Read John 13:22-29. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Reflections on the Word.
There are moments in our lives, when a single decision may change the trajectory of our lives: deciding to go to college, deciding who to marry, deciding to have children, or most importantly and with eternal implications deciding to accept or reject Christ.
When Jesus gave the piece of bread to Judas Iscariot, it was an honor given to him among the 12 disciples. And yet at that very moment, Satan entered Judas to betray Jesus. The text states earlier that Judas had already decided to betray Jesus, but now the time came for him to act on it at the Passover Meal (vs. 2).
The text says this, “26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.”
Christians have debated whether a believer can be possessed by Satan or a demon. The text states that Satan entered Judas. It’s also clear that Judas was a follower of Jesus, but it is not clear that He was a believer in Jesus, having authentic faith in Him. In other words, he was a poser. Judas was one of the Twelve Apostles, but his allegiance was to something else other than Jesus. Judas not being one of Jesus’ own meant that Satan could enter him.
As followers of Jesus, we must be aware that there may be consistent, moral attendees in our churches who don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Likewise, there may be some consistent attendees whom Satan uses or even possesses to cause havoc in the church. Believers are engaged in a spiritual warfare (Eph. 6).
Additionally, we need to understand that followers of Jesus can be spiritual oppressed by demonic forces. Some bible scholars think that a demon can possess the flesh but not the spirit of a believer. Personally, I don’t believe that a believer in Christ can be possessed by a demonic spirit, but one can be physically or spiritually attacked by Satan or by his demons (I John 4:4). While the Spirit of God lives in every believer, Satan like a ravenous lion seeking to attack and devour us.
Satan seeks to attack or oppress the servants of God. Remember to pray for your pastors and church leaders, and even our government leaders as they enact policies that affect us all. We are engaged in a spiritual battle. The 11 Apostles were not aware of Satan’s presence during the Passover Meal. We may think that the Church or a church meeting is a sacred place where demonic forces wouldn’t dare enter that holy place. That’s not true.
If we see a brother or sister struggling spiritually or falling into trial after trial, that person needs our prayers and our support. We need to stay with that brother or sister, not stay away from him or her because it is “too much trouble” for us. Satan is actively seeking to destroy God’s Kingdom, including its people. We must be on our guard.
Who do you know today that may be under spiritual oppression in our church or fellowship group? May the Lord open our spiritual eyes to see the spiritual battle that is all around us and to support those in their struggle against Satan.
-Kingston