Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes ought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water, follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" '  Then he will show you a large furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Luke 22:1-13

In our recent readings, Jesus has been in Jerusalem, and it is the Passion Week.  He has entered the city in His  Triumphal Entry, and wept over the city, lamenting its lack of peace.  He has cleansed the temple, and already run into confrontations with the leadership, as they asked Him, "Who is he who gave You this authority?".  He told a parable against them, warning them of the times of the Gentiles and of Judgement.   The leadership has tested Him regarding payment of taxes to the Romans, and life in the Resurrection.  He has spoken against the hypocrisy of the scribes and tested them about Scripture,  He pointed out the poor widow, who gave all she had to the treasury.  He has spoken of the future destruction of the beautiful and magnificent temple, and the persecutions to come for the Church.   He warned His disciples not only about the destruction of Jerusalem, but also about the end of the age and the signs thereof, saying,  " Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."  In the previous reading, He taught them a parable:   "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening; know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."  And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes ought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.   My study bible points out that the Feast of the Unleavened Bread and Passover were distinct but largely overlapping; thus they could be identified as one.  It adds, "That the religious leaders feared the people means the populace at large favored charismatic figures such as Jesus.  Therefore, there is need for treachery, night arrest, and quick trial." 

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.   The desire of the leadership to rid themselves of Jesus, whom all the people come to see in the temple (as we're told in the previous reading), opens up an opportunity for evil; as Luke's gospel frames it, for Satan to enter into one who is vulnerable.  In John's gospel, the evangelist tells us that Judas was a thief, but it also reports the rebuke by Jesus given to Judas for criticizing an extravagant act of love.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water, follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" '  Then he will show you a large furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  My study bible says, "The Passover lambs were ritually slaughtered about noon on the first Day of Unleavened Bread, roasted in the afternoon, and eaten that evening -- marking the begining of the Passover Festival.  Unleavened bread was eaten in remembrance of the urgent Exodus from Egypt, in which there was not time for the bread to rise."  Although we know Jesus lives as a pilgrim to Jerusalem, among the other pilgrims on the Mount of Olives, Luke's gospel also gives us a taste of what it is to be His disciple, and their Passover is like no other.  The omniscience of Christ is revealed, along with His care for His Passover among the disciples, His provision for them.

I think it's interesting that the weakness in the character of the leadership begets an opportunity for Satan in the weakness in the character of Judas.  However one wants to frame it, we come to terms here with the ancient Church's (and monasticism's) emphasis on the importance of guarding the heart.  That is, the importance of our own awareness of what kinds of thoughts we're thinking.  Here, envy, hypocrisy and greed raise their heads as flags for us of what has gone wrong here.  Because they fear the people, the leadership wishes to be rid of Him, of Jesus.  He threatens their places, He calls them hypocrites openly, and has cast disdain on their practices which subvert the purposes of the Law, rather than uphold them.  Most of all, they are jealous of His place among the people, His appeal to them.  They want to be rid of Him.  His words do not cause any form of repentance or even self-examination.  Judas was also rebuked by Jesus, according to John's gospel, and rather than turning to the rebuke or to Christ in a serious self-examination, or to His loving Lord to teach what he needs to do, Judas becomes vulnerable to Satan, to an act of greater evil than anything he'd pondered or considered before.  The hole gets deeper, evil becomes something not just considered but put into motion, as the time comes toward the hour of Christ's Passion and suffering on the Cross.  So we observe and we learn, finally, the importance of our own awareness and understanding of what might be happening in us, in ourselves and in our hearts.  It's not just important to this story, but rather it is the story that is important to us, to each one of us, to teach us about ourselves and our nature.  In Proverbs, we read that "whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  A rebuke from the Lord is an act of love, just as a prophecy, a dire warning, even a scathing criticism in the Spirit of the Lord is an act of love, one which must be heeded for our own good.  A refusal of grace, even a refusal of a scathing warning in this Spirit of love, is one that always has consequences.  In Judas' act, one he will come to regret but handle poorly and improperly, we learn what it is not to trust in the love of the Lord, but rather to take things into our own hands, to respond - perhaps we may put it - as the world would teach us to respond.  In this teaching, we have only to look at ourselves and turn inward, to know that there are times when we are vulnerable:  when we feel hurt and outraged and angry and fearful.  Note that it doesn't matter whether the provocation is a just rebuke or an act of gross injustice.  These are times of potential weakness, and in them we turn in prayer to help with a wise response. Psalm 37, also a part of today's reading, tells us, "The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."  This is the wisdom of the Scripture and of the Church.  Can we remember and remain awake, alert, as He has taught?