MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(Powerpoints used with this service are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com & request #352.)
(12 different men representing the Apostles express what they might have been thinking just after Jesus said, "One of you will betray me." Representations of each apostle is shown on the screen while these thoughts are being expressed.)
TEXT: Mark 14:13-19
WELCOME & OPENING PRAYER
NARRATOR: The 14th chapter of the Gospel of Mark tells us "On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked Him, “Where do you want us to go & make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
"So He sent two of His disciples, telling them, 'Go into the city, & a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’
"He will show you a large upper room, furnished & ready. Make preparations for us there. The disciples left, went into the city & found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover." (Mark 14:13-16)
"In the evening He came with the 12. Now as they sat & ate, Jesus said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with me will betray me.' And they began to be sorrowful, & to say to Him one by one, 'Is it I?'" (Mark 14:17-19 NKJV)
(PP OF DA VINCI'S LAST SUIPPER)
Leonardo de Vinci, the versatile genius of the Renaissance was born in Italy in 1452. Though he excelled in many fields, he is best remembered today because of two wonderful paintings, the "Mona Lisa" & "The Last Supper."
In 1494, when Leonardo was 42, he was commissioned by the Duke of Milan to decorate the dining room of the Convent Church, which was the favorite shrine of the Duke’s young bride. As an appropriate theme for this dining room, the painter chose, "The Last Supper".
His painting was not intended to be a faithful reproduction of the original scene as it had taken place in 1st Century Palestine, but rather as it might have taken place in 15th century Italy. He chose what he considered the most dramatic moment in the Last Supper. In our presentation tonight, the 12 Apostles speak their minds to them-selves in the light of the words which they have just heard Jesus speak, “One of you will betray me”
TRIO: LAMB OF GLORY
(PP OF MATTHEW) Like Zacchaeus, I am a tax collector. Some call me Levi, others call me Matthew, the publican. My life has been changed through my fellowship with Jesus. He called me one day when I was working, collecting taxes. “Follow Me,“ He said, & I went with Him.
Later, I hosted a great feast in my home, & many of His disciples, along with some of my business friends were present. When some Pharisees complained about Jesus eating with publicans & sinners, Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”
Since the day I repented & began following Him, I have studied the scriptures closely & am convinced that Jesus is the fulfillment of every prophecy about the coming Messiah, God’s anointed.
I have listened carefully to His teaching & someday I hope to write about Him, proving from our sacred writings that He is truly the promised Messiah. And I also want to write about what He has been saying concerning the Kingdom of God, the good news that He first shared with us on the mountain in Galilee 3 years ago. It is good news that the whole world needs to hear.
And yet, He has just spoken some tragic news that one of us will betray Him. Who could it be? Will they suspect me because I was once a hated tax collector for the Romans? Is it even possible that I could do such a thing? “Is it I?, Is it I?”
(PP OF NATHANIEL) My name is Nathaniel, although I am sometimes called Bartholomew. Like many of the others, I am a fisherman. I was a disciple of John, the Baptizer, & it was he who introduced me to Jesus. It was my friend, Philip, who came & said, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the Law, & about whom the prophets also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
I will never forget the question I put to Philip that day, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” I said it not in scorn, but the town was such an insignificant place that those of us familiar with it wondered why God would place His anointed in her midst. However, Philip simply replied, “Come & see.”
When I met Jesus, He said, “Here is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” I asked. He answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
But how could He have seen me? I was well hidden in the shade of that fig tree. It was then that I exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel.” And on that day I decided to follow Him.
Since that time I have served Him as a disciple & as a chosen apostle. And now, He says that one of us will betray Him. How can that be? How could one of His closest friends betray Him? And yet, the way He said it, I keep asking, "Is it I? Is it I?”
(PP OF JAMES THE LESS) My name is James, but since that name is so common, I am usually called James the Less, being lesser in size than the other apostle, James the brother of John. Then again, since my father’s name was Alphaeus, I am also known as James, the son of Alphaeus.
I will never forget the day I first saw the Master. I was passing down the road near the place where John was baptizing. I was curious to see what was going on, so I turned aside for a closer look. Then I saw Jesus asking John to baptize Him. John refused, but Jesus insisted.
After John had baptized Jesus, the heavens opened & the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, & we heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Well, that was enough for me, & I began following Jesus. Then He chose me to be one of His 12 apostles, & since that moment I have walked & talked & stayed with Him, trying to learn as much about Him & His heavenly Father as I could.
And now, He says that one of us will betray Him. That would be madness! Surely the betrayer would have to be out of his mind! I couldn't even imagine that I would do anything like that! But yet, I keep asking, “Is it I? Is it I?”
(PP OF JAMES, THE BROTHER OF JOHN) I am James, the brother of John, & Zebedee is our father. We have also been called the “Sons of Thunder.” Well, maybe we are a little hot-headed at times, especially when that Samaritan village was so rude to us. Our first reaction was to ask Jesus to call down fire, but Jesus didn't do it. And we have learned a lot from Him these last 3 years.
We were fishermen by trade, & one day when we were mending our nets Jesus said that He wanted to make us "fishers of men." What He was teaching sounded intriguing, so we went with Him. We felt honored when Jesus chose both of us to be among the 12.
It has been 3 years now that we have been with Jesus, & our mother, Salome, is quite ambitious on our behalf. Recently, at her urging, we made this request, “Teacher... let one of us sit at your right & the other at your left in your glory." He replied, “You don't know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.” We said, “Lord, we can.”
Then He told us that we would surely drink His cup & be baptized with His baptism, but it was not in His power to grant what we asked. The others were angry when they heard what we had asked. Jesus then told us that He who would be first must be the servant of all. And tonight He demonstrated that by washing our feet.
And now, He who taught us the way of love is to be betrayed by one of us whom He loves. Who can it be? Why would one of us do such a thing? I keep looking deep down inside & wondering, "Is it I? Is it I?”
(PP OF ANDREW) I am Andrew, the man who brought His own brother to the Lord. I am not a gifted man, just an ordinary, average one. But, I’ve tried to do what I could to serve the Master with the gifts & talents that I have. The others call me "Andrew, the bringer," because it seems that I'm always bringing someone else to Jesus.
I first brought my brother, Simon Peter, to Jesus & have watched with amazement the transformation in my brother's life. I also brought the little boy with the 5 loaves & 2 fish that Jesus used to feed the 5,000.
Just recently, some Greeks came seeking the Master, & I also took them to Him. Jesus must have seen something in me which others overlook, because He selected me to be one of the 12 apostles.
I may not be in the inner circle like my brother Peter, but I haven’t been in the outer circle, either. I’ve been a friend & companion to my Lord. And I have learned a great deal from Him about God's Kingdom.
Now He says that one of us is going to betray Him. Who could it be? How could anyone get away with it in his own heart? I couldn't. But, “Is it I? Is it I?”
(PP OF JUDAS ISCARIOT) All the others apostles came from Galilee. But my home is in the village of Kerioth in Judea, & I'm known as Judas Iscariot, the only Judean in the group.
Most of the apostles must have confidence in me because they selected me to be their treasurer. And Jesus surely must have believed in me, because He chose me as one of the 12. But now some are hinting that I may be taking money out of our funds for my own use, & that when Jesus spoke about greed & the love of money that His words were directed at me.
Of course I complained when Mary washed His feet with that expensive ointment. I still think it was a waste of money. And if I have conspired with the Chief Priests, & if I have 30 pieces of silver hidden away, that’s my affair. I believe in Jesus, but someone has to make Him assert Himself. What is He waiting for? He is so slow about making His move.
Well, I’ve made one. He seems to hint that He knows what I’ve done. He's said as much a couple of times tonight. But I know what I have decided to do, & I'm going ahead with it. What would you do if you were in my place, & wanted Him to do something dramatic & startling to usher in His Kingdom?
And now He has announced that one of us is going to betray Him. Should I just pretend to be shocked like the others, & piously, self-righteously ask out loud, “IS IT I? IS IT I?”
TRIO: WHY SHOULD HE LOVE ME SO?
(PP OF PHILLIP) My name is Philip, & I come from Bethsaida in Galilee. While several of my friends & I were in Bethany listening to John the Baptist, Jesus called us to become His disciples & we turned & followed Him.
I remember so well, before He fed the 5,000, asking Him, “Where are we going to buy bread that all of these may eat?” The idea that Jesus could possibly feed them with 5 loaves & 2 fishes never occurred to me
When the Greeks came & asked me for an interview with the Master, I turned them over to Andrew who took them to Jesus. When Jesus told us that Almighty God was our Heavenly Father, it was a concept almost beyond my understanding. However, as I listened I began to understand what He was saying.
I now believe that He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. In fact, everything one would want to find in Almighty God, I find in Jesus.
Now, once we have become acquainted with the Father through Jesus, He shocks us tonight by saying that there is a betrayer in our midst. Doesn't the traitor know that by betraying Jesus he is also betraying Almighty God? Can one of us be so blind, so foolish? Who can it be? Please, Lord, not me, not me! “Is it I? Is it I?'
(PP OF THADDAEUS) I am Thaddaeus, one of the disciples whom Jesus called to be an apostle. Jesus chose 12 of us to become the cornerstones of His New Kingdom, just as the 12 tribes were the cornerstones of the old Jewish Kingdom.
I feel unworthy to be numbered among the apostles, but He selected me. I well remember the day. After a night in prayer, He called us to Him & gave us authority over unclean spirits & the power to heal every kind of disease & infirmity.
Then He commissioned us to go forth & preach that “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.” He told us to be as wise as serpents & as innocent as doves, since He was sending us forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.
“It is enough,” He said, “that the disciple be like his teacher, & the servant as his master.” I was in Jerusalem when He gave the great invitation, “Come unto me, all ye that labor & are heavy-laden, & I will give you rest ….”
And now, He who came to lift men’s burdens, has a heavy burden thrust upon Him: the knowledge that He will be taken by His enemies, that one of us will betray Him. Which one of us could it be? Who is the traitor? Someone we least suspect? Could it be Philip, or Peter, or Judas or John – or even me? Or will all of us betray Him before this night is over? ”Is it I? Is it I?”
(PP OF THOMAS) I am Thomas called Didymus, which means “twin." While I do not consider myself to have a gloomy desposition, I usually demand proof before I commit myself. I don't think of myself as a doubter. Rather, I feel that I am a man of daring.
I recall the day Mary & Martha sent word to the Lord that their brother, Lazarus, was dead. Jesus said, “Let us go to him.” But we knew of the growing opposition to Jesus, & some of the apostles didn’t want to go. They shrank from the danger. Yet, I spoke up & rebuked them all by saying, “Let us also go with Him that we may die with Him.”
Why do people remember my doubts & forget my daring - remember my questions & overlook my determination - remember my fears & forget my faith?
How well I remember the Beatitudes Jesus spoke during the first year of His ministry. And, I can remember Him rebuking the stormy winds on Galilee, healing the sick, curing the diseased, opening the eyes of the blind, unstopping the ears of the deaf, cleansing the lepers & preaching the gospel to the poor.
Yet, opposition has developed & His enemies are determined to destroy Him. He wants us to be God’s servants, while they want God to be their servant. And now, He says that even among us, the chosen 12, there is a traitor. Surely He doesn't think it is me? He isn't speaking of me, is He? "Is it I? Is it I?"
(PP OF JOHN) After Jesus called Peter & Andrew to follow Him, He came to me & my brother, James, as we were in the boat nearby with our father, Zebedee, mending our nets. He called us & we immediately left the boat, & our father, & followed Him.
He told me about His talk with Nicodemus when He spoke those wonderful words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Since that time, I have tried to understand who Jesus really is, & I am convinced that He is as much God as will ever possess a human body. Yet I love Him as a person, & sometimes He even calls me, “The beloved disciple.”
I was there on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter & my brother, John, & we beheld His glory. And it was Peter & I who handled the arrangements for the celebration of Passover here in this upper room tonight, because He numbers us within His closest, inner circle.
Someday I want to write down His sayings & some of His many wonderful deeds, so others may read them & believe that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of God, & that believing they, too, may have life in His name.
Yet, He has just said that one of us is a betrayer. I cannot believe it. But it must be so, or He would not have said it. Who could it be? Surely not my brother, or Peter, or Andrew. Oh, don't let it be me, the beloved Disciple. "Is it I? Is it I?"
(PP OF SIMON THE ZEALOT) I am known as Simon the Zealot. Before Jesus called me, I belonged to a group of hot-headed revolutionaries known as "Zealots." We believed in violent resistance against Rome. We believed in crushing our enemies and re-establishing the glory that was Israel’s in the days of King David & Solomon.
Yet, Jesus told us of another kingdom, a kingdom of the human heart where God reigns supreme. Since I met Him, I have changed my mind & my allegiance. He has shown me that the conquest of the heart is the only true & lasting victory. So now I have given Him my highest loyalty & deepest devotion.
I have, in military terms, unconditionally & completely surrendered to Him, to think His thoughts, to love as He loves, & whom He loves, to serve as He serves. This surrender has not imprisoned me; but rather, it has set me free. I am not afraid of Rome any longer. She is mighty, but God is Almighty.
Now the Master has said that there is one among us who would attempt to take by force what can only be accomplished by love. Who could be so foolish? Could it be Matthew, the Publican, or the big fisherman? Surely He doesn't mean me - but after all, I am the only former Zealot in the 12! "Is it I? Is it I?"
(PP OF SIMON PETER) My brother, Andrew, & I are fishermen. One morning Jesus saw us pulling into shore & said, “Simon, put out into the deep & let down your nets for a catch.” I said, “Master, we have toiled all night & have taken nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.”
We caught so many fish we had to call other boats to help us. When we reached shore I fell at His feet & cried out, “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man."
Then one wonderful day Jesus said, “Follow Me & I will make you fishers of men.” So Andrew & I left our nets & went with Him. I guess I've always been rather impulsive. Once He asked the 12 of us who we thought He was. I spoke up & said that He was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. And He said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.” That's when He changed my name from Simon to Peter, which means, “The Rock.”
But later, when I protested against His going to Jerusalem, He rebuked me & said, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” So, I guess that within me there is a mixture of both good & evil.
Tonight, when He said that one of us would betray Him, I spoke up & said I would follow Him to the death. But he replied that before the rooster crows, I would deny Him three times. Will I actually deny Him? And, if I do, what will He do? Will He deny me? Will He close the doors of His kingdom to me?
Was He also implying I would be the one who would betray Him? If I knew who the traitor was, I’d pierce his heart with this knife that I hold. But, maybe it will be my own heart that I would have to pierce! God grant that it may not be so. Yet, if I am so weak as to deny Him, could I be the one who will betray Him? "Lord, is it I? Is it I?”
NARRATOR: The bread is broken & the wine is poured
And, once more, grim Golgotha’s hill is nigh.
By whom is Christ again denied, betrayed?
Or should we all cry out, “Lord, is it I?”
A traitor kisses Him upon the cheek,
A fisherman unsheathes his sword nearby.
Did this take place two thousand years ago,
Or should we all cry out, "Lord, is it I?"
A crown of thorns is pressed upon his brow.
And, bearing His own cross, He goes to die.
Whose is the guilt, the everlasting shame,
Or should we all cry out, "Lord, Is it I?”
Yes, He was betrayed. Even today He is often denied & betrayed. And for our sins He became a sacrificial Lamb, & He died. And that we might share in the hope of eternal life He arose. He is Alive.
CONGREGATIONAL SONG: THERE IS A REDEEMER
(PP OF DA VINCI'S LAST SUPPER)
NARRATOR: And as they did eat, Jesus took bread (pause) & blessed it (pause) & broke it (pause) & gave it to them saying, (pause) “Take, eat, this is my body.”
And He took the cup (pause) & when he had given thanks (pause)
He gave it to them (pause) & they all drank of it, & He said,
”This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many. Truly, Truly, I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the Kingdom of God.”
And He said, "Do this in remembrance of me."
EXPLANATION OF HOW TO PARTAKE
PRAYER FOR THE EMBLEMS
CONGREGATION COMES FORWARD TO PARTAKE
VIDEO: VIA DOLOROSA - Sandi Patty
CLOSING PRAYER
