Luke 22:1-6

Applebury's Comments

The Search for a Way
Scripture

Luke 22:1-6 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death; for they feared the people.

3. And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4. And he went away, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might deliver him unto them. 5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. 6 And he consented, and sought opportunity to deliver him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

Comments

Now the feast of the unleavened bread drew nigh.This is one of the three principle feasts of the Jews. It lasted a whole week and came immediately after the Passover Feast. For this reason, Luke says it was called the Passover.

how they might put Him to death.The chief priests and scribes had already decided that He must die. Jesus was well aware of their intention to kill Him. On one occasion He had asked, Why seek ye to kill Me? (John 7:19) While the Jews, of course, denied it, they had actually attempted to carry out their plot more than once. See John 8:9; John 10:31. This murderous plot crystalized in the minds of their leaders at the time of the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethseda. It was at that time that Jesus had made it clear that He was equal with God. This, in their minds, was blasphemy and punishable by death. Their only problem was how to get it done. They, of course, would have to get permission from the Roman governor to have Him put to death, but this was no problem. The real problem was to carry out the plot without arousing the people, Luke had already indicated that the people were coming early in the morning to hear Him teach in the temple. The crowd had welcomed Him at the triumphal entry. But the search for the way would soon be over.

and Satan entered into Judas.The plot of these conspirators was master-minded by Satan himself. It was both daring and clever, for Judas was one of the twelve, But it was the biggest mistake Satan ever made. In the Garden of Eden, God had said that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. Evidentially, Satan did not believe Him, for he tried to overcome Jesus in the wilderness temptation and was now seeking a way to put Him to death. But it was through death that Jesus was to bring to nought this one who had the power of death; that is, the devil. (Hebrews 2:14).

Luke says that Satan entered into Judas. This is not demon possession. Jesus called Judas a devil (John 6:70-71), not a demon. He was a man who had deliberately given himself over to the control of Satan. It is not too difficult to see how this was done. Judas was a thief (John 12:6). He had charge of the treasury of Jesus and the apostles and had been in the habit of stealing from that fund. This unholy desire for money was his downfall. The thought of selling his Lord for thirty pieces of silver was too great a temptation for him to withstand. He bargained with the chief priests and the captains to betray Jesus into their hands. He knew how to get the deed done, for he knew that sacred spot in Gethsemane where Jesus and His disciples often went to be alone in prayer. There he could betray his Lord, without arousing the people.