Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
It is helpful to examine how Satan has been at work in Judas’ life. Back in verse 2, we are told that “…the devil had already prompted Judas.” In chapter 12, verse 6 John tells us that Judas was a thief. He would actually steal money from the disciple’s common purse.
Judas was a bad egg. He accepted Jesus’ invitation to be a disciple. He traveled with Jesus for three years. Yet he didn’t really see or hear Jesus. Instead, he was thinking about himself. One thing led to another and in the end, Judas became completely owned by Satan.
Dabbling in the darkness is dangerous. It opens the door to the things that live in darkness. Those spirits lead to dark thoughts and dark ways, and a fear of the light.
Going back to chapter 1 John writes:
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Judas had been with the light of all mankind, and he still preferred to choose darkness. It is a sad tale and a frightening warning for those of us who want to live in the light.
Let’s Discuss: How do the choices we make today affect who we are tomorrow?
Compromise is easy. I often hear, “What’s wrong with that”…when the question should be, “What’s right with that.” A little leaven leavens the whole lump. When we veer slightly off course, the farther we go, the farther off course we are. Satan was subtly deceitful with Eve and continues to be the Deceiver. Many are deceived and choose darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. 1 Corinthians 15:58.
JEC,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts this morning! Well said!
Every choice matters and builds on another and sets us on a path. Judas’s choices opened a door to the demonic. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us not to give the devil a foothold (in that case it had to do with our response to anger). We are to resist the devil, not allow him to set up shop in our mind and heart. If our decision is to submit to God and resist the devil then we will certainly be in a better place than the other way around.
Rich,
Great verse! To quote it in full:
” ‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Over the course of my life I have traveled from a place of total ignorance of the reality of the spiritual realm to a place where I can now see that life is a mix of physical and spiritual. None of us escape being spiritual beings, even if we do not recognize that part of ourselves. Just as closing our eyes to the bad things in life doesn’t make the bad things go away, in the same way remaining ignorant of the spiritual dangers of life does not make those dangers go away.
Good stuff here Jeff. Enjoying the site
Dennis,
Thanks for checking in and for leaving a comment! Much appreciated! 🙂