Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve

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 sought 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 21:37-22:13

 Then He spoke to 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.  Jesus, who's been welcomed into Jerusalem as Messiah, doesn't stay in fancy lodgings and He's not the guest of the wealthy.  He stays with the pilgrims on Mr. Olivet.   But daily "all the people" come to hear Him in the temple starting from early in the morning

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.   And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  My study bible explains that Passover (Pascha in the Greek) is a celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt, and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12-14).  At Passover, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered in remembrance, and eat together with unleavened bread (used as the Israelites departed in haste).  It is Holy Week, and the Passover prefigures Jesus' Passion -- the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver His people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kingdom.  In the Greek, Pascha (known as Easter in the West) is the primary term by which one refers to the death and Resurrection of Christ.

 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.  My study bible tells us that Satan does not enter a man except by the man's consent.  It says that the reason Satan chose Judas and none of the others is because Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, while the others did not.  It says, "Luke's mention of Judas being numbered among the twelve emphasizes the depth of the betrayal and shows that religious position is worthless if not accompanied by faith and virtue."

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 lets us know that the term Passover (Pascha in the Greek) can refer to the original event it commemorates, a celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain.  It says that according to patristic commentary, Peter represents zeal while John represents spiritual understanding, "the virtues with which we are to partake of the Lord's Supper."

 Jesus honors the Law and the Prophets:  His fulfillment of His mission includes His devotedness to Jewish spiritual heritage.  It's important that we acknowledge that whatever is "wrong" with Judas, his betrayal is not done in the cause of Jewish heritage or its defense.  There is something completely different at work here.  My study bible gives us a clue when it talks about vulnerability in Judas to betrayal.  Was there something that triggered him?  John's Gospel suggests his love of money, that he was the "treasurer" and would steal.  We know the scene that happens shortly before betrayal, also given us by John:  Judas with others chastises the woman who uses a jar of expensive ointment to anoint Christ.   Christ says she has done it out of love, in preparation for His burial, and says, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  It's a public rebuke to Judas.  But there we have a statement by Christ that goes beyond "legalism," and into the territory of love.  Jesus honors her gesture, but for a person who thinks strictly in terms of dollars and cents she's criticized for her choices; she's not following a rule.  Perhaps this exposes Judas' great blind spot, the place where Satan can take hold.  We've all got to open our hearts to where love calls us, because love is the reason and meaning behind all laws.  It's like all the "rules" we might find in churches for fasting, for example, or for ways we observe worship.  Those are helpful tools for the practice of our faith, but it's love that is the substance of the God we worship.  Sin is what is against God, not a violation of rules.   It's Jesus who taught that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.  It's in that place, the true object of our worship, that we go in Jesus' healing paradigm:  He has come to save, not to condemn.  Maybe Judas just can't quite "get" that message.  Some say he expected the Messiah to be a political ruler, overthrowing the Romans.  But what we do know is that Jesus will attempt until the last minute to save Judas, despite the fact of betrayal.  Let's look to ourselves and our own expectations to see where we, too, are vulnerable, where we have "blind spots."  Sometimes we have to give up the deepest fondest beliefs we have to follow Christ, even the things we rest our identity upon.  His love will call us to a wholeness we may resist, and draw us out of the groups we know.  Judas turns to the leadership who resents and envies Jesus, and betrays his Master.   Let us see how Jesus responds, and remember that it is His Way that defeats the devil, His light that shines in the darkness, always there on offer for us to heal, and be made truly whole.  Let's take a look at the darkness here, everything is done in hiding, via manipulation, in the shadows.   Jesus teaches openly in the temple by day.