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.
Section Overview
The Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread are approaching. The Lord is working out his purposes, even in the midst of evil, so that Jesus will die at Passover. The chief priests and scribes are plotting how to kill Jesus, but they are worried that a popular uprising might subvert their own authority. An unexpected break—from their perspective—comes their way when Satan enters one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot. Judas conspires with the religious leaders as to when and where he might betray Jesus to them. They are delighted and promise to pay him for his services. When the agreement is concluded, Judas begins to seek the right occasion to hand over Jesus to the authorities.
Section Outline
V. Death and Resurrection in Jerusalem (19:28–24:53) . . .
D. Passover Events (22:1–38)
1. Betrayal by Judas (22:1–6)
Response
We see here the mysterious forces of evil at work. Satan enters Judas, but at the same time Judas makes his own choices and decisions. Satan can gain control of Judas only because Judas allows it, and yet Judas’s giving of himself to evil allows evil to become even stronger in his life. Indeed, Judas is now beyond the reach of goodness; he has given himself entirely to evil. There is, Paul says, a “mystery of lawlessness . . . already at work” (2 Thess. 2:7). We are curious about what motivates Judas to betray Jesus after ministering with him for several years, after hearing his teaching and seeing his healings and exorcisms. Is he disappointed that the kingdom promises are not realized in the way he has hoped? Does Jesus’ emphasis on suffering deter him from following Jesus? The only reason we are given is his desire for money. At the end of the day, evil is always irrational, senseless, and self-destructive. It promises joy but delivers sorrow, pain, and death. We are not inherently better than Judas. We can rightly say that, apart from God’s grace, we too could easily act as Judas did.