#402 - Kyle Thompson // Talking Past Judas

A piece of bread gets dipped, passed across a table, and everything changes. At the Last Supper in John 13, betrayal doesn’t start with a sword or a shout, but with a quiet moment between friends and a line of Scripture that reaches all the way back to Genesis. We slow down the scene, from Jesus washing filthy feet to the shocking announcement that one of his own will turn on him, and we ask what it reveals about evil, authority, and the plan of God. 

We’ve been zeroing in on the sovereignty of God and the reality of spiritual warfare, and this passage brings both into sharp focus. Judas takes the morsel, and the text says, “Satan entered into him.” Then Jesus says, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Most people assume Jesus is speaking to Judas. We make the case that he’s speaking past Judas directly to Satan and that changes the whole tone of the moment. The Messiah isn’t caught off guard, bargaining for time, or losing control. He’s issuing a command inside God’s decree, showing the enemy never moves without permission. 

From that table, we follow the steps toward Gethsemane, arrest, false trials, denial, the roar of a crowd, the nails, the tomb, and the enemy’s assumption that the cross is checkmate. Then we come back to the question every Christian eventually asks: why would God allow Satan to make war against his saints? The answer is simple, weighty, and strangely steadying: the dragon is on a leash, and God is working a plan that evil cannot derail. If this strengthened you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a five-star rating and review.

Transcript

Welcome And Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Man dips a piece of bread into a dish. He hands it across the table to someone he had considered to be a friend. In that exact moment, something takes over that friend's body, and the work of betrayal begins.

God’s Sovereignty Over Evil

SPEAKER_01 0:33

So this week on the Daily Blade, we have been focusing on the sovereignty of God. We've looked at the torment of King Saul, Lucifer's fall, the Garden of Eden, original sin, the torture of Job. And in all these situations, we see the great deceiver operating within God's decrees and control. So Satan is never operating on his own authority. And today we're going to look at Satan really taking his best shot yet. He's going to try and take out the Son of God by turning one of the men in Jesus' inner circle on Jesus.

Upper Room And Judas Revealed

SPEAKER_01 1:03

So we're going to be in John 13, we're in the upper room, and we are at the Last Supper. Jesus already knows that his hour has come. He gets up from the table and lowers himself to wash the disgusting feet of the disciples. He's even going to wash the feet of the man who's about to betray him. And after he gets done with the foot washing, Jesus quotes Psalm 41.9 to his disciples, He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me. Now that is some interesting phraseology that calls back to Genesis 3 15. And here's the thing only one of them knows who Jesus is talking about. Judas Iscariot. And then we see this in John 13, verse 21. Jesus was troubled in his spirit and testified, Truly, truly I say to you, one of you will betray me. The disciples look at each other, confused. The disciple closest to Jesus leans in and asks, Who? Jesus answers, It is he whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it. So then Jesus dips it and he hands it to Judas. So that gets us through John 13, 26. But before I read verse 27, I'm just telling you, buckle up. Because I've read this verse many times. I'm sure you have as well. I've read it many times in my life, and I missed something enormous that whole time. It's just mind blowing. So verse 27.

Satan Enters Judas

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, What you are going to do, do quickly. So there's some drama here. So we've seen this scene depicted many times before in films and TV shows. So you've seen it, you know, in the Passion of the Christ, you've seen it most recently and most expertly done by the chosen. The drama seems to be that Jesus is directly revealing to Judas that he knows what he is about to do. Jesus is essentially telling Judas, okay, buddy, get on with it. But I don't think that's what's happening here at all. So look closer with me. Read it again. So verse 27. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him, Judas. Jesus said to him, Well, you were going to do, do quickly. No.

Jesus Speaks Directly To Satan

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Jesus isn't talking to Judas. He's talking past Judas. Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Alpha and the Omega, the serpent crusher, the dragon slayer, is talking directly to Satan when he says, Well, you are going to do, do quickly. Jesus, part of the Godhead, is literally giving permission to Satan to kill him.

From Betrayal To The Cross

SPEAKER_01 3:37

So Judas gets up, he leaves the table. From that moment forward, all the steps are leading to a Golgotha. We see Jesus betrayed in Gethsemane with a kiss. We see Jesus arrested. We see him have a sham trial before the high priest. We see him have a sham trial before Pontius Pilate. We see Peter's denial. We see the same crowd that had earlier welcomed him into Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna start to scream out and demand his crucifixion. And here's the thing that you all need to keep in mind. Satan thought he had finally landed the kill shot that he had been chasing from the beginning. He had manipulated Jesus' own apostle and the Jewish elites and the Romans and the citizens of Jerusalem to ensure that Jesus would die on a cross. That's exactly what happened. Nails were hammered through both of Jesus' hands and feet. They stood his cross up in between the crosses of two murdering criminals. It was on that cross where Jesus eventually gave up his spirit and died. And after they confirmed that Jesus had indeed died, he was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and a stone was rolled over the face of the tomb. And it was at this point that Satan had to have thought, checkmate. I played the game and I won.

Why God Allows The War

SPEAKER_01 4:56

But we actually need to go back to a question that I posed earlier this week. Why would God allow Satan to make war against his saints? Now I already said that it's because it's all part of God's plan, but I need to add to it a little bit. God allows Satan to make war against his saints because it's all part of God's plan A. God had a leash on the dragon the whole time.

Share The Show And Stay Sharp

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.