Surely, Not I?

Deeply distressed, each one began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord?" - Matthew 26:22

For me, this is one of the most interesting encounters between Jesus and His closest followers in all of Scripture, made more-so by the fact that it occurred at the end of their three years of combined ministry.

When the Master indicated that He would be betrayed and that His betrayer was one of the Twelve, each man responded with uncertainty. It was as if each one did not even know his own heart well enough to answer with a strong negative. Even if their replies could be construed along the lines of, "Lord, you don't really think I could betray You, do You?", their trepidation is still astounding. Shouldn't they have been more, I don't know, certain?

This caused me to wonder how certain I, or you would have been in the same situation.

Even now, I know my own weakness and often pray for the strength to stand for truth (His truth) when He calls. With that in mind, I pray that you and I may live lives that would never cause Him (or our own hearts) to question our loyalty.

Confidentiality is a virtue of the loyal, as loyalty is the virtue of faithfulness. - Edwin Louis Cole