Word@Work Luke319 - Luke 22:1-3
Published: Wed, 03/23/11
Word@Work from BeaconLight
WICKED COLLABORATION
Luke 22:1-3 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. (NIV)
The Passover was a great annual event. It was a whole week of celebration commemorating God's deliverance of His people from slavery, in Egypt. Yet despite Jesus being the light of the world, He was surrounded by darkness ... a wicked conspiracy between rebellious human hearts and Satan's malignant desire to exterminate the Prince of Life.
The religious leaders, who should have welcomed Jesus, hated Him intensely. He had exposed their corruption and hypocrisy and they felt threatened by someone so pure and powerful. So they wanted to kill Him. But there was a problem: all the people thought Jesus was wonderful, and, if the religious hierarchy was seen to be against Jesus, they risked being toppled from their positions of power. But their evil thoughts were all part of Satan's plan. He had also been grooming the weakest of the twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, encouraging him to steal from the money given to Jesus. Now the time had come, and Satan entered into Judas' heart and mind, taking control of the situation and precipitating a cascade of actions which would lead Jesus to the cross and Judas to remorse and fatal self-loathing.
It is always a bad idea to rebel against God, to use Him for personal gain, or in any way to collaborate with the devil. Most people do not think that their selfish rebellion is anything more than getting their own way, which they try to justify. However, it potentially opens a door to far greater evil than was ever anticipated at first. Although we know from the end of this story that God used all the wickedness to achieve the salvation of the world, those who participated in it came to a shameful end. The destructive desire of Satan only needs a little human collaboration to produce terrible consequences. That is why Peter says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith ..." (1 Peter 5:8-9a). It is time to review your heart's desires: if they are not in tune with the Lord's will, repent quickly before Satan takes advantage.
Prayer: Holy Father. Although this is a hard passage to read, thank You for the clarity of its message. Please forgive me when I have enabled Satan to do his work because of my resistance to accepting Your will. Help me to be much more discerning and to understand the spiritual consequences of my wrong desires. May I never open a door for Satan to use my weakness to oppose Your work. I am truly grateful for Your amazing salvation and the free gift of cleansing from my sin. Thank You too for Your astonishing grace in transforming what has been shameful into something which brings glory to You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
The Passover was a great annual event. It was a whole week of celebration commemorating God's deliverance of His people from slavery, in Egypt. Yet despite Jesus being the light of the world, He was surrounded by darkness ... a wicked conspiracy between rebellious human hearts and Satan's malignant desire to exterminate the Prince of Life.
The religious leaders, who should have welcomed Jesus, hated Him intensely. He had exposed their corruption and hypocrisy and they felt threatened by someone so pure and powerful. So they wanted to kill Him. But there was a problem: all the people thought Jesus was wonderful, and, if the religious hierarchy was seen to be against Jesus, they risked being toppled from their positions of power. But their evil thoughts were all part of Satan's plan. He had also been grooming the weakest of the twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, encouraging him to steal from the money given to Jesus. Now the time had come, and Satan entered into Judas' heart and mind, taking control of the situation and precipitating a cascade of actions which would lead Jesus to the cross and Judas to remorse and fatal self-loathing.
It is always a bad idea to rebel against God, to use Him for personal gain, or in any way to collaborate with the devil. Most people do not think that their selfish rebellion is anything more than getting their own way, which they try to justify. However, it potentially opens a door to far greater evil than was ever anticipated at first. Although we know from the end of this story that God used all the wickedness to achieve the salvation of the world, those who participated in it came to a shameful end. The destructive desire of Satan only needs a little human collaboration to produce terrible consequences. That is why Peter says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith ..." (1 Peter 5:8-9a). It is time to review your heart's desires: if they are not in tune with the Lord's will, repent quickly before Satan takes advantage.
Prayer: Holy Father. Although this is a hard passage to read, thank You for the clarity of its message. Please forgive me when I have enabled Satan to do his work because of my resistance to accepting Your will. Help me to be much more discerning and to understand the spiritual consequences of my wrong desires. May I never open a door for Satan to use my weakness to oppose Your work. I am truly grateful for Your amazing salvation and the free gift of cleansing from my sin. Thank You too for Your astonishing grace in transforming what has been shameful into something which brings glory to You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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