Luke 22:1-6 "Satan Entered Judas"
Most of us are here because we believe in God—we believe in Jesus. But some of us get a little uncomfortable when Satan, demons, devils — all that Halloween stuff is brought up. “Someone has to be behind creating all this, so yes, there must be a God. Also, Jesus really historically existed, was really crucified under Pilate, and hundreds of eyewitnesses say they saw Him resurrected from the dead—so, I guess I can get behind all the Son of God stuff, too. But talking about Satan makes me feel like the Church Lady on SNL. ‘Isn’t that special!?”
People going around like Flip Wilson saying, “The devil made me do it!”
It’s weird the things people think the devil tempts them to do. Cheat on homework, lie about why they’re late, eat an entire sleeve of Girl Scout Cookies. The devil’s like, “You didn’t need my help with that one—you didn’t offer me a single Thin Mint. You’re on your own, buddy!”
Well, today Satan enters the chat. And we have to deal with it.
We’ve been going through the Gospel of Luke line by line and today we’re in chapter 22. Jesus is in Jerusalem with His twelve disciples and a multitude of followers. This is probably the Wednesday before Good Friday.
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. Luke 22:1
It actually just says “the Feast of Unleavened,” our translators added the word bread to round out the thought but it’s a little misleading—because it’s not about bread. Leaven is yeast but the Greek word for “unleavened” also means “uncorrupted.” There’s nothing wrong with bread that has some yeast in it so it can rise and become as delicious as Panera smells in the morning—that’s not the point. The idea is to illustrate what sin does to us.
The way a little yeast completely changes the dough is like how a little sin completely changes us. So, the Feast of Unleavened was a yearly reminder to examine their life and get rid of any sin that had crept in. It’s a picture of repentance. They would clean their house from top to bottom, removing any trace of leaven. It was part of the preparation for Passover.
It’s very important for us to understand the significance of Passover. It was a celebration commanded by God to remember how He saved His people from Egypt.
About 1400 years before Jesus was born, God sent Moses to Pharaoh with a bunch of plagues to persuade him to let His people go. All of the plagues were an attack and mockery of Egyptian gods which were really just demons in disguise. The final plague was the death of the firstborn. Every Hebrew household was to sacrifice a lamb and paint the door post of their house with its blood. The Angel of Death flew throughout all of Egypt killing the firstborn of any household that did not have the blood of the lamb on the door. Any home that was covered in blood was passed over. Thus, Passover.
Do you remember what John the Baptist called Jesus? He said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John got it.
Everyone is in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. We all know what’s going to happen to Jesus this week—it’s important that we understand why it happens this week during Passover. This is how God is going to save His people this time—the true Passover Lamb of God was going to be sacrificed to save the world.
The enemies of Jesus didn’t understand any of this, they just wanted to get rid of Him.
And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Luke 22:2
All those same religious leaders who have been trying to trap Him and trick Him, they’re looking for some clever way to use Rome to do their dirty work. They knew a small army of Jesus people had started following Him and would turn on them if they attacked Him. They didn’t want to be blamed, they just wanted Him dead.
They weren’t the only ones, though.
Remember in chapter 4 when the devil tempted Jesus? He didn’t fall for it, which was very disappointing for the Prince of Darkness—it says he left and waited for an opportune time. And one of the main things Jesus has been doing in His ministry is going around jacking with him—casting out demons. Kinda like cleaning the house of Israel and getting rid of leaven.
There are billions of demons. They have an elaborate hierarchy that we know very little about but we do know the name of the big devil in charge. And He’s not going to leave anything to chance, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” He thought this was his opportune time.
This next line is spooky as it gets.
Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. Luke 22:3
One of Jesus’ Twelve disciples is bodily possessed by Satan himself. How in the world did that happen? How can a follower of Jesus be possessed by the devil?
Think about that word “possessed.” “Possession.” How do you acquire your possessions? You buy them, right? You trade something for them, take them home—then they belong to you.
That’s how the devil gets his possessions, too. I’ll come back to this in a minute. First, let’s look at what Satan does with his brand new possession named Judas…
He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. Luke 22:4-6
Well, that was a clean transaction. Judas just wanted a little cash—he was willing to betray Jesus for money. The religious leaders thought it was a good deal, they were happy with their purchase. Judas left with a bag of silver and started looking for a time to hand Jesus over. Satan was happy with his purchase, too.
So, when’s the best time to betray the Son of God? It’s not going to be when they make the preparations for where to celebrate Passover. It’s not going to be during the Passover meal—what we call the Last Supper. But Judas is there, with the money in his pocket. It’s not going to be after supper when Jesus is washing the disciples feet.
Judas, filled with all the darkness of hell, waits until Jesus is praying by Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane in the middle of the night after the rest of the disciples have fallen asleep. Then he betrays Him with a kiss.
How did it ever come to that? How can a disciple and friend of Jesus sink so low?
A little leaven. A little sin. The corruption spreads throughout the soul. Changing it a little at a time.
Judas was the treasurer for Jesus’ ministry, he’s the one who held onto the money. And he was contaminated by it.
There’s a story in the Gospel of John that happened this same week, a woman worships Jesus by pouring some expensive perfume on His feet—but Judas was not pleased.
"But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 'Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." John 12:4-6
Also in the Gospel of John Jesus is talking to His disciples and says,
“But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)” John:6:64
and in verse 70 Jesus says, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” John 6:70
So, Judas never really believed in Jesus. He just hung around Christians. He gave into his greed and stole money from the Son of God. That doesn’t seem too smart, does it?.
Have you heard the verse, “The fool says in his heart there is no God?” It’s the first line of Psalm 14 and Psalm 53. In both cases the point isn’t that a person who says they don’t believe in God is a fool—although that’s also true. The point is that a person who says they believe in God but acts like they don’t, by continuing to do the same sins over and over—as if God doesn’t see them, as if He doesn’t exist—that person is a fool. Not living according to the wisdom of God once you know the wisdom of God makes a person a fool—and it’s a fine line between foolish and wicked.
When we give in to the same temptations, doing the same sins—habitual sins—we invite demons as sure as leaving food outside attracts flies.
Habitual sin is an invitation for the devil to move in. Judas certainly found that out the hard way.
Ephesians 4:27 says, "Give no opportunity to the devil."
Giving in to your favorite sins is like putting handles on your soul so the devil can really get a good grip on you.
1st Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
The devil and all his demons are looking for every opportunity to get ahold of you and destroy you. So, what should you do?
James 4:7-8 says,
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
It’s through repentance and forgiveness—submitting to God—that we’re able to resist the devil. True belief and true repentance.
Be careful to listen to the Spirit when He points out your habitual sins.
Hebrews 10:26-27 is very direct about this,
"For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries."
If we continue to deliberately do things we know God doesn’t want us to do, deliberately not do the things we know He wants us to do—then it’s the same as denying the sacrifice Jesus did for us. We’re acting like His enemy, and if we align ourselves with His adversaries, we will suffer their same fate. By the way, the name “Satan” means “adversary” and “accuser.” If we align ourselves with Satan we’re gonna get the same fury of fire that’s in store for him.
It’s scary. I’m trying to get your attention. Habitual sin is a dangerous game of spiritual roulette.
But I don’t want you to doubt your salvation. There’s a big difference between giving into temptation followed by repentance—and deliberately continuing to embrace sin. The life of a Christian is a life of being sorry for our sin and returning to grace. But it’s not trying to hide our sin, cover it up and trying to get away with it. If you confess your sin, Jesus is always faithful to forgive you.
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)
Don’t try to hide your sin—or excuse it. Confess it—and stop doing it.
I don’t know what your favorite sins are but I know you need to confess them, say what they are, admit to them, turn away from them, then remember and return to the promise of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Stop listening to whatever the devil whispers in your ear. When you give in to temptation, you’re inviting him to stay. You’re asking him to move in. You make it easier to keep doing wrong. Every time Judas stuck his fingers into that moneybag, he was that much closer to Satan entering him and destroying him. That should be very sobering.
And you might be thinking, “I still don’t know about devils and Satan and all that.” Okay. He doesn’t need you to believe in him, he probably prefers it if you don’t. Judas probably didn’t believe in the devil, either. Might be why he was tricked so easily.
What are those favorite sins that the devil doesn’t even have to try and you jump right in? It’s different for all of us. Some of us are controlled so easily with anger. Emotions. At home, at work, in the car. “I’m going to get so mad right now, I’m going to give into it and practically invite the devil to use me for his nefarious plans.” Or maybe it’s pride, he loves that one—pride keeps us from doing all kinds of things God wants us to do. Keeps us from forgiving people, reconciling with them, makes us want to avoid anyone who makes us feel uncomfortable—probably because they won’t worship us the way we want them to. Pride says, “Don’t tell me what to do!” In a conflict, instead of backing down, we escalate the fight. “I don’t take nothing off nobody!” Also, feeling sorry for yourself is just another form of pride—you still think you’re the most important person in the room, everyone should line up and show you pity. What are your favorite sins? Greed, like Judas? Lust? Secret porn time? Sex outside of marriage? Undressing people in your mind? Or maybe addictions? Eat too much? Drink too much. Try to numb yourself. Get drunk. Get high. And what about laziness? Sloth is one of the seven deadlies. Not doing what God tells us to do is just as much of a sin as breaking the commandments.
Whatever it is, whether I mentioned your sin of choice or not, don’t pretend like you don’t have any. 1st John 1:8 says,
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
But if we confess our sin, He is always faithful to forgive us.
I don’t want anyone leaving today wondering about your salvation. [Put Verses on Screen] Here’s some powerful verses that talk about the promise of Jesus to save us. You should write these down or take a photo of the screen and look them up later…
This is how God loved the world—He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The way God loved you was by giving His Son for you.
You have been saved by grace. You don’t earn it by being good. You don’t earn it by resisting the devil and not sinning. He gave His Son—it’s a gift.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. (You’re saved by trusting in the promise of Jesus to save you). And it’s not your own doing; it’s the gift of God, not a result of anything you do or don’t do.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Hold onto that promise, trust that promise, and you’ll be saved. You will live. But if you hold onto your sin, like you’re proud of it, like it defines you, like your sin is who you are, like it’s a prized possession—like there’s no such thing as sin—then that sin will possess you and you will die. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Let go of your sin and hold onto the promise of Jesus.
The devil can’t take that away from you.
“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities (that is to say devils and demons), nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature—nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39.)
Earlier I made a joke about eating an entire sleeve of Girl Scout Cookies. The devil’s like, “You didn’t need my help with that one—You’re on your own, buddy!” Because that’s what he does. He tempts us to sin then stands back and points his finger at us, accusing us of the very sin he tempted us to do. He’s a rat, a snitch. He’s not our friend. Leaves us standing there dangling in the breeze to defend ourselves.
That’s why you have to resist him. Resist temptation. Then confess your sin when you fail. And trust in God’s forgiveness given to you because of what Jesus did for you. Satan possessed Judas because he was willing to be bought with a bag of his favorite sin—don’t be like that. Submit to God, resist temptation. Trust the promise of the Gospel.
“There is no condemnation for you because you belong to Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
I want the story of Judas to get your attention but I don’t want you to doubt your salvation. So, let’s do this together. It’s based on Psalm 51, which is a prayer of David when he was guilty of some really bad things—We’ll read the Psalm and I’ll give a Gospel response.
Let’s read this out loud together…
People: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.”
Pastor: The LORD has taken away your sin. There may still be earthly consequences for your wrongdoing, but the LORD has taken away your sin and guilt before God.
People: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned … You teach me wisdom in the secret heart”
Pastor: The LORD has taken away your sin. God made an everlasting covenant with David that his throne would endure forever—his throne endures forever through his greater Son, our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah. The Lord has forgiven you for the sake of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death.
People: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me … blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me … Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit.”
Pastor: The LORD has taken away your sin and is renewing a right spirit within you. He keeps you in His presence and has not taken His Holy Spirit from you. Through your trials, you can have joy in your salvation.
People: O Lord, our heart is broken and contrite. Give us a stronger sense of your love and forgiveness, help us trust in Jesus.
Pastor: The LORD has taken away your sin. There may still be earthly consequences for your wrongdoing, but the LORD has taken away your sins; you are forgiven, in Jesus. The devil has no power over you. You belong to the LORD. AMEN