So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover. In the evening He came with the twelve. Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me." And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?" And another said, "Is it I?"
Mark 14:16-19
Imagine a courtroom filled to the brim with people, anxiously awaiting a murder trial to begin. The evidence is overwhelmingly incriminating, and no one expects the suspect to walk. Of all the people in the room, though, only one person knows the truth -- and that person is you. You are the suspect.
As the judge enters the room, your palms start to sweat, and the trial begins. Without hesitation, the prosecution starts leveling accusation after accusation against you, and you sit listening, horrified. Everything they are saying is true.
As the hours pass, you are unable to counter any of the prosecution's arguments. Your attorney offers excuse after excuse, but the good ones sound unconvincing and the bad ones sound ridiculous. The jury isn't buying it, and even though you know they shouldn't, you're desperate for something -- anything -- to save you. But after a lightning-fast deliberation, the jury delivers the verdict you knew was coming. You, the defendant, have been convicted guilty on all charges.
Suddenly the judge stands to his feet and says with a booming voice, "Stop!" And stunned, everyone in the room goes silent. No one could have expected what he would say next. With a lump in his throat, the judge quietly announces, "I will serve this criminal's punishment."
That is the love and grace of Jesus Christ. You and I have been convicted guilty of sin. There's no way around it; our bitterness, lust, anger, selfishness, pride, greed -- these are the weapons of sin we wield that make us murderers of truth, of love, and of goodness. We deserve death, but our Judge is not only just; He is full of grace and love. God has already served our punishment. You see, through Jesus Christ, conviction is not condemnation.
The Holy Spirit works in our lives to convict us of sin, but unlike a jury announcing a criminal's guilt to a courtroom, He makes known the verdict to you. His goal is not to make the world aware of your sin, but to make you aware of it. It's not very fun, and is even painful at times, but it is necessary. Without conviction of sin, we ignore it. Unless we acknowledge our own guilt, we cannot be saved from it. Conviction is the first step towards redemption.
When Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him, every single one asked, "Is it I?" It's interesting that even though Jesus was specifically referring to Judas, every disciple felt convicted. As sinners like you and me, each of them had already betrayed Him... and knew it. None of them wanted to betray Jesus, but each of them knew they were at fault for already doing so. And their conviction was a pure and natural reaction for a believer. But just because they knew their guilt didn't mean they were condemned to suffer the punishment for it. Jesus died so they -- and we -- could be set free from guilt! That is the love and grace of our God.
Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Today, allow the Holy Spirit to convict you -- He’s not condemning you! Let Him open your heart, shine the light of truth, and remove things from your life that need removing. He is so quick to respond and set you free.
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