When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” Matthew 26:20-22
Peter’s bad week continues. Even as the disciples prepare to worship God at the Passover, a pall of sadness hung over them. The Lord continually brought up the fact He would soon suffer and be killed at the hands of the Jew’s own religious leaders, a fact the disciples
simply could not wrap their head around.
Now as the disciples approach sunset and sit around the table with the Lord observing the Passover, He stuns them once again. Their hearts take a plunge they could never have imagined.
Truly The Lord used a word they were used to hearing. The Lord only used this term in the most significant of situations. The word means “so be it’. This is a truthful and faithful statement that can be counted on. Jesus frequently used it to emphasize the truth and
importance of His teachings.
I tell you The Lord reminds the disciples of who is speaking. Strong’s Concordance says this word “is often employed to introduce direct speech or to convey a message, command, or teaching”. The Son of God is yelling them this truth.
One This word is frequently employed to stress the uniqueness or exclusivity of something, such as the oneness of God or the unity of believers in Christ. This person is unique.
Of you The Lord is not referring to His enemies; He refers to the group of 12 sitting around the table – those followers who are the
closest to him, the ones who have left all to follow Him.
Will betray Betray means to “give (turn) over; “hand over from,” i.e. to deliver over with a sense of close (personal) involvement. In the New Testament, it is often used in the context of delivering someone to authorities. The word is first used when John the Baptist is taken by the Roman authorities.
Me The disciples have to be stunned. One of them would turn against the Lord? After all the talk of suffering and death, now this. What else could possibly go wrong?
What can we learn? There are several key lessons. First, each disciple, in fear, asks the Lord if he is the one. This shows us that even the closest to the Lord can face tests that, in which they betray the truth of knowing the Lord and standing for Him. Second, we see that none of the disciples suspected Judas. This shows us that the ones who are closest to us may not be genuine in their faith – only the Lord knows and can judge. Third, we see that these words should causes us to examine ourselves. The disciples are faced with the truth that after walking with the Lord for three years, they are weak. Without the Lord they can do nothing. Fourth we see that the Lord’s words are used to impact different people in different ways. Here He sends a direct warning to Judas. God knows what is is in his heart. The Lord gives Judas time to repent. He can turn back if he desires. There is time but a decision must be made. To the other 11 disciples, including Peter, they will be tested and, in their own strength, they cannot stand. For the 11 it is not an issue of betrayal, it is an issue of denial. Their test is coming. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (I Corinthians 10:12) Will they prepare? Do we?Peter’s week is getting worse.