What They Said When Jesus Went to Calvary... "Master, is it I?"

by Pastor Paul Naumann

Now when evening had come, Jesus sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?" Then He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it." 

— Matthew 26:20-25

In Christ Jesus, Who holds out the hand of forgiveness to repentant sinners again this Lenten Season, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

Did you watch the evening news tonight? As it happens, I didn't get to see the news, but I bet I can tell you what was on it. Oh, I don't know what the stories themselves were, but I know what the coverage contained - eyewitness accounts. Whether the story is about a plane crash, a political scandal or a military coup, there's always a TV interview with somebody who was an eyewitness to the action. Network producers learned long ago that a story will seem much more immediate to us viewers when we hear the reactions of someone who was actually there. Eyewitness accounts have impact. You can ignore a paragraph in a newspaper about an earthquake; it's hard to ignore the despairing face and tearful voice of an earthquake survivor.

Lent is (or should be!) one of the most important times of the year for us. It's a time when our thoughts turn, again, to the suffering and death of Jesus. What happened to Jesus during those last few days before His crucifixion would effect the eternal destiny of countless people, including you and me. But this is an account we've heard before; most of us have been hearing it since we were little kids. Sometimes the story means no more to us than printed words on a page. What can bring this important drama alive for us again? Eyewitness accounts. This year, during our midweek Lenten services, we'll hear the reaction of people who were right there when these momentous events were happening. The theme of our series is, "What They Said When Jesus Went to Calvary." Tonight we hear the words of one of Jesus' twelve disciples. The disciple was Judas Iscariot. His words reveal a lot...about himself and, if we pay attention, about us. This is what Judas said when Jesus went to Calvary:

"MASTER, IS IT I?"

I. Judas reveals a hardened heart. II. Judas ignores God's warnings. III. Judas turns his back on Jesus.

It was Maundy Thursday evening. In less than 24 hours, Jesus would be on the cross. Jesus and His disciples were together in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem to celebrate the ceremonial meal of the Passover. Night was coming on, and the shadows were lengthening.

The shadows were lengthening for Jesus, too. He knew the sorrow that awaited Him; in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the courts of Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate, and on the cursed tree of the cross. At this particular moment, though, one sorrow weighed especially heavy upon Him - the bitter sorrow of being betrayed by a friend. In the middle of the meal, Jesus made an ominous announcement, "'Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.' And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, 'Lord, is it I?'"

What was it that made those disciples sad? What was it that made each of them, in turn, ask tremblingly, "It's not me, Lord, is it? You couldn't mean me!" Maybe this will help you understand it... I can't read hearts, of course, but what if I could? And what if I were to announce that someone here tonight was a hypocrite, and hadn't the least bit of Christian faith? Wouldn't that raise some doubt in your mind? Wouldn't that make you think about your sins, your weaknesses, your possible failure? You might not say it out loud, but you too would be thinking, "Is it I?"

Who could possibly be such a hardened traitor that he could betray Jesus into the hands of the Romans? Eleven of those disciples asked the same thing of Jesus. Eleven of them expressed doubt about whether they could possibly be the one He meant. But one of the disciples was playing a game. There was no doubt in his mind. He knew exactly what Jesus was talking about. His name was Judas Iscariot.

For three years Judas had travelled with Jesus and listened to Him teach. He had endured the hardships and shared the joy. He had seen the miracles, and heard the Word of God from the lips of God's own Son. But Satan had gradually gained a hold on the heart of Judas. It started when he made himself little loans from the disciples treasury. It continued with outright stealing. And finally, his lust for money had driven him into a secret bargain with the Jewish elders: for thirty pieces of silver, Judas agreed to lead a group of soldiers to Jesus and betray Him with a kiss.

By Maundy Thursday evening, Judas was reaching the final depths of sin. Satan was winning him over completely as a servant of evil. Rather than repent, Judas was hardening himself to go through with the betrayal of Jesus for money. And what a terrible thing it is to be hardened!

This is a danger for us, too. Any person who remains in a sin long enough runs the risk of hardening himself against God. If he refuses to repent, the time will eventually come when he won't be able to repent. That's why you hear repentance preached from this pulpit so often and so vigorously. Sin, even the sin that seems minor and unimportant, is such a dangerous thing because even the so-called "little sins" can lead to eternal destruction if not repented of. There's an old saying: "Give the devil a finger, and he'll take your whole hand." The case of Judas Iscariot is sad proof that it's true.

The special sin Satan caught Judas with was greed. And you'd better believe the devil knows your weakness as well! Whether it's lust or pride or hatred, a grudging heart or a spiteful tongue. Whatever it is, Satan knows that if he can keep you at it long enough without repenting, he has a chance to take your eternal life away. That's why the writer to the Hebrews urgently warns us, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." — Heb 3:12-13.

Jesus was travelling the road to the cross. In a way, He had already started down that dark road the moment He was born in the stable at Bethlehem. In less than a day, all the prophesies concerning His suffering and death for the sins of the world would be fulfilled. But even at this darkest hour, Jesus had a last warning for His disciple; He threw out the lifeline one more time, hoping that Judas might yet grab hold. He said, "The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

But Judas was lost forever. Foolishly thinking he could deceive Jesus by acting innocent, he mouthed the same words as the others, "Master, is it I?" With that question, Judas turned his back once and for all on Jesus - the only One who could rescue him from the depths of sin to which he had fallen. "You have said it," Jesus answered, "You are the one." Jesus handed him the "sop", the telltale piece of bread dipped in bitter herbs. The Gospel of John tells us that "...after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, 'what you do, do quickly.' So...having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night." — Jn 13:27,30.

It was indeed night, especially for Judas. It began a long night of sin and sorrow and wretchedness. It would continue in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he would betray Jesus with a kiss. It would end at a lonely tree at the edge of a cliff, where Judas, in despair over what he had done, would hang himself and commit his soul to eternal hell fire.

This is the worst-case scenario. It's a "bad news example," meant to show us the horrible results of hardening oneself in one's sin. Where Judas is now, the night of darkness and torment will never end.

So what's the good news? Is there anything in this account to encourage us? Yes - the Good News is that we don't have to follow in the footsteps of Judas. He insisted on bearing his own sin right to the grave, but we know that there's another way out. That way is pictured on the cover of your service folder this evening: there you see the basin and the towel Jesus used later that evening to wash the feet of his disciples, reminding them that, "The son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." — Matt 2:28. There you see the purple cloth that the soldiers dressed Jesus up in so they could make fun of Him. There you see the rough-hewn wood of the cross Jesus hung on, and the nails that were driven through His hands and feet. In short, it's a picture of the way out from under sin. Jesus' blood and righteousness is our way out! Judas rejected this way...but we won't. He turned his back on his Savior...Fellow Christians, during this Lenten season let us, in true repentance, turn toward our Savior for forgiveness!

We won't be disappointed. It's true that the cross is, in one way, a sad symbol of sin, and the consequences of sin. But for us, that cross is also a symbol of victory over sin. It's a reminder that, with His suffering and death, Jesus broke the power of Satan. He paid for your sins and my sins, so that the devil has no right to accuse us anymore. Jesus earned for us the blessed privilege of bringing our sins to Him, every day, for forgiveness. Our Savior has brushed away the last obstacle remaining between us and eternal life. He paid a high price to buy us back from sin: His own life. But He did pay it. And thank God He did! Because, as Paul says, "In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." — Eph 1:7.

There's a famous poem by Robert Frost that many of us learned in school. It's called, "The Road Not Taken." In the final verse, the poet says:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

When Jesus went to Calvary, Judas Iscariot, unrepentant, said, "Master, is it I?" And with those words he disappeared down the broad and easy road that leads to destruction. God forbid that any of us should take that road! Rather, let's learn from his bad example, and use every opportunity to confess our sins and receive the forgiveness of our loving Savior. Guided by the Holy Spirit, let's take "the road less travelled by" ...the narrow path of grace that leads to eternal life! In Jesus' name, AMEN.