Why did the disciples ask Jesus, "Is it I, Lord?" in Matthew 26:22?

Verses 17-21. The Lord, when it was evening, came with the twelve. It was the commemoration of the deliverance of the people out of Egypt; but the Lord was going to accomplish a better redemption, and He institutes an infinitely more excellent memorial. But for this He must die. They were all at the table together, and the Lord Jesus, full of love, looking upon His disciples felt deeply the fact that one of them who had lived in His holy presence should betray Him. He knew well who would be the traitor, but He expresses the anguish of His heart when He says, "one of you shall betray me." He wished to prove their hearts again and to bring to light that which was within. They believed the Lord's words, and each one full of trust in Him and of holy distrust of himself said, "Lord, is it I?" A fine testimony of upright and tried hearts thinking of the fact and of the possibility of such a crime with more confidence in Jesus' word than in themselves.

As they are eating the Passover the Lord uses an indirect means first to awaken exercise in the conscience of Judas, "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." How good to see that the disciples were "exceeding sorrowful" to bear this, rather than indignant against the guilty man. In fact, in wise distrust of themselves, they ask in turn, "Lord, is it I?" His answer to this was that the betrayer would dip his hand in the dish with the Lord Himself. This act would show a brazen attitude of resisting his own conscience. God's counsels would be fulfilled as regards the Son of Man going to the cross; but He pronounces such a woe upon the betrayer as to indicate it would have been good for him not to have been born.

197 But another scene was to take place before all was accomplished - the blessed testimony of grace in the institution of the Lord's supper. Yet here also the power of evil was to be ripened by the presence of grace. It was one that dipped his hand with Christ in the dish that was to betray Him, and as we read elsewhere, after the sop he went out. All is prepared of God and used by the Lord in the calmness of divine perfectness. A heart was ready to provide the room, nay, had it ready; and the Lord sends him word, My time is at hand (for that indeed He was come), I will keep the passover at thy house with My disciples. The Lord then refers to His betrayal in words which express, what indeed other passages reveal, His deep feeling as to its being one of the disciples who should betray Him. His knew who it was, He told it here, but what was on His heart in His love to His disciples was, that one of them should do it. The disciples, I think, here shew a true and right spirit, which indeed spoke their innocence. They were sure the Lord knew and told what was certain. Some of them would, and they distrusted themselves; but their asking freely shews they had no such thought: sorrow and honesty of heart were there. The Lord's answer alludes to the prophetic statement which told of His sorrow and the cause of its being so poignant. See Psalm 41:9; 55:12. The Son of man must go as it was written of Him, but terrible was the doom of him who did it. In truth it was awful: - one who had seen His miracles, been sent out to work them himself, witnessed His grace and perfectness; and then to sell Him for thirty pieces of silver! This drew out unhappy Judas; who must speak like the rest, though avoiding doing it till thus denounced. Now he would say as all, to seem as clear as others; afraid, his doom thus denounced, to be different from the rest, but only to bring out the full testimony to his known guilt.

The first day of unleavened bread having come, the Lord gives the disciples directions for the Passover, during which Judas is marked out. (Cf. Mark for the details by which they find a suitable house with a large upper room furnished and prepared.) Jesus says, "One of you shall deliver me up." In touching distrust of themselves, confiding absolutely in His Word, each one of them says, "Is it I, Lord," though with real sorrow at the thought of it. It was to be the one whose hand would be with Jesus in the dish — the mark of identification being even more direct as we know from John. "Woe unto that man," etc., has no effect in arresting Judas. Satan had entered into him, we learn in John, with the sop and last of all he actually says, "Is it I, Rabbi" (not "Lord" as the rest), lest I suppose, the attention of the rest should be directed to him by his silence; and having been answered in the affirmative (Matt.) he went immediately out (John 13:30), so that he was not present at the institution of the Supper, here given in its simplest elements — the bread was His body, the cup "My blood of the New Covenant" which is shed for many for the remission of sins, the ground of all the blessing to be brought in by the New Covenant. For the blessings of it are ministered in Christianity before the Covenant is established — the Lord here indicating the first of them, the remission of sins; and this not confined to Israel, but "for many"; though the Lord passes on in thought to the resumption of His relations, in joy too, though in a wholly new way (kainon), with the true remnant of His people in the kingdom of the Father — here then the heavenly side of the kingdom in which the righteous are to shine forth as in Matthew 13. And having sung (humnesantes only occurs intransitively here and Mark in N. Test., and in LXX, Ps. 65:13), they went out into the Mount of Olives, and the testing of the last scenes begins for the disciples. The Lord Jesus calmly warns them of it. They should all be stumbled in Him that night: for Zechariah 13 was to be fulfilled — the Lord was about to come under the effect of God's governmental hand upon Israel and be smitten, — not in atonement to gather together in one the children of God that were scattered, though it was upon the Cross the smiting took place in which atonement was wrought; but here the effect is that the Shepherd being smitten the sheep of the flock are scattered.

Eleven at least of those at the table were simplicity itself as to the matter. Not doubting the truth of the Saviour's words, and not over-confident as to their own fidelity, they asked Him one by one, "Lord, is it I?" Matthew and Mark both record their question, the latter adding that "they began to be sorrowful," the former telling us "very sorrowful."

Further, Judas' history is instructive as we view it in connection with the fulfilment of prophecy. To three different Psalms (Ps. 41; 69; 109) are we directed in the New Testament as applicable to him. The Lord (John 13:18) refers to 41:9 as prophetic of Judas' treachery. Peter (Acts 1:20) applies the language of Psalms 69:25; 109:8, as foretelling what should take effect consequent on his sin and death. His treachery, then, was distinctly the subject of prophecy; and he was chosen among the twelve that the word of God might be fulfilled (John. 13:18). Yet who ever looked for a traitor in that company? Evidently the chief priests, as we have remarked, had no previous thought of help from such a quarter, else why meet in council before Judas made overtures to them? Then we learn from Peter's own words to the Lord (John 6:68-69), and from those of Thomas about Him (John 11:16), their attachment to Christ and that of others from close personal intercourse with Him. The sorrow, too, and the amazement which the eleven felt and expressed on hearing of the Lord's approaching betrayal by one of their number (Matt. 26:22), show how inconceivable it was in their eyes that one among them should do such a thing. The inquiring among themselves who should do it, and the question, "Is it I" as it came from each one, indicated their inability to conceive that any of their number could be guilty of such baseness and wickedness. The Lord's positive declaration they could not doubt, but it came like a thunderclap upon them. Who could be ready, be willing, for such treachery? Most unlikely then was it according to human thought that from among the twelve the traitor should appear. Scripture, indeed, had not predicted that an Apostle should do it, though it spoke of one in familiar intercourse with the Lord who would turn against Him. We see how it was. Scripture was fulfilled. God's word came literally true. God's word does come true. And we may rest assured, and be fortified in that assurance by the history of Judas, that, however unlikely it may beforehand appear, what God has foretold will certainly be brought about.

I pass over the touching details of that last supper. Oh! what a moment it was for the Lord, knowing, as He did, what was coming upon Him. At length He breaks the news to them that one of them would betray Him. "And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say to you, that one of you shall betray me." The effect of His words is noticeable. One gospel says, "Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake" (John 13:22). Can you understand that? Oh, man, before your conscience is awakened, you look upon other people. Sinner, when you are accused of your godlessness and guilt before God, you think of other people. When you hear of men going to hell, you look for other men going there — not yourself. When you hear of the godless, you think of others, not of yourself. So was it then. "They looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake." Presently, the Holy Ghost tells us, conscience began to work, and each then says, "Lord, is it I?" Have you ever awakened to learn that, just because you are a sinner, you are a lost man? You are a guilty man, and therefore a condemned one. Possibly not yet self-condemned. Have you ever, as a sinner, asked yourself the question — Is it I? Oh, but, you say, I could not betray Christ. Well, I am perfectly sure I could, knowing my own heart. And, my dear friends, the person who is certain that he can never do it is the very person who will go and do it. Mark that! "Ah! sir," said a broken-hearted girl to me during the past week, "if anybody had told me that I could have been in this case today, I would not have believed it, but now I see my sin indeed." That girl received Christ as her Saviour, thank God!

As they were eating the Passover the Lord Jesus told them .solemnly that one them would betray Him. No doubt Mark writes in order that these things transpired. Luke writes of the Lord's saying this after he gives the account of the Lord's introducing His supper (Lk.22:21); but Luke's order is always moral, not chronological, as Mark's usually is. The response of the disciples ("Is it I?") is interesting, and seems to indicate some proper distrust of their own hearts, except for Judas, who would only speak because the others did. The Lord tells them that the betrayer is one of the twelve who dipped with Him in the dish. Sad is this vain show of fellowship with the Lord on the part of Judas, when he was at the time contemplating His betrayal! While the Son of Man would certainly go to the cross as scripture had sovereignly declared, yet He pronounces a dreadfully solemn woe upon the betrayer, saying it would have been good for that man never to have been born. After hearing this from the Lord's lips, what must have been the cold stubbornness of the heart of Judas that he would go on with his dastardly plan? Scripture holds no slightest ray of hope for that man's soul. He is a most solemn warning to those who would dare to take a place outwardly near to the Lord while having no heart for Him personally.

"Now on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover? And He said, Go into the city unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is near, I will keep the passover with my disciples in thy house. And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover. And when the evening was come He lay down at table with the twelve. And as they were eating He said, Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver Me up. And being exceedingly grieved they began to say to Him, each of them, Is it I, Lord? But He answering said, He that dips his hand with Me in the dish, he it is that shall deliver Me up. The Son of Man goes indeed according as it is written concerning Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is delivered up; it were good for that man if he had not been born. And Judas, who delivered Him up, answering said, Is it I, Rabbi? He says to him, Thou hast said" (verses 17-25).

Is it not the purpose of our exposition to compare the different Gospel records, and so we shall not refer to the different accounts, which certainly are not conflicting. The first day of the feast of the unleavened bread was the day on which the passover was to be killed (Luke 22:7). It is, therefore, clear that He and His disciples commemorated then the Jewish Paschal Supper. He Himself does the ordering and manifests Himself as Lord throughout. Once more He announces the nearness of His passion -- "My time is near." What a moment that was! They had attempted before to take His life. That was impossible. The time is now near, His time, when the King was to lay down His life. Directly we see Him at the table with the twelve, and while they were eating He announces the fact of one of them being the traitor. What follows in that conversation may well be taken for a last warning to Judas. The Lord had seen him turning to the chief priests and knew of his bargaining with them. He read the whole dark story in that heart, which was before Him, the omniscient One, as an opened book. "Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up." This must have been aimed at the conscience of Judas Iscariot. Did he also show surprise? Did his face turn red or into paleness as he saw the innermost thoughts of his heart revealed? Each of them, with the exception of Judas, asks the question, Is it I, Lord? Judas is silent. Under the power of that awful being, Satan, who held him in his grasp, he hardens his heart. But more than that the Lord speaks. "He that dips his hand with me in the dish, he it is who shall deliver me up." The more detailed account of all this we find in the Gospel of John. While here we have only the fact stated of the betrayer dipping his hand into the dish, in John we read that the Lord gave him a sop. And Judas could take that morsel, a token of the love of the Lord whom he had rejected and was about to betray. It was a silent offer from the side of the Lord to give even to him, but he would not. He rejects that offer. Again we have the record for the second time that Satan entered into him (John 13:27). It was right after he had taken the morsel. The last offer was rejected, and now Satan gains a still firmer hold upon him and possesses him fully. At last these closed lips open. What awful, satanic hypocrisy he utters! "Is it I, Rabbi?" Such hypocrisy in the presence of Him who is the Truth can only be explained by the presence of that being in Judas, who is the father of lies. It is also a significant fact that Judas did not say "Lord" but he used the word "Rabbi" instead. This is evidence that he never had received Him as Lord and believed on Him as the Lord. He had power conferred on him to drive out the demons and to heal the sick -- messianic power, coming from the King, but he was nevertheless an unbeliever. "Rabbi" he said, because Satan had entered into him, and Satan refuses to call Him Lord. Yet the time will come when all knees, including Judas, must bow at (not in) the names of Jesus and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. For thus it is written: "Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and granted Him a name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly and earthly and infernal beings and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to God the Father's glory" (Phil. 2:9-11). From the lips of the Lord he hears the "Woe," and, according to the Gospel of John, "he went out immediately and it was night." He went out into a night without a morning, into eternal night, the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 13). And all who reject that Lord, who wilfully close their hearts against Him and refuse His authority, go into that night.

Still, in the face of all, the Lord pursues His path of love and holy calm; and when the disciples inquire His pleasure as to the place for eating the paschal feast, He speaks as the conscious Messiah, let Him be ever so rejected: "Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with My disciples" (ver. 18). As the twelve were eating, He tells out the grief of His heart: "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me" (ver. 21) — which fails not to elicit the reality of their affections and their deep grief. If Judas imitated their inquiry of innocence, fearful that his own silence would detect him, and, it may be, counting on ignorance because of the Lord's generality of expression ("one of you"), he only thereby hears his doom brought personally home. Prophecy was accomplished, "but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed."