Is It I?

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


God speaks to His people in a variety of ways. Messages come through Scripture, sermons, and prophetic utterances, and at times, even through visions and dreams. Except for visions and dreams, these messages are often delivered in the context of a group of people, and with good reason. The question then arises, is the message for every individual in the group, or is it intended for one particular person?

Almost everyone is familiar with the scene we now know as "The Last Supper." Immortalized by the great renaissance painter, Michelangello, we see the table spread, Jesus in the center, and all of the disciples gathered around. Incidentally, this was probably not the Passover meal, but rather a special "preparation meal" taken the night before. The Passover lamb would be killed the following day; some believe the priests of the temple were busy slaughtering the lambs even while Jesus hung on the cross, becoming the "Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world", as prophesied by John the Baptist.

One of the memorable events which took place at the Last Supper was the prediction Jesus gave concerning His betrayer. When Jesus indicated that one of them would betray Him, it seems they all were concerned that He might be speaking about them.

How easy it is for us to assume guilt!

    For example, let's say, as you're driving along Interstate Route 80, at about 65 mph when suddenly you see in your rear view mirror, the blinking lights of a State Police car. Instinctively, you take your foot off the accelerator, check to see to it that your seat belt is fastened, and notice that your heart rate has accelerated to about 144 beats per minute. Without moving your head, your eyes glance up toward the rear view mirror to check the progress of the cop car - surely he's out to get you! Then in a flash, he's past you, speeding on ahead, evidently after some other guilty party. (I remember once when that happened to me - as the police cruiser sped past me at about 80 mph, I assumed the officer was on an extremely urgent crime call. I was traveling on the Merritt Parkway, and a couple miles down the road I came across the next road-side rest station. The police car was parked right under the "Men's Room " sign at the end of the building!) The point is, we too readily assume our own guilt.

    By the way, speaking of police officers, have you noticed that most people's behavior is modified when they know the policeman is able to see them? Like when you're approaching a stop light which is yellow. You're prepared to step on the gas and hurry through the intersection when suddenly you notice a cruiser waiting for the light. It really is amazing how well anti-lock brakes work in an emergency!

    Although it bothers some people, we must always remember that our understanding of the "Omnipresence of God" includes the idea that He is always watching.

    Some of you may have heard the story about the burglar who broke into a house one night. He shone his flashlight around, looking for valuables. When he picked up a CD player to place in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you".

    The burglar nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off and froze.

    When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head, promised himself a vacation after the next big score, then clicked the light back on and began searching more valuables. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard, "Jesus is watching you." Totally rattled, he shone his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.

    "Did you say that?" He hissed at the parrot.

    "Yes," the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you."

    The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who do you think you are anyway?"

    "Moses," replied the bird.

    "Moses!" the burglar laughed. "What kind of stupid people would name a parrot Moses?"

    The bird promptly answered, "The same kind of people that would name a Rottweiler 'Jesus'!"

Going back to the Last Supper, it seems that the disciples were worried about their own possible guilt. However, it also seems that there were three different reports about what happened when Jesus said that one of the disciples would betray Him.

    1. Let's start with the first account. Mark, the simplest with only two words, reported that the disciples merely asked, "maiti ego?" - "Not me?" (Mark 14:19) To this, Jesus responded: "It is one of the Twelve, one who dips bread into the bowl with me." (Verse 20)

    Matthew's account is similar, although, there's a little more to the question (four words), "Mati ego eimi, kurie?" - "Not me, is it Lord?" (Matthew 26:22) Matthew is more explicit in identifying Judas as the betrayer: "Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' Jesus answered, 'Yes, it is you.'" (literally, "you said it" - Verse 25)

    2. Luke's account indicates that there was some discussion among the disciples: "They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this." (Luke 22:23) For Luke, there was no precise identification, it could have been any one of them, although Jesus did say: "The hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table." (verse 21)

    3. In John's Gospel, there is a whole new feature, where Peter gets John to ask a direct question as to the identity of the betrayer: "Simon Peter motioned to this disciple (apparently John) and said, 'Ask him which one he means.' Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.' Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon." (John 13:24-26)

There are some Bible readers who may be alarmed to discover the differences in these accounts. We'll leave it to the Bible scholars to find a way to harmonize these variations, because what we want to do is to understand what message there may be in these three formats.

    1. The disciples seemed to be ready to accept the possibility of guilt.

    2. They engaged in conversation among fellow disciples.

    3. Someone who was believed to be closer to Jesus was asked for help.

Now going back to what we said at the beginning, usually the Lord speaks to His people in groups. In the case of Jesus at the Last Supper, He spoke His prophecy to the entire group, even though He knew that it was specifically intended for one of them, Judas. Why not just speak the message to Judas alone? Evidently Jesus knew that it would be helpful for everyone to be confronted with the possibility of their own betrayal. When we, as a group of disciples, hear the Lord's message, how are we to deal with those messages? Let's say a sermon is preached about the necessity of humility, or a prophecy or tongue with interpretation comes forth which contains an exhortation to trust in the Lord. Or maybe the message is a call to repentance, or a challenge to self-sacrifice. Should we take every message personally, or assume it is intended for someone else?

The answer is, "Yes"! While at times we may be too quick to assume guilt, we want to be careful not to go to the other extreme, immediately thinking "it could not be me".

One of the first sermons I ever preached was when as a Bible School student I went on an "out station" assignment. Usually upper class students were called on to preach, but the Senior assigned became sick, and I as a Freshman was called on. Actually, I thought I did pretty good, but right after the service a member of the congregation came up to me. Wanting to encourage this young, 18 year old preacher, he said, "While you were preaching, right away I could think of three people your message was especially intended for."

Too often I see people carrying a shovel to church - as the message is given, they just shovel it on back to the people behind them!

Remember what Jesus said when the religious leaders of his day wanted capital punishment for the adulteress? "He that is without guilt, let him cast the first stone."

Perhaps the particular sin being exposed isn't yours, but if not, you have your own. It's like when the boy complained to his father that he had been wrongfully punished - he really didn't do what he had been accused of doing. The father's reply was, "Well, if you're right, than just accept this punishment for all the times you did do it but never got caught."

So, on the one hand, we don't want to be too quick to take on guilt, and on the other hand we want to be reluctant to pass the judgment on to someone else. What then is the balanced approach?

Remember what we said about the three different responses of the disciples? Let's apply what we learned from them to ourselves.

    1. Be ready to accept the possibility of guilt - we should never get to the point of arrogantly saying, "certainly, it couldn't possibly be me". Remember, when Daniel prayed, he said, "We have sinned", and when Isaiah was confronted with the Glory of God in the temple, he included these words, "I dwell among a people of unclean lips."

    2. Discuss the matter with others. There is a great need for mutual accountability. Of course, this is no excuse for having "roast preacher" for Sunday dinner, but it is okay for us to discuss how a particular message may be applied to our own lives.

    3. Find someone you know who is close to Jesus. Have them pray with you and for you.

The short, simple question of the disciples echoes in our own minds, "Is it I?" May we always be in the listening mode, as the Apostle John writes in his letters to the churches of his own day, "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

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