Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. As they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?”
Matthew 26:20-22 (NASB1995)
We recently read today’s scripture as part of our communion meditation at church. It struck me as a very profound moment that we can understand; we have all been at dinner parties or family meals where all is jovial until someone says something that stops everything. Time stands still at such awkward moments before anyone responds – that is what happens in this Passover meal with the Lord and His disciples.
All the disciples deny that it could be them who would betray Him – after all, He was their Lord. That was except for Judas Iscariot, who also denied it with a lie, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (verse 25). He only addresses Him as a teacher, whereas his brethren proclaim Jesus as their Lord. For Judas, Jesus stopped being his Lord when he decided to betray Him to the chief priests (verses 14 to 16) – everything from that moment was a lie. That is a sobering thought, and we are often quick to say that we could not do such an awful thing.
Dear Reader, We certainly do not betray Jesus like Judas did, but we betray Him in our daily lives. The little moments that we are silent when we should speak up for Jesus, and when we give in to temptations that divert us from God’s Word – they are real betrayals that hurt our Lord. May we remain faithful and cling to Him every day, repenting of our moments of betrayal.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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