Matthew 26:16-25  
From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
   On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
   “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’”So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
   When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
   Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”
   He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
   Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it. (NLT)

—

Sometimes, the truth hides in plain sight. How many times have you read this passage? When did you first notice what Judas asked that was different from what everyone else asked? 

At first, the difference is subtle. Then, it becomes more glaring. 

Jesus said in verse 21, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Verse 22 says, “Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, ‘Am I the one, Lord?”

Everyone except for Judas. We see his response in verse 25: 

“Rabbi, am I the one?”

Each of Jesus’ disciples called Jesus “Lord” except for Judas. He called Jesus “Rabbi.” 

To him, Jesus was a good teacher, but he was not Lord. 

The difference between an admirer and a disciple is likewise subtle. Jesus said some things we admire and quote to this day. He told stories that endure across millennia. He did some things that, if true, are indeed spectacular and miraculous. 

Judas saw those things. He heard those things. He participated in those things. In the end, however, he wasn’t impressed enough to call Jesus Lord. He was just a rabbi, a teacher. He was not God, or at least, he was not the kind of God Judas wanted. 

To you, who is Jesus? Is he a good teacher, a really nice guy, a man worthy of admiration, but not Lord, and not Savior?

Or, is he who the Bible says he is? God’s Son, our Savior, and the living Lord to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given? (See Matthew 28:18-20.) 

There is only one right answer. Judas got it wrong. He failed the test. 

When Jesus addressed what he knew was about to happen, he said about his betrayer, “It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

Peter, who would betray Jesus that same night, gives us hope. He repented and returned to his earlier declaration. In Matthew 16:16, he answered Jesus’ question, “But who do you say I am?” with “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Who Jesus is to us makes all the difference in heaven and hell. Again, to you, who is Jesus? 

—

I will trust Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

—

Our Father, Jesus is my teacher. I lean into his wisdom day by day. It shapes my thoughts and guides my actions. More than his teaching and training, his atoning death and resurrection drive me to the full realization of who he is. He is my Savior and my Lord. What grace it is that you have done for me what I cannot do for myself. Your mercy and kindness endure forever. Amen.