Luke 22:1-6 (NIV) Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 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. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.
The chief priests and scribes were in a terrible spot. Jesus was continuing to make inroads with the people, and was gaining more and more followers, all of which they felt was cutting them off at the knees. But they were powerless to do anything about it. They believed that if they tried to stop Him or take Him into custody, the people would come to His defense and rise up against them. And with the crowds present for the Passover, the number of people who were constantly surrounding Him was multiplied.
Satan used this opportunity to seize the heart of Judas Iscariot, who was already irritated with Jesus for taking Mary’s side in the dispute over her using precious spikenard oil to anoint Jesus’ feet at a dinner (John 12:1-8). Satan used that irritation, and turned Judas’ heart away from Jesus, to the point that he became convinced that Jesus needed to be stopped.
So Judas agreed to lead the chief priests and scribes to Jesus ‘campsite on the Mount of Olives where they could arrest Him away from the eyes of the public, for thirty pieces of silver, the amount, incidentally, foretold in Zechariah 11:12-13. To Judas, this made up for the money that he would have been able to skim from the money bag had Mary’s ointment been sold and the money given to him to “give to the poor” (John 12:6).
Judas’ betrayal did fill his pockets with silver. But he couldn’t foresee the consequences of his actions, the guilt that would seize him when he saw that Jesus had been condemned, and that would ultimately lead to his own death. Satan had blinded his eyes with anger, and with the lust for silver, so that that was all that he could see.
Father, it is so easy for our emotions, especially strong emotions like anger and lust, to take us over and blind us to all else, including where You are trying to lead us. We are not immune even from betraying You if the circumstances are right. But with Your help, we can hold on to You, even when satan tries his hardest to waylay us. Help us to hold on, Lord, no matter what, so that when the time of testing comes, we will honor You with our every thought, word, and deed. Amen.