Luke 22:3 Then SATAN ENTERED Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.
Luke 22:31 ‘Simon, Simon, SATAN HAS ASKED to sift you as wheat.
TWO MEN….Judas, the Iscariot and Simon Peter. Three years earlier, before Jesus entered the scene, they were just ordinary men. One was a fisherman at the shores of Galilee and the other, nothing much is said about him before then. But here there are,…three years on sitting with a man called Jesus of Nazareth…whom they have come to love, revere and have deep admiration for. Yes…here at the table of communion. The Lord’s heart is deeply troubled. Yes…because the time has come…THE TIME which His Father had been waiting for. To glorify His Son through a death…DEATH ON THE CROSS.
But while Jesus knows that His death is imminent, His heart is also deeply troubled by the fate of two men…men who had been part of His team. Men…who had shared bread at His dinner table, listened to His sermons and teachings, men who had witnessed great miracles. And yet…these two men, Judas, the Iscariot and Simon Peter has something else in common which the Lord knows about: SATAN’S PLANS WITH THEIR LIVES.
But wait a minute…there was one difference. You see…Satan did not bother to ask any permission before he could use Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. No! The bible says…SATAN ENTERED…which means simply, HE HAD ACCESS into Judas’ life. Judas had given him a foothold and now there was not turning back. But Peter’s story read differently. Yes! The bible says …SATAN HAS ASKED…which means…without permission, SATAN HAD NO ACCESS into Peter’s life. This reminds me of another story some centuries before..THE JOB STORY! And yes, while it is true by reading Jesus’ words that Satan had been given permission to sift Peter as wheat…Jesus comforted Peter with these words.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. and when you have TURNED BACK, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:32
You see, as a child of God, every once in a while, Satan will come before God to ask for permission to sift you. And even though you might look like you have failed the test…God knows you will TURN BACK. Where there is a SIFTING…there is purification and a TURNING BACK.
But sadly and incredibly tragic…where there is a BETRAYAL…there is only condemnation and A POINT OF NO RETURN. Jesus said this about Judas ….but WOE to that man who betrays him. Luke 22:22
Tomorrow, as we remember the our Lord’s last communion with His disciples, ask yourselves these questions. Of the two…which way do I represent? If the Lord was physically present in my life today…what would He say of me at His dinner table?
RAINBOW GULF OF LOVE 
Very interesting! I hadn’t looked at it that way. Blessings,
Eden
Thank you, Eden. I enjoyed reading your blog. You are doing a great job. Keep well in Him and continue to lifted His banner of Love!
Blessings,
Gladwell
Hi Gladwell! Look at God! One Spirit! Our articles do indeed cover Judas…and I totally love what you were led to portray, and reveal to us through your teaching today. I had read your note this morning…but I was running all the day long. I am glad that I was able to take a quiet moment to read this lesson. It Blessed me. Love Lanie
Elaine,
I am glad. We serve a good God…and yes, His Spirit is moving among his people. We keep learning from each other…and He is glorified in us!
Love, Gladwell
Gladwell,
Thank you for today’s word! I have often wondered about this ‘sifting’ because it seems harsh for a loving God to permit it. However, when I look at God from the perspective of a loving Dad, I can see how He uses these trials to bring me closer to Him because He has promised to only allow us only as much as we can bear and He has also promised to prosper us, not harm us. I know that betraying God is not what I want to ever do but I also know that every time I disobey God, I hurt Him and that’s terrible in itself. I therefore am forever standing at the foot of the cross asking God to forgive my fleshiness and direct my every word, thought and step to glorify him.
Vineet
Vineet,
I used to hate the sifting part too…but soon realized without the sifting…my life and ministry will and can only remain superficial and incomplete. And I thank God…that in Him there is always room for a comeback in tears and repentance. REMEMBER PETER!
Blessings,
Gladwell
The book of John points out that Jesus answered John’s question of who the betrayer was by saying,”It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” Next, Jesus offered the dipped morsel to Judas who then ate it. Then, Satan entered Judas.
It looks to me that Jesus gave Judas a chance to back away from betraying Him, but Judas plunged ahead anyway.
That little scene in John 13 shows the depth of love Jesus had for Judas.
So thankful for your teachings, for learning something new! I had never thought about being sifted by Satan. . .only of being refined by Him. Thank you! God bless you in your work for Him! Deb
Gladwell,
A very thought provoking lesson today, thinking about being sifted. It reminds me of how we must be broken and be rebuilt, then use our brokennes to lead others to Him. Thank you sister.
God Bless
Jim
Hi Jim,
Jesus said this words…those who fall on the rock will be broken but those who the rock will fall on will be crushed. So…I choose to be broken and be used by Him than vice versa. With Him, we can never go wrong!
Blessings.
Gladwell
Interesting point about the difference between Peter and Judas. I had not considered that before.
Yes…I also didn’t know this until I read the story again this morning. God always makes us see things we never saw before even when we know a verse inside out!
Blessings to you, my friend!