Tuesday, like Monday, doesn't get talked about much. It, too, plays a significant role in the realm of Christian living. Yet, we mention it only in passing. On the last Tuesday of Jesus' life and ministry, he is not the main character... Judas Iscariot is.
I have mentioned before that I love the book of Luke. I will refer to it in this post because there is a key detail mentioned in the book of Luke that is mentioned nowhere else in the gospels: "Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve." (Luke 22:3) Only in Luke do we find the real reason for Judas' betrayal of Jesus - Satan.
Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:4-6)
We have all heard this story: Judas went to the officials and promised to trap Jesus for some money. But in the account given in Luke, we find so much more to this story! I want to dissect it and give us a better understanding of how these events led to our salvation.
Let's first hit this "Satan entering Judas" business. First of all, Satan entering into Judas does not excuse Judas' behavior. Judas had been in the presence of the Messiah - our Savior! Surely, the spirit of the Lord had been with them. He had knowledge and understanding provided by Jesus Christ himself! In other words, "he knew better". No excuse. But then we have to ask how Satan got there, and why? If Judas had any doubts about Jesus' role in the coming of the kingdom of God, he should've taken them to the authority - whether in prayer to his Father, or to Jesus. But likely, he let these doubts fester and began to raise questions in his mind as to whether or not Jesus was telling the truth. It's unclear what Judas was thinking prior to Satan taking over, but clearly Judas' faith was lacking. This is how Satan has the ability to take over in the first place. When we have questions, doubts, fears, we need to take them to the only one who can answer those questions, erase our doubts, calm our fears, or give us peace where we lack understanding. In this way, we are strong. God is in our hearts and protects them from the evils of Satan. When we take it upon ourselves to answer questions or prove our doubts, we invite Satan in. And I believe, though scripture does not actually say, that this is the state of Judas Iscariot's heart when Satan is allowed to enter him. Now, why does Satan want in Judas? Satan assumed, falsely, that allowing Jesus to die would allow his ministry and mission to die also. However, Satan failed to realize that the death and resurrection were necessary - and also pre-determined from the start. These were part of God's plan all along, and Satan and Judas were playing right into it.
Next, let's talk about Judas meeting with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard. First of all, we know that Satan is fully at work here. So, it really comes as no surprise that Judas went to them, and not vice versa. Judas sought out an opportunity to go to the priests and officers to discuss a way to get rid of Jesus. That must've required effort. The chief priests and officers must've known that Judas had been hanging out with the "enemy". How could Judas have won their trust? This, I believe, is where Satan does his best work: convincing and deceiving. With Satan at the helm, it was really just a matter of opportunity for these sinful leaders and a dishonest Judas to come together and plot for the death of the Savior. I, for one, would've enjoyed knowing exactly how this conversation went. Exaclty what does one say when coming to an equally corrupt group of "religious leaders" to plot and scheme a way to kill the Messiah? I wish scripture gave a full account of that conversation! But, I digress...
The next verse makes me a little tense. It reads, "They were delighted and agreed to give him money." (Luke 22:5) They were DELIGHTED. They enjoyed the idea of finally getting their man. They must've been thinking, "finally, when this yahoo gets outta here, we can go back to doing things OUR way!!" This passage doesn't tell us they were "excited" or "happy" or "encouraged" or "anxious"... they were DELIGHTED. Oh, the irony! While they were delighted about the death of this crazy, blasphemous man, all of heaven braced for the real delight: the plan was coming to fruition! Yes, he would die a painful death, but it would quite literally save the world! If only these hypocrites knew what they had set into motion... perhaps their delight would be short-lived?
True to plan, Judas waited for an opportune time to hand Jesus over. Jesus was, for all intents and purposes, alone in the garden when guards came to sieze him. Judas was paid hansomely for his work, though it would later drive him mad and he died in sin. Everything was as Judas (and Satan) wanted it to be. But this was also how God knew it HAD to be - all part of His perfect and unfailing plan.
Judas takes a lot of slack for being a betrayer and a liar. And he was. But he also was necessary for the plan to fall into place - the plan saved us from the place where Judas likely went in his disbelief. Judas may not have been one of the great apostles like Paul or Peter, but his role was equally important. It's ugly, but it's true - he sent our Savior to die. But without that death, we might not live.
The rest of Judas' betrayal comes in a few days...
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