Luke 22:3 Satan entered into Judas. Whoever betrays Christ, or His truths or ways, it is Satan that puts them upon it. How Satan entered into Judas was in awful stages. The awful stages were 1) Covetousness being his master-passion, the Lord let it reveal itself and gather strength by entrusting Judas with the money bag, as treasurer to Jesus and the twelve disciples.
In the discharge of that most sacred trust, he became a thief, taking the money from time to time to his own use. Satan, seeing this door into Judas’ heart standing wide open, determines to enter by it, but cautiously putting it into his heart to betray Him, suggesting the thought to him that by this means he might enrich himself.
God gave His children the Ten Commandments to keep. If we find ourself breaking those commandments by simple white lies, coveting, dishonoring parents, having other priorities than God etc, we should have the wisdom to understand that we are doing what the devil wants us to do and not God. Neglecting these in the beginning makes the heart and the conscience callous and then it makes one go in a downward spiral with the devil.
The devil’s tactics are old and nothing new. He blinds people into being ignorant. Amazed by how Judas after making a pact with the Chief Priests still came over for the Passover meal with Jesus and the rest of the disciples. This Jesus who always exposed the crooked thoughts of the Pharisees and Sadducees, would He have not known what Judas was upto? But the devil blinded Judas from realizing that Jesus is omniscient and omnipotent.
Amazed by how the chief priests who claimed to keep even the smallest of the laws had no problem plotting to kill a sinless man because He came in the way of their earthly agendas.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
The God who created the universe and all the living things in it has promised that He will feed us and provide for us without fail. So we don’t have to exhaust ourselves in such meaningless pursuits after wealth rather focus on the heart of God and His Kingdom.
Of all the disciples, only Judas was given the money bag because he was the only one who was greedy while the rest of them laid down their lives for the sake of the gospel of Christ. And the noose of that moneybag strangled Judas’ neck to his death.We are tested in our area of weaknesses more than the strengths. May we ask Him not to lead us into temptation but to deliver us from the evil one! AMEN!
