The disciples have procured the use of a furnished upper room in which to eat their last meal with Jesus. Mark tells us, "When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 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.'" (Mark 14:17-18)
Jesus has been predicting His death for some time now. He has even mentioned being betrayed into the hands of His enemies, but until now He never revealed that one of His own disciples would turn on Him. How shocking this must have been! I picture the Twelve staring around at each other with open mouths and wide eyes. I think even Judas looks stunned. I think he looks stunned either because he's putting on a religious front and wants to appear innocent, or else he looks stunned because he had no idea Jesus was aware of his treachery. "They were saddened, and one by one they said to Him, 'Surely you don't mean me?'" (Mark 14:19)
James Coffman's commentary on verse 19 says, "Every one of the Twelve felt some possibility within his own soul that led to the question: Is it I? Every man feels this undertow of evil, and cannot deny the possibility of betraying the Lord." Each disciple knows he is a weak and mortal man who sins and falls short from time to time. Each of them thinks to himself, "Is it possible I would do such a thing? What would induce me to betray Jesus? Would it take being thrown out of the synagogue? Would it take imprisonment? Would it take beatings or the threat of death? Do I have it in me to betray my Messiah and King?"
"'It is one of the Twelve,' He replied, 'one who dips bread into the bowl with Me. 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.'" (Mark 14:20-21) David, a man who understood treachery and betrayal, deplored the wicked state of the heart of a man who would betray one with whom he has eaten, "Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me." (Psalm 41:9) As we live our lives, there will be people who are out in the open about their dislike for us. They don't like us and they don't care if we know it. Then there are those who come to our houses and break bread with us and yet they find it within their hearts to betray our trust somewhere on down the line. I've experienced this, haven't you? It's so much more hurtful when someone we've trusted and loved turns against us than when someone plainly demonstrates their dislike for us from the outset.
Judas has been given the same opportunities as the other eleven disciples to believe in Jesus as Lord. He's worked alongside Jesus, eaten with Jesus, heard the teachings of Jesus, and witnessed the miracles of Jesus for three years. Judas can never stand in the judgment and complain that he wasn't given enough chances to become convinced of the deity of Jesus of Nazareth, because the other eleven disciples believed Jesus provided clear and convincing proof of His identity. The things He did and said were enough to bring the other eleven to faith; therefore, Judas is left with no excuse. The same can be said for anyone who is able to shut his or her eyes and ears and heart to the gospel throughout their lifetime. For example: I've been in church most of my life, since I was only a few weeks old, and if I had never come to know Jesus Christ as my Savior I would stand in the judgment with no excuse. I've heard the gospel preached more times than I would ever be able to count. I've read the Scriptures. I've heard Christian music and I've listened to the testimonies of those whose lives have been changed by Christ. If I were able to hear and see all these things, yet remain unmoved by them, this would mean my heart was as hard as that of Judas Iscariot.
What more proof do we need than Jesus has provided? If the One who raised Himself from the dead to be alive forevermore is not God, then who is? Woe to us if we are able to hear the gospel time and time again without believing it! It would be better if we'd never been born than to have to stand in the presence of a holy God without any excuse for the hardness of our hearts. Let's be like the eleven disciples who, even though they didn't always understand everything Jesus said or did, chose to trust Him anyway. Let's be like the eleven who decided to live by faith---and who were saved by their faith.
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