"And as they were eating, he said, 'Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.' And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, 'Is it I, Lord?'” (Matthew 6:21-22)
Talk about an awkward dinner moment. Right in the middle of the meal, Jesus decides to share with His disciples that one of them would betray Him. I'm sure you can imagine how quickly conversations died down as their appetites disappeared. They had been through so much together—how could it be possible an enemy was among such a tight-knit group?
The disciples’ response is rather remarkable. Instead of each one pompously declaring they were not the betrayer, they each asked a question: Is it I? This response is shocking and beautiful evidence of Jesus’ impact in their lives.
Think about it: in this moment, the disciples were fully open to the possibility that Jesus knew something about their own hearts that they themselves did not understand. Instead of being offended by Jesus’ statement, they received it and were mindful of their own potential to betray Jesus, even if they had not made plans to do so (minus Judas, of course). They trusted Jesus more than their own understanding.
In our day and age, it's common to blame everything else for what's wrong. But are we willing to imitate the disciples and ask this simple question: Is it I? When struggling with clients, are we open to considering that our difficulties might have more to do with our own hearts than the personality and temperament of those in our care? Are we willing to lovingly help our clients consider that their greatest problem might not be external but internal?
May God work in us and our clients to have this kind of humble heart—one that trusts God's knowledge of us over our knowledge of ourselves.
