Luke 22:1-13 (ESV)

22 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. ² And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. ³ Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. ⁴ He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. ⁵ And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. ⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹ and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” ¹³ And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover were two occasions often treated as one. The feast lasted for seven days, and the Passover immediately followed. Both remembered the deliverance of God’s people from bondage in Egypt. During these celebratory times, Jerusalem and the temple swelled with visitors. The religious leaders were concerned about the crowd’s potentially protective response to Jesus. Nevertheless, they were constantly looking for an opportunity to kill him. To help the enemies of Jesus in their execution scheme, Satan got involved. The devil entered into one of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas Iscariot, and prompted him to deliver Jesus over to the leaders. Judas actually sought out the enemies of Jesus, and the religious leaders were thrilled with the offer of Judas’s help. In verse 5, the phrase “they were glad” is a translation of the Greek verb chairo, most often translated as “rejoice.” They finally had a solution to their dilemma of how to get Jesus out of the public eye. Jesus’ own disciple was going to hand him over to death. After the financial arrangement was made, Judas went on the lookout for the perfect time to turn Jesus in.

Judas had traveled with Jesus for three years. He saw Jesus heal the sick and heard him preach the gospel. Judas witnessed the kindness and compassion of Jesus toward those who were like sheep without a shepherd, and he watched Jesus pronounce judgment on the hypocrites who lived for the approval of man and not God. What in the world happened to Judas? Some think he was disappointed that Jesus didn’t establish his kingdom immediately. Others say Judas may have wanted money. It’s hard to be sure, as the biographies of Jesus don’t reveal Judas’ motive. We can forget that physical closeness to Jesus will not save. What more did Judas need to experience to truly believe? The account of Judas reveals that the enemy of God will use people to hinder the Lord’s work from moving forward on earth. Even though the powers of hell may seem victorious for a short time, we will discover that God uses dark forces for his own glory. Don’t become overly discouraged by temporary defeats, but know in your heart that God can and will overcome the schemes of the devil in the lives of those who follow his Son.