The Holy Scriptures contain a very intriguing verse that states Judas was under Satanic attack and that he listened to and acted on the suggested thoughts given to him by Satan. Here’s the context and the critical verse:
24Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means." 25Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" 26Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him (John 13:24-27, Emphasis added).
There has been much speculation about Judas's motive in betraying Jesus, raising questions such as, if Satan entered Judas and prompted his actions in betraying Jesus, was Judas truly at fault? Another question is, "If all that happened was meant to be and Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, then did Judas have a choice in the matter?" Furthermore, "Did Judas truly repent and receive forgiveness for what he did?"
Although we are unsure of these answers, we will explore some possibilities. First, the Scripture says that “Satan entered Judas, one of the twelve” (Luke 22:3). Does that mean Satan controlled his actions, and if so, was Judas responsible for his actions? Even the most demonized person in the Bible, the man of Gadara, who had the evil demon calling itself Legion, could still run toward Jesus as soon as he saw Christ (Mark 5). He would have run away from the Lord if the demon had had complete control. No, we are all responsible for our wrong actions and motives. On the Day of Judgment, we cannot say that Satan made us sin. Regarding Judas's repentance, Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
Judas could not hide his betrayal from the Lord. He was very good at pretending to be a believer, doing the same things, attending the same meetings, and handing out bread to the hungry, but deep in his heart, there was no real change. Jesus emphasized the need for inner transformation, saying, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Judas was with Christ for over three years. During that time, he saw many signs of who Jesus really was, yet his heart grew darker as he became more resistant to the Spirit’s prompting. In fact, at one point, Jesus called Judas the embodiment of the devil: “Then Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!’” (John 6:70). The Lord knew from early on in His ministry exactly where Judas’ heart was:
“Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him (John 6:64).
Do you believe? Are you trusting Christ with your life? Or is it all a sham in front of others? Only you and the Lord know the correct answer to that question. We all need a change in our inner person (click the following link to think further on this thought—You must be born again! or born from above (John 3:3). Keith Thomas.
Taken from the series on the Gospel of Luke. Click on Study 58. The Betrayal of Jesus.