(Matthew 26:17-25)
The last supper when Jesus took the final Passover feast was an important point for Christians. It was here that he taught us a valuable lesson to remember t during the last supper we also see that he knew he would be betrayed by one of the twelve and it was here that Judas was revealed as the betrayer.
Initially in this section we see Jesus operate a gift of knowledge. He told his disciples to go into the city to a specific place where they would find certain things identifying that place. They were to approach the householder and advise him that Jesus would keep the Passover feast at his house with the disciples. The disciples followed his instructions and found that it was all as he had said and they prepared the Passover that was to become the Last Supper.
When evening came and they were gathered together eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” (Verse 21) Now it was evident that the disciples had no idea which of them it would be and they were quite sorrowful at this news. This is an indication of how well disguised and how deceptive Judas was amongst them. He was called as part of the twelve, but it was evident that he was always the betrayer. Previously we saw that he was a thief and was stealing money from the poor box, so it is clear he did not have a repentant heart.
But Judas was well hidden among the disciples. He did not stand out as the obvious betrayer prior to this time. We see the disciples in their angst at Jesus’ words began questioning him saying, “Is it I, Lord?” (Verse 22) They had no idea who was to betray Jesus, which shows how deceptive Judas was among them. And this is exactly how Satan works. His evil does not always stand out but is cunning, deceptive and cloaked in what seems to be robes of righteousness. He looks good on the surface, as Judas appeared to be righteous to the point he fooled the disciples, but underneath Satan and his people are full of sin and evil. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:27-28) He also said that you would be able to pick out these servants of Satan. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:15-16) Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) so how much more so will the disciples of Satan disguise themselves as servants of righteousness?
Jesus knew the hypocrisy of Judas for he too asked the Lord saying, “Is it I, Master.” Jesus responded saying, “You have said so.” (Verse 25) This was all part of the smug disguise Judas wore to try and hide the evil he was about to carry out. But he was laid open and in plain sight for Jesus knew he had already betrayed him to the chief priests. At this, Judas knowing he could no longer hide went from there into the night to carry out his evil work.
The message we must take from this is that Satan will disguise himself, as will his people. He is a clever and dangerous adversary but his designs will be known and his evil will come out. By following Jesus and learning the truth from his word we can see the evil for what it is. We must not blindly accept what anyone says until we see whether they are holding to the truth. As Jesus said, we will know them by their fruits, and the fruits of the evil ones will come to the fore in due course. So too the fruits of those who seek the truth of the Lord will likewise be evident. So watch carefully how you walk and what you take in and accept.
Hi! I’m John, the owner, author, and editor of this site. Over the past 50+ years as a Christian I have been teaching, preaching and writing about the Bible to help Christians gain a deeper insight into the scriptures that are easily understood. I also answer specific Bible related questions, so feel free to contact me.
