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

 

 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 22:1–13 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given an excerpt from John's Gospel, which told us the story of the woman caught in adultery.  During the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, staying with many of the other pilgrims to Jerusalem for the feast.  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."   

 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 the Passover (in Greek, Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14).  In remembrance of this, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered and eaten with unleavened bread.  This prefigures the Passion of Christ, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver God's people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kiingdom.  Therefore, "Pascha" is the primary term by which the Eastern Church refers to the death and Resurrection of Christ, known in the West as Easter.  

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 comments here that Satan does not enter a person except by that person's consent.  The reason that Satan chose Judas, and none of the others, is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  Luke mentions Judas as numbered among the twelve in order to emphasize the depth of betrayal.  It also teaches us that religious position isn't worth anything unless it is 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 elaborates that the term Passover (or Pascha in the Greek) can refer to the original event itself, the celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary on this passage, Peter represents zeal while John represents spiritual understanding, the two virtues with which we are to partake of the Lord's supper.  

What do we think of the Gospel's report that Satan entered into Judas?  My study bible sums up the traditional patristic understanding of the Church, that this doesn't happen without at least some form of consent on the part of the person so afflicted.  It says that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  We don't really know why, although John's Gospel tells us that Judas used to steal from the treasury of the ministry, as he kept the money box.  In fact, John tells us this in the reporting of the anointing of Jesus' feet by Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, as it was Judas who criticized her for this lavish act of love (see John 12:1-8).  Perhaps it was Jesus' open rebuke of Judas on that occasion that influenced Judas' decision to betray Christ.  Perhaps it was a wounded sense of pride that made him vulnerable and left him open with a "place in his heart" for Satan.  If that is so, then once again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, today's passage brings us again to the importance -- even the absolute necessity -- of humility as a virtue in the ministry and discipleship of Christ.  A wounded pride is quite easy to come by, especially if we are made to feel humiliated before others, most notably those whom we consider to be our peers.  We can put ourselves in Judas' place on that occasion, and imagine a perhaps somewhat quick-tempered and slightly immature personality, one used to a certain measure of honor or status, given a public rebuke by Jesus -- and in favor of a woman like Mary.  John also reports three times that Judas was the son of Simon, first in John 6:71, then notably in telling the story of Mary's anointing of Jesus in John 12, and finally in John 13:26.    In Matthew 26, the anointing of Jesus' feet by an unnamed woman takes place in Bethany, at the home of "Simon the leper," and the betrayal by Judas immediately follows (Matthew 26:6-16).  Putting these texts together, we might make a possible case for this rebuke to have happened in Judas' father's home.  In Luke chapter 7, Jesus dines in the home of a Pharisee named Simon, at which a similar anointing by a notorious sinful woman takes place (Luke 7:36-51).  All of these stories may easily be separate, having notably different aspects to them.  Nonetheless, even without the verification of which Simon might possibly be the father of Judas mentioned by John (or even if he appears in the Gospels), a good case is made for the fact that Judas suffered an open rebuke from Jesus, and so it is possible to infer a lesson for us all.  The Book of Proverbs is full of sayings about the value of a rebuke made in love.  Proverbs 1:23 commands: "Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you."  In other words, those who respond positively to a rebuke of the Lord are fit vessels for God's wisdom and grace.  Psalm 141:5 proclaims:  "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness.  And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it."  Proverbs 3:12 tells us, "For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  In Revelation 3:19, the Lord declares, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."  It's tough to accept a rebuke.  It's even tougher when that rebuke comes in front of others who are your peers.  In Judas' case, that would be the other disciples among whom he perhaps counted on a certain amount of authority regarding money matters (as "he had the money box," as John 12:6 tells us).  Especially after Judas' open criticism, Jesus' rebuke comes as a direct rebuttal, not only to Judas' statement about the waste of money, but also that he should leave the woman alone as she has done something good for Christ.  We can just imagine the public embarrassment, and the kind of character it really takes to be a good disciple, to accept correction, especially where our own vulnerabilities are concerned.  Today many of us seem to live in a world where correction seems sometimes forbidden, or to diminish someone else's standing in front of others seems a threat so hurtful that competition itself of any traditional sort becomes problematic.  In yesterday's commentary, we remarked on the harmful and hurtful nature of false accusation, open condemnation and vilification of those who err, and especially when we forget we are just as liable to need forgiveness for sin as the next person.  But in today's reading, we get another point of view that adds another facet to a teaching on humility.  It is not simply humility which might help us bear the brunt of an injustice or falsehood or harmful public disparaging, but even more importantly, it is humility that helps us benefit properly from a just rebuke made by a loving teacher.  Humility is the indispensable virtue that allows us to know a rebuke made in love by the Lord, whether that comes in the form of a stumbling block or any type of circumstance where we learn a lesson -- and more about ourselves -- by possibly falling flat on our faces, one way and another.  In a time, once again, when social media magnifies both a false pride and an over disparaging criticism or ridicule, we must consider the currently underestimated virtue of humility and how necessary it is to a Biblical perspective on our faith and discipleship.  I don't think it's fair to say that, at least in accordance with what we can read from the Gospels, humility might have prevented that vulnerable place in Judas' heart from being open to Satan.  It might have helped him to acknowledge that the rebuke from Christ was made by One who loved him.  It possibly may have allowed him to correct himself and his attitude.  And if he truly made the remark from greed, and because he was a thief, it opened the door for correction -- but his heart responded in a way to push him down a road of terrible destruction.  This is really a lesson for us all, as it illustrates something found repeatedly in the early teachings of the disciples, quite notably in what is called the Didache, the earliest teaching document of the Church, attributed to the disciples of Christ.  The Didache emphasizes the "two ways" we can choose:  the way of life and the way of death.  We can read this teaching also in Jesus' words, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  Judas illustrates for us the importance of understanding that our choices are important, and most especially the ways in which we are capable of responding to a rebuke made in love, especially when we find ourselves in humiliating circumstances.  We need to have the humility it takes to give us the capacity to ask ourselves what God might be teaching us, and to accept a lesson we may need to learn in order to change to go forward on the road to life.  A refusal can so easily take us down the opposite road, even with consequences of great destruction to others and to ourselves.  Let us remember that a rebuke may indeed be a good and necessary thing, for none of us is without need of correction.  It is important to find a way to turn to our loving Lord to discern how best to respond, lest we give room the one who only destroys.

The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!

 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And he said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples," ' "  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."

- Matthew 26:17-25

Yesterday we read that it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings about the end times and His Second Coming, that Jesus said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And he said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples," ' "  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  My study bible reminds us that the Passover is a commemoration of God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the Land of Promise.  It acts to prefigure the Passion of Christ, who is the new Passover (Greek Pascha/Πασχα), or God's redemption of all humanity from sin and death, and entrance into the promised Kingdom.  Whether the first day of the Feast was Passover or the day before Passover is something of a debate among the patristic teachers.  It is certain, however, that Jesus regarded this meal with His disciples to be the Passover meal.

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."  Here my study bible comments that it is written of Him doesn't cancel the responsibility of Judas for his act of betrayal.  It notes that God foresees but doesn't cause the evil actions of human beings, who always have free will.  Furthermore, it's noted here that Jesus lets Judas accuse himself, but even hearing that Christ knows of his deception, he doesn't repent.

What is repentance?  In some sense, repentance is a way in which we return to Christ from a place where we are separate, broken off from Christ.  If we look at Judas' betrayal in this light, we may observe the depth to which he cuts himself off from Christ through betrayal.  There is first of all the deep trust Christ has placed in Judas as one of the twelve, his closest disciples -- and then there is the thing that Judas will do, the betrayal from such a place of deep trust.  If we imagine these things for ourselves -- that depth of bond and trust as one of the Twelve -- then we can indeed envision the gulf of brokenness which results from betrayal.  As Jesus says, although the Son of Man goes "as it is written of Him," nevertheless this deep severing of relationship through betrayal will bring great woe to Judas himself.  How could we think about repentance under the circumstances?  If repentance is the return to Christ, a turnabout from separation from Him, then what do we imagine that may have looked like for Judas, had he truly repented?  If we look carefully at Jesus' words here, He does not pointedly draw out Judas in front of the others and in that way shields Judas from immediate reproach by the other disciples.  But Jesus does draw out his identity in such a way that Judas is aware that Jesus understands what is happening, and Judas even identifies himself in this role through his question, "Rabbi, is it I?"  This might seem somewhere mysterious to us as a way for Jesus to proceed, unless we see it in the light of Christ's hope that Judas will repent, and a way of offering that opportunity to Judas before he proceeds.  In other words, although we make the choice to sever relationship or not, Christ still holds out salvation to Judas.  He still offers him a chance for communion and redemption.  Neither does Jesus pronounce condemnation here, but responds only with the words, "You have said it," allowing and acknowledging the free will of Judas.  In the original Greek of the text, these are the same words that Jesus will say to Pilate when Pilate asks if He is king of the Jews.  The only difference is that here, the response ("You have said . . .") is in the past tense, and to Pilate Jesus will reply in the present ("You say. . .") in 27:11.  It is a way in which Christ affirms an action or choice on both men's parts, but without pronouncing condemnation or judgment.  So how are we to understand repentance?  Peter, we know, will deny Christ at His time of trial, but he will return to the group of the disciples.  He will once again seek communion with Christ.  But Judas will not.  These are things we may understand from the stories of the Gospels.  In our own lives, we might consider the places where gulfs or "brokenness" exists between ourselves and Christ.  We can also see the brokenness in our relationships with others as well.  We consider the two greatest commandments, upon which hang all the rest:  that first we love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind; and second, we love neighbor as if neighbor were ourselves.  We can look at the brokenness in our lives in each of these respects.  But we return to Christ by placing all things in Christ's hands, returning even our broken communion to His care.  This is one way of seeing repentance, a return to the One whom we may entrust with all things in our lives, and seeking God's guidance and care for all of those things.  In this sense, life offers us constant opportunities for repentance, as we place our trust in Christ's hands, by returning all the many separations in our lives to Him -- all those places of emptiness without communion.  We entrust Him to repair our lives with His love, and to teach us His way; in this we get a sense of the beauty of repentance, and the ongoing work of faith.