21Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!”
22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.23The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.24Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?”25So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?”
26Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.27When Judas had eaten the bread, eSatan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”28None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.29Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor.30So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Can you imagine the heaviness of knowing your own fate and knowing your betrayer? And yet, despite the horror of his impending death, Jesus pushes Judas onward. There is not sign of hatred or disgust from Jesus toward Judas. It is almost like the reluctant father who accepts that his child is going to make some of his own mistakes. Jesus obviously could have stopped Judas, but he didn’t.
Are there times in our lives when people we love are on a path that will cause us great pain, and yet we must let them go down that path? It can happen. It is difficult to know God’s will, and rare when this is called for, but sometimes, you have to, pardon the cliché, let go and let God. From my own experience this is most common in parent – child relationships, but it can be between friends, spouses, and co-workers. Sometimes we are called to endure the injustice and love the cause of that injustice…just like Jesus.
Lord help me discern when is the time to act, and when is the time to endure, and give me the courage through the Holy Spirit to do whichever you choose. *obbs*
