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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Luk_22:3-6
3And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. 5They were glad and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.
Luk_22:3 "And Satan entered into Judas" Luke mentions Satan often (cf. Luk_4:13; Luk_10:18; Luk_13:16; and Luk_22:3; Luk_22:31). Judas had heard, fellowshiped with, and observed the Lord Jesus at close range for several years, but apparently he still had no personal relationship with Him by faith (cf. Mat_7:21-23). Peter undergoes the same intensity of temptation as does Judas, but with drastically different results. Much discussion has taken place over the motives of Judas' treachery: (1) it was primarily monetary (cf. Joh_12:6); (2) it was primarily political (cf. William Klassen, Judas Betrayer of Friend of Jesus?); (3) it was spiritual (cf. Joh_13:27).
On the subject of Satanic influence or demon possession, there are several good resources (listed in the order of those I trust).
1. Merrill F. Unger, Biblical Demonology, Demons in the World Today
2. Clinton E. Arnold, Three Crucial Questions About Spiritual Warfare
3. Kurt Koch, Christian Counseling and Occultism, Demonology Past and Present
4. C. Fred Dickason, Demon Possession and the Christian
5. John P. Newport, Demons, Demons, Demons
6. John Warwick Montgomery, Principalities and Powers
Also see my Special Topics at Luk_4:2 (Satan) and Luk_4:33 (The Demonic).
Be careful of cultural myths and superstitions. Satan affects Peter in Mat_16:23 to tempt Jesus in the very same way—to avoid His substitutionary death. Satan is consistent. He is trying any way possible to stop Jesus' redemptive work on our behalf.
1. Satan' temptation of Jesus, Luke 4; Matthew 4
2. Peter, Matthew 16
3. Judas and the Sanhedrin, here
Jesus even describes Judas as a devil in Joh_6:70. The Bible does not discuss the subject of demon possession and influence as it relates to believers. But, believers are obviously affected by personal choices and personal evil!
▣ "Iscariot"
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▣ "belonging to the number of the twelve" These were the special disciples whom Jesus chose to intimately reveal Himself to and train to become the "new Israel." A really good book on Jesus' training methodology is Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism. These men became known as "the Twelve." See Special Topic at Luk_6:13.
Luk_22:4 "officers" This refers to the Temple police. One of the divisions of the Levites was charged with guarding, maintaining order, and inflicting punishment on the Temple mount. The priests guarded the temple itself, but the temple police (we learn from Philo, De Specialibus Legibus (Loeb 7, 1.156) were assigned to
1. opening and closing the outer doors of the temple area
2. guarding the opening between the Court of the Gentiles and the Court of the Women
3. patrolling the commercial area known as the Court of the Gentiles
At night there were twenty-one guards posted around the temple area's perimeter (M. M. dd. 1.1).
They were under the control of the Sanhedrin, which usually met in the temple. They are usually referred to
1. as officials or attendants, Joh_7:32; Joh_7:45-46; Joh_18:18
2. at Jesus' arrest, Joh_18:3; Joh_18:12
3. at the night trials, Joh_18:18; Joh_18:36
a. at Peter's denial, Mat_26:58; Mar_14:54; Mar_14:65; Joh_18:18
b. at Jesus' sentencing by Pilate, Joh_19:6
4. in Act_4:1; Act_5:22-26; Act_21:30
Luk_22:5 "they were glad" They rejoiced because now they could arrest Jesus quietly and discreetly in private without the pilgrims or townspeople knowing anything about it (cf. Luk_22:6).
▣ "and agreed to give him money" We learn from Mat_26:15 that it was thirty pieces of silver, which fulfills the prophecy of Zec_1:12.
Luk_22:6 "and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him" The night of the Passover observance would have been an opportune time because everyone was home with their family groups on this special holy evening.
▣ "apart from the crowd" We must remember that Jesus was a very popular person in Galilee and during this festival hundreds and hundreds of people from Galilee were in Jerusalem. This is the very reason the High Priest had decided to wait in Mar_14:2, but when one of His own offered to betray Him, they changed their minds.