John 13:27-30 – After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” Now no man at the table knew why he said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, “Buy what things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. Therefore having received that morsel, he went out immediately. It was night.
We can see here that Jesus had the opportunity to stop His betrayal. Instead, He ordered that it continue. At the same time we see that Jesus has authority over Satan. This is another place where we can see that Satan can’t do anything without permission. Jesus and Satan are not equals according to the Bible.
We also see here that Satan can enter into a person.
It may have been that Judas planned to wait to turn Jesus over to the Jewish leadership after the Passover time. Jesus ordered that it happen right away and Satan did what He was told.
As Christians, it is very important for us to pay attention to the fact that Jesus is the only one powerful enough to overcome Satan. It is also important for us to realize that it is easy for Jesus to overpower him. We should never think that we are to face Satan on our own or that we can get along fine as Christians without trusting in Jesus power from day-to-day.
Here we can see the inner strength of the Son of God as He chose to walk to the cross in obedience. I can’t do a thing like that. I do everything I can to stop my own suffering, but Jesus is God and is far more powerful that a man. He was capable of doing supernatural things.
As Christians, the Holy Spirit is in each of us. If we trust Him, we are also capable of doing supernatural things for Jesus sake.
It’s also interesting that Jesus was so private about His communication with Judas. He didn’t allow His disciples to stop Judas, or to have sympathy for Him. Jesus was determined to help you and me. Nothing would be allowed to stop Him.
Management: Lastly, we need to stop being naive about those who hold the money. This is a theme that the Lord of the Rings makes so clear. A natural man can easily be corrupted by the love of money. We need to make sure that we watch those who hold the money. I believe that right now in history is one of the most important times for us to hear this. We must demand that those who hold the money be held up to scrutiny that the position requires. Don’t assume that because someone is a manager, that they are good. They need to be checked like everyone else.