[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
This week we begin chapter 22 of Luke’s Gospel. Please read verses 1-13 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
[/column]
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
[/column]
[divider type=”1″]
[/divider]
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
Luke 22:3-4 (Williams New Testament)
‘But Satan entered into Judas, who is called Iscariot, who belonged to the circle of the Twelve. So, he went off and discussed with the high priests and captains of the temple how he could betray Him to them. They were delighted and made a bargain to pay him for it. He in turn accepted their offer and began to seek a favourable opportunity to betray Him to them without exciting an uprising.’
Have you ever been let down by anyone? There have been a few moments in my life where I’ve had people at work let me down. Normally, these are minor issues and not a lot of harm has been caused. For example, there have been a few times when I’ve needed colleagues to complete some urgent work and they have not managed to get it done. The next time I needed something done, I have to be honest and say that I didn’t ask the same person again. ‘Once bitten, twice shy’ is the old adage.
In a very few number of cases, I have had close friends do similar things and the hurt caused is so much worse. I guess that we expect more from the people who are closest to us. I’m sure that there are people reading this who have been treated much worse than my superficial examples. Perhaps you’ve known the pain of betrayal and are struggling to come to terms with it.
Can you imagine what Jesus felt here? The Williams translation quoted above uses a lovely phrase that describes things really well: ‘Judas…belonged to the circle of the Twelve’. Judas wasn’t just a follower of Jesus. He wasn’t someone who attended Sunday services or even mid-week prayer meetings. He wasn’t a casual attendee or only went along when he had nothing better to do. Judas belonged to the inner circle of Jesus’ most trusted and devoted disciples. I’m sure that you’ve heard of the phrase ‘The circle of trust’. Well, Judas was in it as far as Jesus and the other disciples were concerned.
Jesus’ enemies were looking for opportunities to destroy Him and were desperate to come up with a solution to the problem that He was causing. Judas makes matters easy for them by volunteering to give them Jesus without the public outcry that there were worried about. Why on earth would Judas do this? The answer seems to be quite clear in our verses today: because Satan entered his heart. We cannot ignore the role that Satan plays in all of the events of this last week of Jesus’ earthly life, but we should not and cannot clear Judas from blame. Many people say that it wasn’t Judas’ fault because this was destined to be and that Satan is entirely to blame. Well, Luke 6:16 says that Judas ‘became a traitor’. While Satan used him for his own ends, Judas is really without excuse. He had seen Jesus do so many wonderful things. He’d seen the storm stilled and the dead raised. He’d witnessed the restoration of the demon possessed and the recovery of sight to the blind. He’d also seen Jesus offer compassion and tenderness to sinners. Perhaps he wasn’t happy with everything he’d seen!
It’s quite staggering to realise that this man had been so close to the Son of God and yet, despite all that he’d seen, he still decided to reject the Saviour. When we give Satan a foothold, he will ensure that he takes much, much more. Sadly for Judas, this involved the taking of his life. Take a few moments today to think about our own walk with the Saviour. Let us guard our hearts, stay close to Jesus and resist the devil.
[/column]