"Surely Not I, Lord?"

“Surely Not I, Lord?”

Matthew 26:17-30

July 12, 2009

General Intro

Before we get into the message today, I want to make you a promise: I won’t preach as long as I did last week.

I truly had no idea that the message was going so long, and combined with a longer time singing, it just went way long.

In fact, that was probably the longest service we’ve had since I’ve been here.

I had a guest here with me and he suggested putting up a clock in the back. I told him we did that years ago, but I got a bit tired of people looking back at it during the sermon, even when I wasn’t going long!

And besides, folks, I really needed to say what I said last week.

This last week has confirmed in my heart some of the issues that God had laid on my heart.

I suppose I could have worked a bit more to be able to say it in fewer words, but I don’t really regret anything I had to say.

But today, we’re going to get out early! How’s that for a deal, okay?

Then we can get lunch going, and those who are scheduled to donate blood at the beginning can maybe get a bite before their turn.

God: We’re going to look at the passage in which Jesus gives us the Lord’s Supper, and we’re actually going to take 2 or 3 weeks to get through it, because there is just too much stuff in this passage for us to get through in one week.

So we’re going to take at least 2 weeks, and probably three.

And while we’re not going to look at the entire passage today, I do want us to read the whole thing, so we’ll be sure of the context of what I’ll be sharing today.

Matthew 26:17-30 (p. 703) –

17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ’The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’" 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

It’s these next few verses, verses 20-25, that are the focus for us today:

20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"

23 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 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."

25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?"

Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom."

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Just in these few verses there is a lot that we can look at, especially in terms of how this displays Jesus’ knowledge of what was coming and His knowledge of what it would accomplish and how it would be accomplished.

But for today I want to focus specifically on how Judas and the other disciples respond to Jesus’ words that someone was going to betray Him.

That wasn’t where I was planning on going with this message when I started working on it, but as I came across something in a commentary, I was intrigued by it and thought it would be good for us to look at.

Can you imagine the scene?

All the disciples are just kinda reclining back after eating the Passover meal, probably picking lamb out of their teeth, trying not to burp too loudly, or maybe grabbing a last bite.

And then Jesus says, “One of you guys here at the table is going to betray me.”