Mark 14:18-19 -- On Looking at Ourselves

"And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.
And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?"
Mark 14:18-19


I really like the idea here that when the disciples heard that someone among them was going to betray Christ that they looked to themselves first. It might just be cynicism, but I feel like most of us if we heard something similar would be looking around at the others, wondering who else was the bad guy, and maybe even accusing someone else. I don't think we're very into self-examination and improvement. But the gospel is all about that, and so we have to get outside of ourselves at some point and start looking at ourselves for improvements rather than expecting others to shape up. :)

Today, when we are thinking about things that need to be done, or the failure points in a relationship or process, let's remember to look to ourselves first, not in a way where we start hating ourselves or beating ourselves up, and I definitely don't mean accepting blame from anyone besides God judging us, but rather in an honest and constructive way where we're actually considering ideas for improvement, what we might be able to do that will make a positive difference, and getting help from God to move forward and become better. With God, let's be willing to ask "Is is I?"