Is It I, Lord?



When Jesus celebrated the Passover with His inner circle for the last time and instituted the new observance of the Lord’s supper that they would carry into their life in the kingdom, He also had some final conversations with them about important things. One bombshell that He dropped was the revelation that one of the twelve would soon betray Him. The ensuing discussion is fascinating and has several applications for us.
 
The concept of betrayal was shocking. “And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ And they were very sorrowful…” (Matt. 26:21-22a).
 
The disciples knew that Jesus had enemies. The religious leaders of their community hated Jesus and tried to undermine Him at every turn. They made false claims about Him (Matt. 12:24), asked insincere questions and demanded signs in an attempt to trap Jesus (Matt. 12:38-42; 16:1-4; 19:3-9; 22:15-22; John 8:3-11; etc.), and plotted to kill Him (John 11:45-57). They saw Him as a threat to their power and one who upset the status quo. It would not be surprising for the disciples to hear news that Jesus had caught wind of a new conspiracy against Him. But what Jesus actually told them was entirely unexpected. One of the twelve disciples was working against Jesus and would hand Him over to His enemies. How could that possibly be? Who could spend these three years learning from Jesus, seeing His miracles, and teaching others about the kingdom of God only to throw it all away and turn against Him?
 
Judas was not the obvious betrayer of Jesus. “And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, ‘Is it I, Lord?’” (Matt. 26:22).
 
When Jesus made this announcement, the disciples didn’t all turn and look at Judas (or anyone else) and cry out, “I knew you were up to no good!” It was not at all obvious who the traitor would be, and so they mourned and wondered. This had to mean that Judas was a real disciple. Peter would later say that he was “numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). Judas was judged to be qualified to hold the group’s funds—not a responsibility that would be given to just anyone (John 13:29).  He was not a sleeper agent biding his time for the perfect moment to betray Jesus. He was not destined for evil, as some have claimed. He was chosen by Jesus, followed Him for a time, and then was corrupted by sin and greed.
 
Judas was not the only one capable of this betrayal. Peter was impulsive and cared too much what other people thought of him. He also would later deny that he even knew Jesus, so it’s not clear that he was as committed as he said he was. James and John were ambitious to a fault and overly harsh toward those who wouldn’t listen Jesus. Simon was a political radical and could easily have been frustrated with Jesus’ unwillingness to lead a revolution against Rome. If we knew more about each disciple, we would probably be able to point out many flaws that Satan could exploit to turn them against Jesus. The disciples’ reaction proves that it was not a clear eleven versus one.
 
Humble introspection. It would be one thing if each disciple thought within himself, “I know it isn’t me, but which of the others is it?” They went a step further: could I be the one who betrays Jesus? One by one, over the course of the dinner, they ask Jesus, “Is it I, Lord?” Each one recognized that their faith was not perfect. They had weaknesses and character flaws that could lead them to betray Jesus if they made the wrong choices.  
                          
What am I capable of?  As a disciple of Jesus, I am being trained in righteousness every day. I have been forgiven of my sins and I work in the kingdom of God. That does not mean I am immune to temptation. My desires can lead me away from God if I give in to them (James 1:14-15). I am capable of:
 
    ·       Selfishness and pride
    ·       Growing attached to money and possessions
    ·       Ungratefulness
    ·       Pursuing pleasure more than God
    ·       Dishonesty and deceit
    ·       Dulling my senses with drugs and alcohol and even becoming addicted
    ·       Laziness
    ·       Looking down on others
    ·       Poor stewardship of my time and resources
    ·       Violence and hatred
    ·       Giving up on God altogether
 
That list is not comprehensive. Every disciple of Jesus must be keenly aware of the danger of sin. Satan tempts each one of us every day, and though we do grow stronger in faith and righteousness, we cannot let our guard down. Learn from the Scriptures how to please God in every area of life. Pray to God for forgiveness when you fall and for strength to overcome the devil. 

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