June 13, 2012 Surely Not!

Surely Not I Mark 14:19-21 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?” 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.” OH, THE HURT! Here is Jesus sharing the Passover meal to remember the Lord’s extraordinary gift of freedom from Egypt. A devout Jew considers this one of the holiest nights of the year—similar to our feelings on Christmas and Easter. When you look at Jesus’ words here, you must understand how deeply Jesus felt the wound of betrayal in his heart, especially on this holy, intimate night. When he spoke “it is one of the Twelve”, he was clearly telling his closest students, the ones he had chosen, that one of them would betray him. How painful was his soul to admit this truth and to know the man, Judas, would be condemned to Hell. How deep was the grief in Jesus’ heart as he looked into the face of his beloved disciple and said, “Woe to that man.” Think about Judas’ fate, and then tell me it is okay to betray Jesus. Betrayal is eternally deadly, and you must stop it. You must also speak to others to tell them this truth. If your destiny is Hell, indeed, it would have been better for you not to have been born. Out of the deep emotions of the Passover meal, Jesus mourns his friend’s future. How would he view your future? Pause and consider your answer. Remember Jesus loves you to keep you from woe.