Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.
“You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to; So that when they turn their backs on you; You’ll get the chance to put the knife in” I don’t often quote Pink Floyd but these lyrics from Dogs illustrates what needed to be done by Judas. He walked with Jesus as one of his followers, he turned on Jesus, and waited. He sought an opportunity to “put the knife in”. The Bible warned against this kind of doglike behavior in Micah 2:1;
Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds!
The lion prowled, seeking an opportunity to devour and along came Judas, one twelfth of his disciple corps. It only takes one.
We must, as Peter warned in 1 Peter 5:9,
Resist him, firm in your faith.
Lest we wag our finger at Judas, it is good to know that this propensity lies in us to betray Christ. Every time we intentionally sin, we ask Jesus to turn his back so he cannot see what we are doing. One comfort we have is the assurance from Jesus that he will be with us always, to the end of the age, whether we want him there or not. He will never abandon our soul to Hades. The cross proved it.
Dear Lord, thank you for the cross. Help us resist the devil today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church