Luke 22:1-6The Potential Judas In Us

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Luke 22:1–6 HCSB
1 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was drawing near. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Him to death, because they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve. 4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand Him over to them. 5 They were glad and agreed to give him silver. 6 So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them when the crowd was not present.
Luke 22

BETRAYAL

Judas decided to betray Jesus, and thereby Judas became one of the worst villains in history. No one names a baby boy Judas today. His name has become synonymous with treachery, betrayal, and untrustworthiness. Yet, every believer has to face the ugly reality that there is a potential Judas in each person. Put in the right (or wrong) circumstance, facing the right amount of pressure, everyone is capable of betrayal, even betraying the Messiah. It's easy to feel contempt for Judas. It may be more helpful, and more honest, to ask God for the grace to never betray Jesus. Your task is to remain faithful to Jesus and not be Satan's pawn. Life Application Bible Commentary - Luke.

I. Injustice to Jesus v.1-2

1 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was drawing near. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Him to death, because they were afraid of the people.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Luke II. Commentary: Opposing the Glory

MAIN IDEA: Jesus experienced the unfair, unjust nature of earthly existence in his betrayal, arrest, unfair trial, and in his denial by the leader of his band of disciples. Still, he showed the world that he was the Son of God.

Sanctified Time (22:1) It was nearly the time for “the Festival of Unleavened Bread,” also called “Passover.” For Jewish people, this was a very sanctified or holy time. The Festival and Passover stretch back centuries to the time when Israel was in slavery in Egypt and God sent Moses to deliver them. They stretch back to the tenth plague in the Exodus when God sent forth the angel of death to strike dead the firstborn of every household except those under a particular exemption. God instructed Israel to prepare a meal of bitter herbs and to eat the meal fully dressed that night because the Passover would happen hurriedly (). The Lord also commanded Israel to spread the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. God promised that when the angel of death was probing all the homes of Egypt, if he saw the blood on the doorposts he would pass over those homes to strike those not covered by the blood (). Verse 1 opens in this holiest of seasons. The entire nation celebrates the day when God saw the blood of the lamb and spared their firstborn sons and delivered them from slavery in Egypt. It’s a sanctified time.

Satanic Team(22:2)You’d expect the religious leaders to be preparing for this time of worship. You’d expect them as holy men to be with their families, perhaps reading with them. Instead, “The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put [Jesus] to death.” Holy dates are coming; hateful men are scheming. What a shocking contrast between the celebration of verse 1 and the sinister darkness of verse 2.

There’s a problem with their plot. The scribes and chief priests “were afraid of the people.” The people respected Jesus. They thought Jesus was a prophet. Early every morning they came to the temple to hear Jesus preach (21:38). So the priests and scribes were afraid to kill him outright. They needed a secret way to assassinate the Lord.

Betrayal depends on the exploitation of the best virtues. Where there isn’t love, trust, and hope, betrayal cannot be effective. If we are skeptical, critical, judgmental, or not trusting, it’s not easy for us to be betrayed. So betrayal is one of those human experiences that takes the best of our humanity and exploits it in a way that produces pain. A spouse who has suffered adultery knows that the pain of adultery is doubled because of the love and trust it took advantage of and the assumption of faithfulness it exploited. Such is the case when we think of the relationship between citizens and authority. Some were rightly concerned about the news of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton handling classified emails in a way that undermined public confidence and trust. We witness an office holder, conferred trust and respect, exploit and betray public support. Or think of the police-involved shootings of unarmed African American men. As we watch those situations unfold, we are reminded that government can only be effective insofar as its people trust it. Only when the people honor the government and the government stewards that trust by returning respect and honor can a state last. So when we watch a sworn officer of the state take a life illegitimately, we are not merely watching a tragedy on our streets. We are watching something happen to public trust and public virtue. And no matter what side you’re on, it feels like a betrayal—betrayal of officers who need our support or betrayal of vulnerable communities who need our protection. Betrayal exploits the greatest virtues. That’s why it hurts so long and takes so long to recover from it. It’s a painful human experience. But betrayal is not limited to human experience. We have not suffered it alone, no matter what form it takes. Christ Jesus the Son of God was himself betrayed. God himself has been betrayed by his people. Yet we find redemption in how the Lord responds to betrayal. By means of betrayal, God both teaches us about the frailty of humanity and redeems humanity itself, repairing the broken and breached trust and restoring the honor and dignity of human life. For God enters the system of our betrayal, our world of betrayal, and in his own being betrayed creates a new world, a new humanity where all things are proper and right in his control.

II. Inside of Judas v.3a

3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot,...

εἰσέρχομαι eiserchomai verb Come (in, into), go (in, into), enter. Satan “entering” Judas (). He didn’t send a demon spirit, Satan himself got inside Judas.

“Satan” (v. 3).

The name “Satan” means “an adversary.” He is known by many names in the Scriptures. Among the names by which he is called are the serpent (); Lucifer (); the devil (); the anointed cherub (); the tempter (); Beelzebub (); the prince of this world (); an angel of light (); the god of this world (); the prince of the power of the air (); a roaring lion (); and the accuser of the brethren ().

Satan’s Story

Satan is the enemy of God. Because of his pride that challenged the throne of God, Satan was cast out of heaven down to the earth. The story of Satan’s fall in recorded in and . In our day of scientific fascination, I know it’s not popular to say things like this, but Satan is real. The devil actually exists. Satan was an angel of God. He was created to serve God, but one day he decided he wanted to be God. He led one-third of all angels in rebellion against God and was thrown out of heaven. Hell was prepared for Satan and his angels.

The Battle that began in heaven is continued in the world and Satan does all he can to prevent God’s purpose from fulfillment. Judas, who had been influenced by Satan, became a bodily instrument through whom Satan could operate to oppose and attempt to overcome. Satan thought this would get him the victory he wanted but it only fit perfectly into God’s eternal purpose.

Satan in Scripture

Satan's opposition to God and man is clearly seen in Scripture.

1. He tempts to disobey God (; ; ).

2. He snatches the Word out of man's heart ().

3. He plants unbelievers in the midst of believers, the church ().

4. He afflicts people with sickness and disease (; ).

5. He tries to sift, shake men in their faith ().

6. He causes murder and killing (; ).

7. He lies and is the father of lies ().

8. He enters men's lives (; ).

9. He plants evil into the hearts of men ().

10. He leads men to steal from God ().

11. He tempts married couples sexually ().

12. He tries to keep people from forgiving others ().

13. He blinds the minds of unbelievers lest they believe ().

14. He deceives the minds of men ().

15. He transforms himself into a messenger of light to deceive man ().

16. He transforms some ministers into ministers of righteousness to deceive men ().

17. He works in the disobedient ().

18. He launches powerful strategies against believers ().

19. He rules the principalities and powers, the darkness and spiritual wickedness of this world (; ).

20. He hinders the work of believers ().

21. He works with power and signs and lying wonders ().

22. He leads men to blaspheme ().

23. He condemns men and causes men to condemn themselves ().

24. He snares and entraps people (; ).

25. He turns people aside to go after him ().

26. He did hold the power of death ().

27. He seeks to prey upon men and devour them ().

28. He sins and works against men and God ().

29. He opposes the angels of God ().

30. He possesses, rules, and controls some churches and worship centers (; ).

31. He causes believers to be cast into prison (). 32. He deceives the whole world (; , ).

33. He accuses believers before God ().

34. He causes great havoc upon the earth (). Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - Luke.

Satan entered Judas not once but twice.

Satan is seen entering Judas, stirring him to strike up a bargain to betray Jesus. Later Satan will enter Judas again and urge him to go ahead and finish his work of betrayal ( (HCSB) 27  After ⌊Judas ate⌋ the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Therefore Jesus told him, “What you’re doing, do quickly.” The name “Judas” is related to the word “Judah,” meaning praise. However the nature of Judas did not match his name. Far from being a man of highest praise, Judas was a man of lowest performance. The words “surnamed Iscariot” refer to a family designation. Being called Judas Iscariot separated him from other men bearing the same name. The word “entered” simply means to come in. Up until this time Satan was on the outside but at this particular moment Satan came inside the insider. The Scriptures speak of people possessed by demons but this is the only recorded instance of Satan himself taking possession of an individual. Peter tells us that Satan seeks “whom he may devour” (). Judas is the only one named in the Word of God who was swallowed by Satan. Satan took over and operated for a time in the body of Judas. No condition can be more corrupt than when the evil one takes up residence in a human body. The capability of the flesh for evil exceeds imagination. Satan did not enter without the permission of Judas. Judas opened the door and welcomed Satan inside. James tells us to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (). Judas offered no resistance to Satan’s residence and the devil moved in.

III. Inside

3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve. 4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand Him over to them. 5 They were glad and agreed to give him silver. 6 So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them when the crowd was not present.

Judas was an insider. He was an original member of the group Jesus gathered for the Gospel ministry. Judas had a position of trust as the treasurer for the fellowship of followers. Collections and withdrawals came from the moneybag Judas held in his hands. For a long time Judas worked undercover without any suspicion of his activities. As a member of that select society Judas had inside information on all their operations. He knew who was doing what as well as when and where it was being done. This insider was an imposter. He was not who he pretended to be. As far as outward appearance, Judas seemed to be on the up and up but inwardly he was low-down and dirty. Judas was with The Light Of The World but the illumination never penetrated the darkness of his heart. To this insider Satan came inside. The devil was his father () and as an offspring of the serpent in the garden Judas was a snake in the grass. What Luke wants us to learn about our Lord in this passage of Scripture is how Jesus was double-crossed by a disciple. As a liar in the company committed to the truth, Judas was a double-dealing disciple. In his plan to turn Jesus over to the enemy Judas was a traitor to the truth. Judas lined up with Jesus but double-crossed Him by changing sides.

Matthew tells us the chief priests gave Judas thirty pieces of silver, the Old Testament price of a slave. This was a fitting amount, for Jesus came as the Servant of all. Where did the thirty pieces of silver come from? During Passover, the priests carried small bags of money tied to their belts in order to purchase lambs to be used as sacrifices. Therefore, it is highly likely that the chief priests used money committed to their care for the purchase of sacrificial lambs to "purchase" Jesus, the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. Jon Courson's Application Commentary - Jon Courson's Application Commentary New Testament.

Judas exchanged friendship with Jesus for the favor of funds from the enemy. He traded everything for a little bit of nothing. He swapped the moment for money and never had the time to spend it. It only brought him grief and bought him a gravesite.

Judas exchanged friendship with Jesus for the favor of funds from the enemy. He traded everything for a little bit of nothing. He swapped the moment for money and never had the time to spend it. It only brought him grief and bought him a gravesite.

Life Application:

Resist Satan. As we said before, Satan is real. He first appeared as “the most cunning of all the wild animals” (), and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy (). It is a mistake to ignore him. It is foolish to pretend he doesn’t exist. His handiwork is everywhere around us. Just think about the reality of greed and betrayal we see throughout society. Do you think greed and betrayal come from God? Of course not! Betrayal is Satan’s idea and Satan’s plan. As those who have the Bible, we know his tricks. Beware the adversary. Resist him and he will flee you (). He cannot “enter” a Christian who has the Spirit of God. Judas did not have the Spirit, but we do. Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world (). So we resist with greater power. Do not give him a toehold in your life (). Do not believe his lies. Do not believe his whispers. He betrayed Christ; he will betray every Christian. Resist the devil, and he will flee.

As we said before, Satan is real. He first appeared as “the most cunning of all the wild animals” (), and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy (). It is a mistake to ignore him. It is foolish to pretend he doesn’t exist. His handiwork is everywhere around us. Just think about the reality of greed and betrayal we see throughout society. Do you think greed and betrayal come from God? Of course not! Betrayal is Satan’s idea and Satan’s plan. As those who have the Bible, we know his tricks. Beware the adversary. Resist him and he will flee you (). He cannot “enter” a Christian who has the Spirit of God. Judas did not have the Spirit, but we do. Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world (). So we resist with greater power. Do not give him a toehold in your life (). Do not believe his lies. Do not believe his whispers. He betrayed Christ; he will betray every Christian. Resist the devil, and he will flee.
Dean M. Weaver Sermon Outlines - Learning About Our Lord Through Luke: Chapters 19-24.
Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, The - Delta-Epsilon.
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - Luke.
Christ-Centered Exposition - Exalting Jesus in Luke.
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