August 16, 2023
A Dinner of Betrayal
“During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,” John 13:2 (NASB)
I have seen what money does to some in the world. When new found money comes into life, some seem to rely on it more. In the Christian life, it can tug at the relationship with the Lord too. The love of money draws the person to the power of what it can do (new toys, houses, etc.). Dependance changes from God to money. It becomes what “I” can do, rather than God. In the life of Judas, who had been stealing from the disciples treasury, it created an opportunity to gain more. Satan used this as leverage through the chief priests to take control over Judas life. And now Satan had an open door: “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15).
“... the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon,” Similarities are seen in the life of Judas Iscariot. We find these in a story from the Old Testament, and a definition for his name in Greek. “The story and tradition of Judas Iscariot may be influenced by the Old Testament figure of Judah who participated in handing over his brother Joseph... Additionally, the similarity between the name (Judas) and the term (Jew) has led to the interpretation that Judas is a symbol for all Jewish people. The name Iscariot is obscure. It is probably a reference to Judas’ place of origin which is shared by his father, Simon (John 6:71; 13:26). Some manuscripts even read “from Kerioth” (John 6:71; 12:4; 13:2, 26 and 14:22). If Iscariot indicates Judas’ hometown, the precise location of Kerioth is less clear. The Old Testament identifies a town in Moab with this name (Jer. 48:24, 41; Amos 2:2), as well as a location called Kerioth-Hezron (Josh 15:25). Alternatively, the term Iscariot could be a description of Judas’ act, possibly derived from a Greek word for assassin or bandit or from an Aramaic term of similar meaning. This rendering, however, would be redundant when it appears in places where the name is further modified with a description of Judas as the one who betrayed Jesus (Matt 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16).”[1] There are so many opinions about what caused Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Some still go on to this day about whether Satan or Judas was the center of the betrayal. One thing is sure. Jesus knew a year prior that Judas was going to betray Him (John 6:70). Then the entire nation who so warmly welcomed Him only a short time before would call for His death. Jesus knew Judas was part of the plan though. In the Old Testament, Judah handed over Joseph. Now, while partaking of the Last Supper, Judas already made plans to hand over Jesus to the chief priests. Luke 22:3-6 records the agreement Judas made with the priests before this dinner: “And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.”
The spirit of Judas is within all. This spirit is anti-God. It is demonic because it says anything is more important than God. It is a lie. It may sound convincing, but it’s still a lie. I often tell folks Satan packages lies like Christmas presents. Some are big. Some are small. Some have big bows and fancy wrapping. The package looks appealing, but the same thing is inside each package, a lie. Satan took advantage of Judas’ weakness, but ultimately fulfilled God’ plan!
[1] Ayayo, K. G. (2016). Judas Iscariot. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.