The Devil Made Me Do It

“As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, "What you are about to do, do quickly." John 13:24

Over the weekend I read a commentary about this passage. It was very interesting and enlightening when considering going through our tough seasons. It reminded me of the time when I was heavily involved with my father-in-law and mother-in-law during his illness. Beth had just been put in Hospice, Bruce had just had knee replacement, and my dad had just found out that his cancer had spread. I was already emotionally and physically stretched to the max. But on Super Bowl Sunday I got a call from my daughter who I could barely understand. She was sobbing uncontrollably and finally was able to tell us that her former boyfriend was killed in a motorcycle accident. They were making plans to reconcile. I remember feeling devastated but mostly questioning God as to why so much tragedy was happening in a small period-of-time.

This commentary made me think of that time because it stated that Satan knew Jesus was going to fulfill God’s will. He also had heard the prophesies no doubt and knew that the time was upon him. He knew that the victory of Christ would mean the inevitable destruction of evil, sin and death one day. He knew his time would be over one day, so all he could do was to make the event as messy, brutal and heartbreaking for Jesus as possible. To hurt Him would hurt the heart of God. Not only was he working through the leaders of the time, but he chose one of Jesus’ closest friends, Judas to betray Him. Through the taunting of fear Peter was left denying Jesus three times. Satan’s temporary effectiveness only lasted until the tomb was vacated!

Satan cannot take our soul as believers, but he can make our circumstances messy and heartbreaking for sure. He can encourage people to betray and reject us. He laughs in the face of someone abandoning us. It is the very reason we need to follow the example of Jesus. Satan’s fiery darts are temporary while God’s armor is permanent. When we walk through life trying to fend off the challenges we must remind ourselves that God is in total control. Jesus never allowed Satan to gain a foothold in His circumstances and neither can we. We must pray every day, constantly meditate on His word and surround ourselves with the community of Christ. Satan knows his time is short so as the Body let’s frustrate, irritate and make things as messy as possible by displaying love, forgiveness, mercy and grace.