Boyd L. Daniels - "Is It I?" (February 6, 1966)
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| (gentle spirited music) | 0:04 | |
| - | The story of Jesus, Last Supper with his disciples | 0:56 |
| as it is told in the Gospel of Matthew is in two parts. | 1:00 | |
| The second half of the account is the more often read. | 1:07 | |
| For it describes the actual giving of bread and wine | 1:11 | |
| to the 12. | 1:15 | |
| In this portion of the narrative, there is no conversation. | 1:19 | |
| Jesus alone speaks. | 1:24 | |
| And the others at the table respond by participating | 1:27 | |
| in the fellowship. | 1:31 | |
| The communion of eating with their master. | 1:33 | |
| Jesus gave, they received. | 1:38 | |
| And thus the sacrament of the table | 1:42 | |
| had its beginning. | 1:46 | |
| The earlier part of the story, | 1:50 | |
| which tells of Jesus prediction of the betrayal by Judas | 1:52 | |
| is also familiar. | 1:57 | |
| Although perhaps less closely associated in our minds | 2:00 | |
| with the Last Supper itself. | 2:03 | |
| Jesus showed his clear knowledge | 2:07 | |
| of what was a out to happen. | 2:09 | |
| And His words bring forth a response first from the group | 2:12 | |
| and then from Judas individually. | 2:16 | |
| The prediction of betrayal is met with unbelief, | 2:20 | |
| coupled with inner searching | 2:25 | |
| as each one asks, "Lord is it I?" | 2:28 | |
| Then at the climax of Matthew's account, | 2:35 | |
| Judas points the finger to himself | 2:38 | |
| echoing the words of the others, | 2:42 | |
| "Is it I master?" | 2:45 | |
| And Jesus says, "You have said so." | 2:49 | |
| One does well to keep both portions of the story in mind. | 2:56 | |
| The Last Supper was a time of joy | 3:01 | |
| as is any occasion when one sits down to eat with friends. | 3:04 | |
| But it was a joy tempered by sorrow. | 3:09 | |
| At least for Jesus, if not for the others. | 3:13 | |
| Jesus knew that his death was imminent. | 3:17 | |
| And no man who thinks at all | 3:20 | |
| of the meaning of life looks to death without sorrow. | 3:22 | |
| Jesus knew two of the weakness of his closest friends | 3:29 | |
| which would lead them all even Peter to desert Him | 3:34 | |
| when the crisis came. | 3:38 | |
| Worst of all, He knew as this passage | 3:42 | |
| in the Gospel of Matthew indicates | 3:44 | |
| that one of those most dear to Him | 3:46 | |
| was about to go beyond simple desertion | 3:49 | |
| to outright treachery. | 3:52 | |
| We are reminded then that the spiritual event | 3:57 | |
| this exalted spiritual event, | 4:00 | |
| which we are gathered to commemorate this morning, | 4:02 | |
| took place in a very human context | 4:06 | |
| of men, some good and some not so good | 4:10 | |
| sitting at an ordinary table, eating together. | 4:15 | |
| Only one of those present at that table | 4:22 | |
| knew that something special was taking place. | 4:26 | |
| Although the others were to understand it later. | 4:31 | |
| The common event became a sacrament | 4:35 | |
| because God used it to reveal Himself to man. | 4:40 | |
| Thus making the outward and visible sign into an inward | 4:46 | |
| and spiritual grace. | 4:52 | |
| Thus God reminds us never to score in the ordinary events | 4:56 | |
| of our lives. | 5:00 | |
| For He may be using these ordinary events | 5:03 | |
| to reveal himself in an extraordinary way. | 5:06 | |
| One never knows when a supper may become a last supper. | 5:11 | |
| When the common may become communion, | 5:19 | |
| when the routine may become revelation | 5:24 | |
| and the daily duty, divine. | 5:29 | |
| As we look at this story of the Last Supper | 5:35 | |
| in Matthews Gospel, | 5:37 | |
| we see immediately that one man was present | 5:39 | |
| who did not deserve her to be there. | 5:41 | |
| At least as we humans judge what is deserving. | 5:44 | |
| Judas was a sinner. | 5:49 | |
| By any definition of that term, | 5:51 | |
| a sinner of the worst sort. | 5:54 | |
| For he was engaged, whether he realized or not. | 5:57 | |
| And that is a debatable question | 6:01 | |
| which we will not now debate. | 6:02 | |
| He was engaged in the destruction of a human life. | 6:04 | |
| We do not know why Judas did what he did. | 6:09 | |
| We could debate that too. | 6:12 | |
| We don't even know quite what he did | 6:14 | |
| for the gospels are vague about the details | 6:17 | |
| of his transaction with the high priests. | 6:19 | |
| But we know the result of what he did. | 6:23 | |
| And that result makes the questions why and what | 6:26 | |
| somewhat academic. | 6:30 | |
| Judas betrayed Jesus and Jesus died. | 6:33 | |
| Yes, there was one present | 6:40 | |
| who did not deserve to be in such company, | 6:43 | |
| but wasn't only one. | 6:46 | |
| Only a few hours later Peter was to deny three times | 6:49 | |
| that he knew Jesus. | 6:52 | |
| Not long before James and John had made deathly attempt | 6:55 | |
| to exploit Jesus impending sorrow for their own advancement. | 6:59 | |
| A few days later, Thomas was to doubt Jesus reappearance. | 7:04 | |
| And by morning, when Jesus was desperately | 7:10 | |
| in need of supporters, as he stood before a pilot | 7:13 | |
| and then toiled up Calvary with his cross | 7:17 | |
| all 12 would've fled from his side. | 7:20 | |
| Yes there was one present who did not deserve to be there | 7:26 | |
| and 11 others besides. | 7:31 | |
| Not one of the 12 understood. | 7:34 | |
| Not one of the 12 was willing to stand by in time of danger. | 7:38 | |
| Not one measured up to what we think a disciple ought to be. | 7:44 | |
| At that table were 12 sinners | 7:51 | |
| and one man who knew how to resist sin. | 7:55 | |
| We come in like manner today. | 8:02 | |
| The recognition that we come | 8:08 | |
| as sinners does not excuse our sinful ways | 8:09 | |
| but it does give us the same kind of bond | 8:14 | |
| before our Lord that united the disciples. | 8:17 | |
| We do not understand fully what God has done. | 8:22 | |
| Some do not even try to understand. | 8:28 | |
| We are as low to risk our lives for our beliefs | 8:31 | |
| as where Jesus first century followers. | 8:34 | |
| We do not measure up to what we think disciples ought to be | 8:38 | |
| far from it. | 8:41 | |
| Some simply dessert while others betray, | 8:43 | |
| but very few serve their master faithfully. | 8:47 | |
| But note the question those 12 asked. | 8:52 | |
| When Jesus said, "One of you will betray me." | 8:56 | |
| Not one man said to his neighbor, is it you? | 9:00 | |
| Rather each one asked of himself, | 9:09 | |
| is it I? | 9:15 | |
| The only legitimate judging of sin | 9:20 | |
| is that which comes from within oneself. | 9:23 | |
| I can speak here from this pulpit of the sinfulness | 9:28 | |
| of us all, but I have no right to single out any one of you | 9:30 | |
| and judge your sins. | 9:36 | |
| Neither do you have that right with me, | 9:39 | |
| nor with the person seated beside you. | 9:42 | |
| Nevertheless, each one must look within himself | 9:46 | |
| as he comes to the table of the Lord. | 9:52 | |
| Only those are invited to this table | 9:57 | |
| who do truly and earnestly repent of their sins. | 10:01 | |
| And true and earnest repentance | 10:09 | |
| can only follow deep spiritual introspection. | 10:12 | |
| The question, is it I? | 10:18 | |
| Is closely related to the question | 10:22 | |
| shall I come to this table? | 10:25 | |
| And then they partook of the meal together, | 10:32 | |
| all 12 even Judas with Jesus. | 10:34 | |
| Neither the weakness of Peter | 10:39 | |
| nor the cunning of James and John | 10:41 | |
| nor the uncertainty of Thomas, | 10:43 | |
| nor the selfish fear of the others, | 10:45 | |
| nor even the treachery of Judas | 10:47 | |
| kept them from communing together in the sacrament | 10:49 | |
| of bread and wine. | 10:52 | |
| In due time each had to make his own spiritual peace | 10:55 | |
| with God. | 10:59 | |
| Although Judas apparently could never do so. | 11:01 | |
| But at this moment in history, | 11:05 | |
| God used each of these ordinary sinful mortal beings | 11:09 | |
| to show what his love meant | 11:17 | |
| and what fellowship with Him could be. | 11:20 | |
| Despite their failings, He succeeded. | 11:25 | |
| And because He did, we assemble at this table today. | 11:30 | |
| Thus it is that we come | 11:38 | |
| to the holy sacrament of the Lord's supper. | 11:39 | |
| We come in the joy of close fellowship with God | 11:44 | |
| and with His son, Jesus Christ our Lord. | 11:47 | |
| Yet we come to with sorrow. | 11:52 | |
| Sorrow because we are a part of that same mankind, | 11:55 | |
| which dealt with Jesus so cruelly. | 12:00 | |
| Sorrow because our best efforts | 12:04 | |
| even when we have expended them | 12:07 | |
| have fallen so far short | 12:09 | |
| of the standard of discipleship He asks. | 12:11 | |
| We come as men and women | 12:16 | |
| who can never lay aside our humanity | 12:18 | |
| to partake of bread and wine produced by human toil. | 12:22 | |
| Yet we come knowing that God | 12:27 | |
| can make this ordinary act sacramental if we will let Him. | 12:30 | |
| We come though we do not deserve to be here. | 12:37 | |
| Stricken with our unworthiness | 12:41 | |
| as we contemplate God's greatness | 12:43 | |
| and yet we come | 12:46 | |
| knowing that the Lord's table is large enough for all. | 12:48 | |
| We come searching our inmost beings | 12:56 | |
| to know whether we too have betrayed our Lord | 13:01 | |
| knowing that we have indeed | 13:07 | |
| yet we come because Jesus calls us to come. | 13:11 | |
| And because we know that here we can find relief | 13:18 | |
| from the burden of our sin | 13:25 | |
| and refreshing for our souls. | 13:29 | |
| Let us pray. | 13:37 | |
| Lord Jesus we come | 13:42 | |
| prepare our hearts | 13:45 | |
| and fill us with eye presence. | 13:51 | |
| That in coming, we may indeed share | 13:55 | |
| and have communion with thee, | 14:00 | |
| and through thee, with God our Father | 14:06 | |
| and the Holy Spirit. | 14:12 | |
| Amen. | 14:15 | |
| (piano music) | 14:23 |