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1 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. ~ Luke 22:1-6
God is sovereign and everything happens within His divine framework. Everything in life is controlled by our Father who is in heaven. Everything the Lord Jesus did was what God wanted Him to do. The Apostle Paul tells us that in the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to be the propitiation or satisfying sacrifice for all of mankind. And, His death was planned by God before the foundation of the world. It was the divine plan of God that He would die for the sin of the world.
In v.1 we read, "Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching."
It was the Passover and the Lord Jesus was handed over to the Jews to be crucified as the lamb of God. This was prophesied countless times in the Old Testament, and it was during the Passover that He was slain in Jerusalem. Before time began, God determined that the Lamb, the One foreshadowed in the Old Testament, would be slain for you and me at that time and at that place. In fact, most biblical scholars believe the Lord Jesus was crucified where Abraham put his son, Isaac, on the altar.
As we scurry back into the narrative in Luke 22, we quickly realize that it is the Passover. Of course, the Passover goes all the way back to Egypt when the enslaved Jews experienced the forgiveness of God as the death angel passed over their homes which had the blood stains of the sacrificed lamb over the door frame.
This merely underscores the fact that God had long planned for the Lord Jesus to be THE Passover lamb. It was the will of God for the Lord Jesus to be crucified on that particular Friday, even though the Jews wanted to wait til after the Passover to do it. Christ died to satisfy the justice of God on our behalf.
In v.2 we read, “and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.”
For years the Jewish religious leaders wanted the Lord Jesus dead. Their fear of what the Jews might do put a check on them carrying out their evil intentions. Unwittingly, they played right into the design of God who did it this way to communicate His goodness and sovereignty to mankind.
In v.3-4 we read, "3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus."
It is quite shocking that someone could follow the Lord Jesus and hear His teaching and witness His miracles and then betray Him. But, this is what Judas did. When he decided the Lord Jesus was no longer worthy for him to follow, he went to the Jewish religious leaders to betray the Lord Jesus. And, he was motivated by money.
We are told that when Judas made this decision, it was on the heels of Satan entering him. Satan or any of his cohorts can not enter a person unless they are given permission. In fact, there are certain things that we can do that will open ourselves up demon activity. We must be careful to stay away from those thing that we know are of the evil one.
Judas Iscariot fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 41:9 which reads, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.”
Satan can not do one thing unless it is within the will of God. In Zechariah 11:12-13 we learn of a betrayer who was going to sell the Messiah for 30 pieces of silver. It is in Exodus 21:32 that we learn that the price for a slave was thirty pieces of silver. This thirty pieces of silver, to Judas, was about four months of wages.
In v.5-6 we read, "5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present."
People have asked me from time to time, "Why did God make Judas betray the Lord Jesus?" To which I respond, "God didn't make Judas betray the Lord Jesus, but He knew that Judas would make that choice." God makes no one sin, otherwise He would be guilty of sin. No, God knew in advance what Judas would do and He told us in advance of the deed that would be done.
As a side note, even after he betrayed the Lord Jesus, Judas had a chance to turn to God in his brokenness. I am not sure if he did or he didn't, it appears that he didn't. However, the goodness of God is still seen in Judas' opportunity to turn to God in the last moments of his life.
This underscores the fact that we can trust God. He is really in control and he loves us dearly. The death of His Son was no surprise to Him. And, we can rest in that design. In fact, I have discovered there is far more design in this world than coincidence.
Amid the many unbelievable things He has done in my life, I have learned that researchers have discovered that rats’ teeth are always sharp because their teeth design consists of a hard surface on one side and a soft surface on the other. As they are used, the soft part wears down much faster, keeping the teeth continuously sharp.
This finding was applied in developing a saw blade that sharpens itself. This blade is constructed from tungsten carbide powder that is mixed, pressed, and heated. When cutting metal, it lasts up to six times longer than the next best blade in common use today.
The God of the Bible is the God of design. Even when all around us seems to be out of control, we can rest assured that He is truly in control. And, we can trust Him with everything that concerns us this day.
