Luke 22:21-24

Jesus told the disciples that one of them was betraying him.  Then Luke writes that the disciples began to discuss among themselves who it might be that would do such a thing.   My first thought is that no one but Jesus could tell who the betrayer was.  It was someone who had already betrayed him (verse 21 says “betraying” not “will betray” sometime in the future.  Judas had already gone to the religious leadership and cut a deal.).  So each disciple looked at the outward signs of loyalty because they could not see into their neighbor’s hearts.  Everyone looked pretty loyal, evidently so did Judas.   In fact they quickly went from wondering who showed the most signs of being a betrayer to who showed the most signs of loyalty.  Luke noted that the disciples now started to argue among themselves who was the greatest.  (Verse 24)   

It reminds me that I am often inept at making a sound appraisal of myself or another’s loyalty to Christ.  How often has it been that you or I have come to a wrong conclusion about our own or another’s attempts to follow Christ?  If there is one lesson Jesus taught over and over it was that people have the capacity to act one way outwardly and be completely different on the inside