Mark 14:18,19

While they were reclining at the table eating, [Jesus] said, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me - one who is eating with me.
They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, Surely not I?

Lord, tonight we gather to hear you. Speak to our hearts through your word. Show us ourselves. But most of all, show us Who you are. Let us be true friends tonight. Amen.

We eat with our friends.
We relax with our friends.
We trust our friends, and if they are close friends, we confide in them.
We open our hearts and risk being vulnerable.

Jesus was with friends on a Thursday night, around 2000 years ago.
He had chosen these friends, and opened his heart to them.
He knew them all. He knew them well. He also knew what they would do very soon.
Soon one of them would betray him.

Yes, we know who that was - that was Judas!
Yes, it was Judas. He made a deal with the Jewish leaders that hated Jesus. He would soon lead a group of armed temple guards and others, to ambush and arrest Jesus. This arrest would then lead to a series of trials, beatings, whippings, mocking, and finally crucifixion.
This was the night on which Jesus was betrayed.

We might feel comfortable tonight. Maybe a little quieter, because that is how we are supposed to feel tonight and tomorrow, as we remember the suffering and death of our Lord. We might be feeling comfortable in our relationship to God. Thats ok.

The disciples of Jesus were not comfortable. They were deeply troubled.Because Jesus told them that one of them would turn against him. One of them! How could this be? They were his friends.

Friends stick together. Friends defend each other. Friends turn up and help when they are needed. Friends don't lay a person open to victimisation, injustice and cruelty.

But one of them did.
Just one?
One of you will betray me, Jesus said.
He doesn't say whom.
One of you who shares this table.

He doesn't say whom, because he wants his friends to do exactly what they do next. They examine themselves.

Isn't this surprising?!
What would we do?
If I were to say: Someone here is letting the church down. Someone here is letting their Saviour down, how would we react?
I wonder who it could be. Maybe some names might come to mind.
'Of course it must be so-and-so, who doesnt come often.'
OR: 'of course it must be someone else, who doesn't contribute or isn't involved as much as we think he or she should be'.
'Of course it is those young ones, who are getting slack, and following the ways of the world with their friends, instead of staying true to their confirmation promises..'.
Of course, it is the pastor, because he certainly isn't doing enough.

We can be very good at examining others.
But what do they do?

Each one was saddened.
Each one asked Jesus - could it really be me? Am I the one who will let Jesus down? Am I the one who will stand by and let his name be dragged through the mud...

Am I the one whose love for Jesus turns out to be very shallow, when the pressure is on, or when there's fun to be had, or when my work insists that I should attend to it, instead of taking a little time for my Lord?

Could it be me?

One of you will betray me, Jesus said to his friends many years ago.
He knew them well.
He knows us well.

Before we come to the Lords table, St Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, each person should examine himself or herself.
Let us use this statement of Jesus to examine ourselves tonight.
Ourselves, not the person next to us. Not the person out there in the community. Examine ourselves.

Will I betray Jesus?
Have I betrayed him in the past?

Judas betrayed Jesus - he handed him over to those enemies of Jesus who wanted to kill him. What about Peter? He didn't hand Jesus over. But he left him alone, choosing to side with those who didn't care about Jesus, rather than open himself up to embarassment or even abuse, if it were known that he was a disciple of Jesus.

When you were baptised, you were called to a life of discipleship. A life of learning. A life of following Jesus.

This is the point you need to examine yourself on tonight: how is your relationship to your Lord?

Soon some of you will actually come and kneel at the Lords table.

Tonight Jesus is with us. He opens his heart to us, as he calls us once again to listen to his words, and respond by believing in him.
He knows what we are like.

Are we faithful?
Have we sinned?
Are we weak?
Do we care more about what other people think, than what our Lord thinks?

Let us join the first disciples of the Lord tonight, and be sad.
Let us be sad, because of all the ways we do not worship or obey our Lord. Let us be sad because we are so prone to examining other people, rather than ourselves.

Let us be sad, because our Lord loves us, and keeps on loving us, despite our faithlessness.
Tonight once again, he offers us his body and blood.
Once again he takes a towel, puts it around his waist, and serves us through His words and through the Lords supper. Once again tonight, he reveals himself to be a gracious Saviour to all who are willing to receive His mercy.

Let us say to the Lord - if it is true: 

"Lord, it is me. Please forgive me. Help me renew my friendship with You. Guide me by Your Word and Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn how to know you more clearly, follow you more nearly, and love you more dearly."

Amen.