and goes out to cry bitterly.I think that Matthew puts an interesting wrinkle into this comparison in chapter 27. Judas is depicted as also being full of remorse for his actions, as he goes to the priests and changes his mind - the NRSV renders it as "repents" - and throws the 30 pieces of silver down and leaves the temple. By the way, on another rabbit trail, 30 pieces of silver was the common price of a slave. Yes, Judas betrayed Christ for the same amount of money that a slave was sold for. However, he was inadvertently fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 11:13.So, we are left with the picture that both Judas and Peter are filled with remorse and regret for their actions. Yet, they seem to take divergent paths towards restoration. Judas hangs himself and Peter languishes for a time and then goes about his regular life, which was prior to his becoming a disciple the life of a fisherman. Not to dismiss that, but let's go back to this issue of repentance.

Repentance for both Judas and Peter?
We all know that Peter repents and is restored by Jesus to truly become "Cephas" - rock - as Jesus said. This followed prophesy. Judas seems to have followed as well, as Jesus said in Matthew 26:24 that it would have been better that the betrayer would have never been born. By the way, it is largely through those words that we get our view of Judas's eternal state.Still why is the repentant state of Judas different from that of Peter? It would seem that there ISN'T any difference. "When it is all put together, I think it is extremely difficult to deny the Matthean Judas genuine repentance. His change of heart cannot be judged as less authentic than that of Peter in 26:75" (Nolland, 2005, p.1153). This would seem to state that repentance in and of itself isn't necessarily enough to grant us salvation.

Salvation issues
I believe that the ultimate difference between Judas and Peter is not in their earlier betrayals or even in their states of repentance. They aren't separated by impulsiveness. Peter was characterized by rash action before his brain kicked in. Judas seems to possess a similar disposition. It has been postulated that Judas betrayed Christ not to have him killed but to force his hand into becoming the messiah that Judas most likely visualized. So, then what's different? It seems that Peter was starting to get over his impulsiveness but Judas never did. Perhaps, even, Peter possessed the ability to forgive himself and Judas didn't. Whatever the exact reason was, we know that Judas pronounced himself judge, jury and executioner by hanging himself. Any further work from that initial state of repentance was negated in that action. Peter was able to experience both restoration through Jesus and empowerment through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Could Judas have experienced the same or was his fate sealed? That seems to be the million dollar question, as it were.I'm going to continue this discussion later.

Question
So, if I may, what do you think about this topic? Does Judas represent the inherent desire to control our own destinies? I wonder, could Judas have even changed after his betrayal. Maybe the question isn't could have rather it may be a what if question...