Title Thinking of Suffering (Luke 22:3-6)
Contents Yesterday, after a tiring day of arguing on Tuesday, Jesus rested in Bethany on Wednesday. However, while Jesus was resting in Bethany, there was a secret plot to arrest Jesus. Last Sunday, called Palm Sunday, The Pharisees and the temple aristocrats were very angry when they saw Jesus entering with pride and power. So they gathered at Caiaphas' house and decided to arrest him immediately. However, they could not ignore the agitation of the people at the Passover. The decision was made to make an arrest on Thursday. They wanted to make an arrest in a quiet place rather than in a crowded place. Here there was a disciple who was their agent and assisted in the arrest of Jesus, who we know all too well. Judas was a disciple.
He was a disciple of Jesus. He followed Jesus for 3 years. But he betrayed Jesus. In Dante's Divine Comedy, Judas Iscariot is said to have fallen into the most painful hell at the bottom of Hell. It would have been better if he had not been born. , Satan entered his heart and betrayed Jesus and delivered him.
It is said that he did this for 30 pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver is not a lot of money. Thirty pieces of silver was a small amount for the ransom of a small slave. But Judas took the money and sold Jesus. Many people were Judas Iscariot. tells why he sold Jesus. What is the reason? The most common view is greed. The explanation is that he was blinded by money. But this is not a sufficient explanation. This is a very small amount, and Judas, who was in charge of the account, must have already calculated how much damage it would cost if his teacher died. Another person said that Judas was an extreme nationalist, that is, a zealot, but he was deeply moved by Jesus' non-violence Some say that they betrayed Jesus in disappointment. It is difficult to verify the truth of this account.
It is just a guess. There are many other conjectures, but they are partial explanations that are not sufficient. The question of why Judas betrayed Jesus was the same both now and in the early church. So Luke in today's text writes like this (Satan entered Judas, who was called Iscariot, one of the twelve.) There is only one writer in the Gospels who writes this. At least, according to Luke's view, Satan entered Judas Iscariot and he betrayed Jesus. will be
The amount of 30 silver is only a motivating factor, and the more fundamental factor is that Satan entered Judas' heart. And that Satan is still coming into us and targeting the Hoshi Team. There is Satan who divides the body of the church, makes the life of faith sell out for about 30 silver world values, and makes Jesus leave and sell Jesus. From this perspective, the event of the cross is a battle between Satan and the Spirit of God. It was a battle with those who hold the authority of the world.
There is a very important point here. It is the fact that we can be Satan's servants, either Satan's servants or God's servants. The same person can have two statuses at the same time. No one recognized Judas Iscariot as a servant of God and a man of God. However, he ended up becoming a servant of Satan.
The day before his arrest, Jesus had the Last Supper on Thursday. Here, Jesus foresaw his suffering and the betrayal of his disciples and spoke plainly (one of you will betray me). It was a shocking remark to both Jesus and his disciples. The disciples were astonished. No, who is selling Jesus? Jesus continued to say naturally. (He is the one who puts his hand into the bowl with me.)
There were two hands in one bowl. One was Jesus' hand and the other was Judas' hand. Depending on whose hand we hold, our lives can be completely different. We are the hands of Jesus. There are two minds in one person. One is the spirit of wanting to do good, and the other is the natural heart. It continues from within. So Paul sighs (O wretched man I am) and reminds us of the seriousness of this battle.
As we celebrate Wednesday of Holy Week today, there is something we must remember. That is, we too can become Judas Iscariot. We can also betray the Lord. Because of the value of the world of about 30, is there not a time when we say we do not know the Lord 12 times a day? We are the ones who can just leave it alone and become Satan's servants. We must pray at this time. Lord, have you never denied that I do not know You? Have I never betrayed You? Did you not follow the flesh and Satan more? It must be early in the morning on Wednesday during the Holy Week when you repent and make a new decision.
While Jesus was resting in Bethany, the disciples were busy preparing for the feast, and the priests and scribes were busy planning to arrest and kill Jesus. Here Judas Iscariot has Satan's heart and acts as a servant of Satan. Knowing that there are the hands of Jesus, the hands of Judas, the thoughts of Jesus in one heart, the thoughts of Satan, the minds of Jesus, and the hearts of Satan in one vessel, I pray that we will live as servants of Jesus Christ, not Satan's servants. This must be the time to make a decision. When we become servants of Jesus Christ, we can surely be victorious. Because through the resurrection event after the cross, Jesus broke the power of Satan and gained victory.