Luke 22:1-6

Luke 22:1-6

And the solemn festival of Unleavened Bread – the one being called Passover – was approaching.  And the high priests and scribes were seeking how they should put him to death, for they were being afraid of the people.  And Satan went into Judas – the one who is being called Iscariot – while being out of the number of the Twelve.  And after departing he talked with the high priests and officers the thing how to them he should hand him over.  And they rejoiced and they agreed to give him silver.  And he promised, and he was seeking a convenient time to hand him over without a crowd by them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The truth comes out about the religious leaders.  They are afraid of the people.  In other words, they are afraid that if Jesus gains the favor of the crowd that they will lose the livelihood to which they have grown accustomed.  As the crowd listens more and more to Jesus, they become more and more critical of the religious regime that is currently in place.  If the leaders don’t do something now about Jesus, they might just find their power and control slipping further and further through their fingers.  By acting in this manner due to their fear of the people, they truly show their cards.  They are interested in their livelihood more than spiritual truth.

Why do human beings fall in love with the trappings of the world around us?  Why do human beings compromise truth in order to preserve their own life?

Second Thought:

Next, we hear about Judas.  There is much debate about Judas.  How could a person who followed Jesus so closely hand Him over to the authorities?  Did he repent of His sin?  Can God forgive Judas of the act he made against His Son?  Luke gives us some insight into this debate.  Satan went into Judas.  Judas did what he did because he allowed Satan to influence his actions.  No, I’m not trying to remove the guilt from Judas.  He did what he did and he will be held accountable for it.  If nothing else, he was guilty of allowing Satan to have that much influence over his actions.  What can we learn from the witness of Judas?  We can learn that sin is indeed crouching at the door.  If we are not careful, we can find ourselves under the influence of Satan even when we are seeming to walk so closely with Jesus.  As Jesus warned us only a few sections of verses ago, we must be vigilant.

How do you keep yourself vigilant against the temptations of Satan?  When are you most likely to be open to temptation?  When are you least likely to succumb to temptation?

Third Thought:

We once more turn back to the religious leaders.  Judas comes to them and gives them that for which they are looking.  They rejoice.  Their problems are solved.  They will be able to take care of Jesus once and for all.  It doesn’t matter that their plan is based on a lie.  It doesn’t matter that they are turning one of Jesus’ own disciples against Him.  It doesn’t matter that they are using other people to accomplish their own goals.  They are getting what they want; they are happy about it.

Are you happy when you get what you want?  How often do you look at the means to accomplishing your desire and not just the outcome?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 22:7-13