John 13:21-32 (NRSV)
Read John 13:21-32 on biblegateway.com
Verse 21After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." Verse 22The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. Verse 23One of his disciples-the one whom Jesus loved-was reclining next to him; Verse 24Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. Verse 25So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Verse 26Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. Verse 27After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Verse 28Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Verse 29Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival"; or, that he should give something to the poor. Verse 30So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
Verse 31When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. Verse 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
Devotion
Surely Judas had expectations of Jesus that he considered unmet and, in that moment of disappointment, he was vulnerable to Satan. He betrayed Jesus, and in this tragic account, there is a warning for us. We must be very careful about harboring bitterness whenever we think God hasn’t delivered.
God’s agenda can be a mystery to us because we can’t see what God sees. For instance, Jesus’ calling his impending crucifixion a glorification was something his disciples could only comprehend after his resurrection.
We must remember that our expectations can create a God that doesn’t exist. We can be thankful that our God is not merely a projection, but a loving creator who sees more than we can see, and who guides and leads us to God’s embrace.
Prayer
Almighty God, help us remember that you are our creator; it’s not the other way around. Amen.