Judas agrees to betray Jesus Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

When we think of Judas one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, closest and confident friend who betrayed him. No one wants to be associated to what is known as the villain that got Jesus kill. When people are referred to as a Judas, we all can come to the one and only conclusion, someone that will stab you in the back, betray you and not to be trusted.

Judas is proof that God knows everything about each and everyone of us, nothing that we can ever do or say surprises God. He has a plan for all our lives according to the role he created for us play in his destiny for our lives as well as that of others. At the last supper when Jesus said that he was going to betrayed by the one who dipped his had into the bowl with him, will be the one. “Woe to the man that would do it, for it would be better if he had not been born.” Jesus had already proven to us as we’d read on that he was well aware of what exactly is going to happen in his future. He prophesied about it, it all happened accordingly. I was suprised as Judas replied like if he’s unaware of what he was about to do when he already had the thirty pieces of silver in his picket. The nerve of him to ask “surely you don’t mean me Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:23-25).

As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “what you are about to do, do quickly.”(John 13:27). Jesus knew all this time Judas was the one going to betray him, he just confirm it by saying do it quickly. Not one of the other disciples seems to have caught on to what Jesus said or did they? Jesus did this before with Peter when he’d ask all his disciples, “who do they say that I am?” Peter was able to identify Jesus as the Messiah, the son of God. Jesus told Peter that it was not revealed to him by flesh and blood, but by the Father in heaven. But when Jesus told them he was going to go to Jerusalem  and suffer many things and that he must be killed. Peter then began to rebuke him saying, never shall this ever happened to him, and Jesus turned and said to Peter, “get behind me Satan!”(Matthew 16:15-23).

Once again it seems that Satan has entered one of Jesus’s disciples to possess him and Jesus was very much aware. The pattern here is there’s no defence to stop the devil from ever having access to man and preventing  man from allowing him. I believed in my ever so sensitive, loving and compassionate heart that Jesus was being too hard on Peter for caring about his well being, until I understood the devil do come in disguise as good especially to prevent us from doing God’s will by making us think we’re doing good. The will of God was for Jesus to take our sins upon him and sacrifice himself for us. From this incident between Peter and Jesus, it thought me to always pray to God for discernment in all matters, to be like Jesus, to know when something is of God or the devil, even when appears to be a good thing or bad. Romans 8:28 “All things work together for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to his purpose.” For example: Mary the mother of Jesus was engaged to Joseph, had to tell him she was pregnant with the son of God. What a devastating situations for the both of them to be in, but God! And it worked out.

We ourselves are all Judas vulnerable to the devil. Judas was the representation of our humanity imperfection and fragility which lead us into temptations and death (sin). We have an innocent, like that of Eve in the garden. God didn’t put up fences to prevent both her and Adam from access to the forbidden tree and temptation of the devil. But Jesus came and changed it all for us through his life, death and resurrection, if only we’d hold strongly to this Faith. Jesus is now foundation in which we can stand, the barrier and the force within us the devil cannot penetrate to get us. If we’d just keep the Faith.

I was ever so blown away to learn Judas action in betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver compared to that of Peters was good. Why? Because Judas like Jesus, was fulfilling God’s will. I was at a lost, even though it was bad? I questioned. But Peter even though it may seem like it meant good was not. According to Jesus the devil possessed Peter to say what he did, when he plead for Jesus not to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and be killed. He was being a hindrance to God’s will.