“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?” 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 you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.””
**Matthew‬ *26:20-25‬ *NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/mat.26.20-25.niv


I can picture the scene. In fact, most of us can see it vividly as the Last Supper is an oft-repeated piece of art in many Christian homes. The men in the painting have beards and wine goblets and wear robes. One of them looks more malevolent than the others. Of course, the mean one is none other than Judas.


Jesus shared that last meal with his betrayer. He gave Judas every opportunity to repent. In fact, Jesus called out his sin without sugar-coating anything. But Judas remained hard hearted and unrepentant. He sidestepped conviction with the words, “Surely, you don’t mean me Rabbi?”


Judas refused to acknowledge his sin. He refused to allow conviction to penetrate through the layers of prideful self-preservation.


Maybe we don’t willfully betray God, but we persist in some sinful patterns? Do we allow conviction of sin to break us?


Bringing It Home


What’s God convicting me about? In which areas of my life am I making excuses and not allowing his voice of conviction to change me?


Lean In


Heavenly Father, Show me areas where my sin is habitual, where it has gone unnoticed because of years of making excuses. Give me the power to change. Give me a heart that’s soft and pliable and open to your conviction. Amen.