“And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?” – Matthew 26:22
On the night that Jesus sat in the upper room with his disciples for the Last Supper, just hours before his arrest and eventual crucifixion, Christ predicted his own betrayal and pointed out that one of the men in that very room would be his betrayer. The disciples, perplexed, began to ask, “Is it I?”
Christians across the globe know with great detail the history of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, his arrest, his long walk to Golgotha, his painful crucifixion — with nails piercing his feet and hands — his burial in the tomb and his emergence from that tomb as the resurrected Lord.
This Thursday, many of the Christian faith will observe Maundy Thursday, commemorating this Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples, establishing the Eucharist (Holy Communion). Then, this Friday, referred to as Good Friday, Christians will remember the pain Jesus suffered on the cross for all our sins, and then, on Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the fact that he rose from the dead and what it means to those who believe he truly is the resurrection and the life.
During this Holy Week, we hope everyone, no matter their faith, will take time to reflect on what the cross signifies in their own hearts and how it can change lives and, in turn, help each of us to change the lives of others.
And as we reflect, we all should start, as the disciples did, by asking ourselves, “is it I?”
Too often we do the opposite, asking instead, “is it you?” Disturbingly, there are times when we immediately point fingers of blame at someone else, blaming others for whatever might be going wrong in our community, our state, our nation and our world. Our social media mentality makes it easy to blame others, never considering what part we might have played in any circumstance we simply don’t like.
That’s us taking the moral high ground as if we, because of our stance on certain issues, have a far better grasp on how life should be lived than someone who thinks differently than we do or looks differently than we do. The posts we like most are those who offer up a one-sided opinion on just about any subject with the caveat that although it’s posted publicly don’t dare remark on it unless, of course, you agree with what the writer is saying.
But in most, if not all instances, we should be asking, as the disciples did, “is it I?” Are we being judgmental? Are we failing to love our neighbors — no matter who that neighbor might be — as Jesus commanded us to do? Are we caught up in worshipping idols like money, power, sex, political parties, sports teams or others? Do those things, or other forms of idolatry, compete for our allegiance?
This is the question, not simply for those in that upper room long ago, but for anyone who believes in Christ. An Open Windows article written during the Easter season a few years back puts it like this: “Like Judas, we are tempted to forsake others for a temporary payday.”
What is our temporary payday? What is it we allow to win out over a compassionate heart and a willingness to be accepting of our neighbors without passing judgment on their looks, their lifestyle, their beliefs, their social status? How can we, as Christians, win them over if we don’t show them love rather than hate?
“Is it I,” we should ask ourselves, who is casting the first stone when so many of those stones could easily fall at our own feet.
For Christians, Easter and the days leading up to that wonderful day signify Christ dying on the cross for our sins and then rising from the grave to ascend into heaven where he reigns with God until that day when he returns to take all those who believe back with him.
If we believe in the Christ who showed love to Jews and Gentiles, beggars and thieves, harlots and outcasts, are we following his example or are we professing our faith while acting within our own self-righteous will?
“Is it I” who leads others toward a loving, peaceful society or “Is it I” who is turning away from the things Jesus taught even as we profess our faith?
This Easter, as we celebrate the hope of the resurrection, let’s ask the tough question. “Is it I?” and if it is, what am I doing to make the world a better place?