John 6:70-71, “Jesus replied to them, ‘Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!’ He was referring to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray Him.
John 12:4-6, “Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, ‘Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?’ He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.”
John 13:2, “Now by the time of supper, the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Him.”
John 13:26-27, “Jesus replied, ‘He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it.’ When He had dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Therefore Jesus told him, ‘What you’re doing, do quickly’.”
How many of you will be spending time with family this Easter? How many of my girlfriends will entertain people in your homes? How many will deal with difficult people or stressful situations? Let’s face it, sometimes the hardest people to witness to are those in our own family and those closest to us. The reason for Easter mirrors this struggle.
Spiritual Warfare reaches an acme of highest proportions in the events surrounding the Last Supper and the events that followed, and if Satan can use someone close to Jesus to betray Him, don’t think you are above reproach.
Let’s look at Judas. Jesus knew well in advance Judas was going to betray Him, yet He kept Judas as part of the Twelve. If Jesus was going to circumvent the Father’s will, He could have kicked Judas out long before the betrayal. Truth is, Judas didn’t even have to be created, but God chose to create him anyway. …Chew on that for a little bit.
Next we see Judas’ character before the betrayal and his role in the Twelve. Even in the presence of Jesus, Judas was a thief. Even though Judas had a personal relationship with Jesus, he still chose to deceive. Satan had a foothold in Judas’ life – the love of money.
At the Last Supper, the Devil had already put it in Judas’ heart to make some money in betraying Christ. Jesus knew this, and He served Judas regardless. As a matter of fact, we see Judas practically eating out of the Savior’s hand. This moment that could have brought Judas close to Jesus was the final straw because Satan entered him and took control.
Judas’ foothold not only led to a stronghold, but it led to possession. Greed owned him. Just because someone claims to be spend time with Jesus and to have a relationship with Jesus, does not mean they are of Jesus. Does that make sense? Judas spent time with Jesus, had a relationship with Him, but Judas was not of Jesus. Jesus’ teachings did not course through Judas. Judas didn’t practice the principles set by Jesus. Judas may have fooled some of the people, but Jesus knew exactly who He was.
Having said this, Jesus knew who Judas was and what Judas was all about, but still served him anyway. We are not given an “out” or an excuse not to serve someone because they aren’t a fellow believer. We are not given an “out” or an excuse not to serve someone because they are difficult to serve and love. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. We are to serve these in the most personal ways. Jesus basically hand-fed Judas. Before this last supper, Jesus washed Judas’ feet.
Love thine enemies. Matthew 5:42-48 Jesus tells us this very thing.
This Easter you may be serving someone in your home that you view as a Judas in your life. Remember this, you were once a Judas to Jesus Christ. You were once an enemy of Christ. You were once lost. Now you have to decide have you matured to the point that you can be Christ-like and serve the Judas’ in your life. Isn’t this what Easter is about? Showing the world who Christ is to us and how His life affected ours? If you claim the moniker “Christian,” then you should treat all the way Christ has treated you. Forgiven.
