Luke Bible Study, Day 34
Today’s passage: Luke 22:1–6
Focus verse: He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. (Luke 22:6)
Let’s take a moment to review.
Jesus has ridden into town in a grand procession, and the people hail him as king, their Savior sent from God. If word gets out, the Romans could view him as a threat and execute him for insurrection—an open revolt against the government.
When this happens, it’s going to make things even tougher for the Jews. It will threaten what little control the Romans have allowed them to have over their nation.
Next, the masses flocked to Jesus. The religious leaders see their followers abandoning them and their influence eroding. If they hope to regain their authority over the people, they must stop Jesus.
On one side they fear the Romans, and on the other they fear losing what little power they have. They look for a way to get rid of Jesus without incurring the wrath of the people.
Third, Jesus, in predicting his death, says someone will betray him. Note that Judas is the treasurer for Jesus’s ministry. He carries their money bag. It’s not because he’s good with money, because he isn’t.
In fact, he’s greedy and helps himself to their funds.
All these things culminate in what happens next. Yet it requires one more element: Satan.
Satan enters Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples. Satan tempts Judas to go to the religious leaders and discuss what to do about Jesus. Judas is willing to hand him over to them, so they can stop him.
Judas’s offer delights the religious leaders, and they agree to pay him for his part in their scheme. The thought of receiving money is all the convincing Judas needs to do the unthinkable. He is going to betray Jesus.
Today, people view Judas in one of three ways.
Some see him as an integral part of God’s plan to bring salvation to his people. Without Judas, Jesus wouldn’t have died to save us. This makes Judas a helpless cog in God’s grand plan.
Others suggest that Judas knew exactly what he was doing. They assert that he and Jesus even planned this to bring about the necessary events for Jesus to die and overcome death. This makes Judas a hero.
Still others see him as a pawn of Satan, unable to control what he did. This makes Judas a victim.
All these are wrong. Judas is not helpless, a hero, or a victim.
The reality is that Satan tempted Judas to do wrong, and he gave in to the temptation. This makes Judas just like us.
Questions:
- In what ways do we betray Jesus?
- How can we avoid giving in to temptation?
[Discover more about the religious leaders’ opposition to Jesus in Luke 19:47–48. Read about Judas in Matthew 27:3–5, Luke 22:22, and John 12:6.]
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Read more about the book of Luke in Dear Theophilus: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, now available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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