Yes, It Is You

(Another communion meditation from a few years back. May it remind us of the reason we come together each week as the body of Christ.)

“I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 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.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.” (Matthew 26:21-25)

A more accurate translation of this last phrase would be, “You, yourself have said it,” or simply “You said it.”
One by one the apostles asked Jesus, “Surely not I, Lord?” One by one they admitted their own insecurities and fears. Each one realized that he could have been the one Jesus meant when he said that one of them would betray them. And finally, after Jesus speaks again, Judas asks the question that he already knows the answer to, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” To which Jesus responds, “You said it.”
The difference between the eleven and Judas is subtle to us. In fact, we may not have noticed it. Eleven men ask, “Surely not I, Lord.” Judas asks, “Surely not I, Rabbi.” Almost without exception in the gospel of Matthew, the term Rabbi is used by unbelievers. The term Rabbi was used to identify someone as a teacher. The term Lord shows a relationship that goes beyond the formalities of teacher-student relationship. The eleven display their acceptance of Jesus as their Master. By calling him Lord, they are showing that they want to live like him, to model his behavior, his speech, his actions. By calling Jesus “Rabbi,” Judas recognizes that Jesus is intelligent and wise, but that he is not persuaded to live the lifestyle Jesus has called him to live.
The debate highlighted at this meal continues to this day. Is Jesus Lord? Or is Jesus rabbi? Sometimes the debate makes its way into the public arena as one faith argues with another over the identity of Christ. But the more important debate is the internal debate we have with ourselves. Is he my Lord?
At times he may be our Lord, and we fervently follow him. At other times he may be a teacher whose teaching we can ignore for a time. This morning, as we gather to remember his sacrifice, let us each reflect on our relationship with Christ. Is he Lord? Or is he teacher?
[Pause and think about that.]
We gather around this table as people who call Jesus “Lord.” We accept Jesus as our Master, our Teacher, our Savior. We gather because we want to live like him; modeling his behavior, his speech, his actions. We also gather because we cannot attain what we want – to be like him perfectly. So we come together this morning to eat this meal and be strengthened by our Lord.