Surely Not I, Lord

In one paragraph

On Sunday morning, Pastor Carl led the congregation through the events of Holy Week from Wednesday through Thursday night, tracing the conspiracy against Jesus, Judas's betrayal deal, and the Last Supper. The message centered on the question each disciple asked: "Surely not I, Lord?" The congregation was invited to ask that same question honestly about their own lives. The section of Holy Week...

Read together

1. Matthew 26 Primary synoptic text for the Last Supper and betrayal narrative
2. Mark 14 Parallel synoptic account of the Last Supper and betrayal narrative
3. Luke 21 Cited as part of the harmony of gospels study for this passage
4. John 13:5-20 Jesus washing the disciples feet, given as a reading assignment
5. John 13 Upper room discourse, part of five-chapter reading assignment
6. John 14 Upper room discourse, part of five-chapter reading assignment
7. John 15 Upper room discourse, part of five-chapter reading assignment
8. John 16 Upper room discourse, part of five-chapter reading assignment
9. John 17 Jesus praying in the garden after leaving the upper room, part of reading assignment

Talk about it

1. Glenn shared how his grandfather never let a conversation go by without working in his testimony, even as a mechanic and logger. Who in your own life has modeled that kind of unselfconscious, everyday witness, and what effect did it have on you?
2. The pastor pointed out that when Jesus sent Peter and John into the city, He had already spoken to the man with the pitcher and the owner of the house before they ever arrived. Where in your own life have you looked back and seen that God had gone ahead of you before you obeyed a hard command?
3. Every disciple at the table asked 'Surely not I, Lord?' but Judas asked 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' What do you make of that difference, and what does the title we use for Jesus say about our relationship with Him?
4. The pastor suggested that the best possible reading of Judas's motive is that he thought he was helping Jesus by forcing His hand and bringing about an earthly kingdom. How does that compare to times when we have convinced ourselves that our own plan was actually serving God's purposes?
5. Moments after Jesus washed their feet and warned them that one of them would betray Him, the disciples fell into an argument about which of them was the greatest. What does that tell you about how quickly we can drift, and what does Jesus's response to them say about how He handles that in us?