And when it was evening, He came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me, one who is eating with Me." They began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one after another, "Is it I?" He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with Me. For 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 better for that man if he had not been born." (Mark 14:17-21)
"One of you will betray Me." There were only two people at the table that night who knew exactly what Jesus was talking about at that moment—Jesus, and Judas. The others were in the dark. And yet each of them asked the same fearful, guilty question: "Is it I?"
What was behind that question? A terrible kind of self-knowledge, I think. Each one of them knew that there was something deep in their hearts that could possibly, just possibly, flower into something horrible. Betray Jesus? God forbid. But who could swear that they would never, ever, be capable of something like that?
And so the disciples were humble. They knew themselves, and they trembled.
We tremble too sometimes when we look inside, and we are right to do it. But we must not despair. Instead, we must immediately look to our Savior, Jesus—to the One who knows us through and through and still loves us, still saves us, still remakes us and gives us everlasting life. Because of Jesus we can say with John, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2).
THE PRAYER: Lord, keep me safe from the power of evil. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Do you ever worry about the evil you might be capable of? Why or why not?
* When have you been surprised by good in an evil person, or evil in a good person?
* Is it a comfort to know that Jesus knows all about you? Why or why not?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 12-14 Mark 14:27-53
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