Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 22 : 1- 6 "HOW COULD ANYONE BETRAY JESUS?"
Day 277 – Luke 22
Text: Luke 22 : 1- 6
HOW COULD ANYONE BETRAY JESUS?
One of the saddest things to read in the Gospels is that of betrayal from Judas Iscariot, who was one of the original Twelve Disciples. We read one of the saddest portions of Luke’s Gospel…
“Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot,
who was numbered among the twelve.
So he went his way and conferred with
The chief priests and captains,
How he might betray him to them.
And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.
So he promised and sought opportunity
To betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”
Luke 22:3-6
Let us remember this important fact – that Judas never had faith in Jesus. He may have been given many blessings and privileges, but he cannot be said to have been a genuine believer!
If we can bear this fact in mind, then we can also understand why the scribes and the Pharisees could have plotted to kill Jesus! The sin of the heart can cause a person to perpetrate dark and evil deeds!
The sin of betrayal is a terrible one. However, it is no darker than the hatred that the scribes and Pharisees bore in their hearts against Jesus. The sin that led to betrayal, found its counterpart in the sin of hatred. The betrayer needs the back-up of people who desired to put Jesus to death! This deadly combination was earnestly at work against Jesus. It was Satan who was at work all along! Sin and Satan are a deadly combination.
ALL FOR THE SAKE OF MONEY?
Once again, the issue of money comes up. Jesus had taught the multitudes and His own Disciples too about how they must guard their hearts most carefully when it came to money matters.
They must guard themselves against the danger of serving “mammon”. Let us recall what Jesus said,
“No servant can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or else he will be loyal to the one,
and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Luke 16:13
It just seems unimaginable that a person could have sold Jesus for a paltry sum of money. That is only part of the point. The greater problem is whom the heart owns as master.
If God is not the master, the danger will always exist. It could have been mammon or some other master. That particular master could cause the individual to betray Jesus. Money was involved. But it was more than just a bait to trap Judas. Money became the terrible tyrant that finally saw Judas yield his heart to the devil! Money or mammon was just one of many weapons of Satan he used to entrap the heart. We need to be reminded that money has such potent power!
NO EXCUSES WHATSOEVER
Some have sought to find excuses for Judas. They have pleaded the following:-
1. That he was just a weak man.
2. That he was disappointed in Jesus because he did not declare Himself the King of Israel.
3. That is was more Satan’s fault than his fault.
4. That he couldn’t help himself because he was appointed by heavenly designation to be the one who would betray Jesus.
The above reasons cannot be accepted, for all the above could have applied to any of the Disciples! Yes, it as written that one of them would betray Jesus, but Judas’ name was not mentioned! Any of the Disciples could have betrayed Jesus, and if Judas did, he must accept full and final responsibility for his personal decision!
If we read the text carefully, we realize that Judas was the one who had sought the scribes and the Pharisees out. He was the one who approached them and offered to betray Jesus!
It was Judas who bargained as to his fee for betraying Jesus! It was Judas who promised that he would seek opportunities to betray Jesus. All these actions were pre-meditated!
Satan’s part was to seal that which Judas had already pre-determined he would do. He may have his own opinions as to why he did what he did, and history must judge with the greatest sense of objectivity and impartiality.
No excuses can be found! Judas was guilty of a most heinous sin. He betrayed his own Master and Friend!
Even if he ended up being unhappy with Jesus, was there a need to betray Him? Could he not just have walked away? On one occasion, we read that a great crowd of people walked away from Jesus because they could not understand, nor could they accept what Jesus said, when He spoke of Himself as “The Bread from Heaven” (Cf. John 6:66).
THE POWER OF SIN AND SATAN
The story of how Judas betrayed Jesus must forever teach us solemnly about the power of sin and Satan. We seldom give due consideration to the power of sin and Satan. We are often not even conscious of the inroads that sin and Satan make in our lives, until it is almost too late. Let us guard ourselves against the power of sin and Satan. Let us determine to be faithful and true to the Lord Jesus as His faithful Disciples!