Am I the one?

Mark 14:10-21

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

¹² On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶ The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸ While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹ They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

²⁰ “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

This is a confronting passage of scripture. Jesus sits with His disciples to share the Passover meal, only to reveal to them that one of them will betray Him. Their responses (other than Judas) reveals something of their character – they don’t turn to pride, declaring it could never be them. Rather, they are greatly distressed, with each of them asking, “Am I the one?”

This question, “Am I the one?”, is a tough one to ask, but I think has great merit. We obviously live in a context far removed from actually being able to betray Jesus to His enemies, however we are quite capable of actions which betray Him. Whenever you hear stories of good Christian men and women ‘betraying’ God and turning away from Him, it’s so easy to declare “That would never be me!” But perhaps the more humble response is, “Could that be me? Am I the one?” Taking care to guard our hearts is essential to living a life of integrity and faithfulness towards our loving King.

Jesus, may I never become conceited and think I am beyond the clutches of sin. Help me to always remain humble and honest before You, keeping short accounts and drawing nearer each day, so that on the day You return You are able to say “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

Written by Matt Samperi