We’ve been looking at Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. My main question is still the fact that Jesus picked Judas as one of His 12 disciples, following an entire night spent in prayer with the Father. Would Jesus pick an UNBELIEVER to be one of His 12 chosen apostles?

We’ve seen how Judas was not a traitor when the Lord chose him, because Luke 6:12 says that he BECAME a traitor.

We saw how the heart of Judas was in the treasury, and not in the Lord and His word in Matt 6:19-21 and John 12:4-6. He was saving up for the unseen risks, putting his faith in what HE could do, and not in what the Lord could do. This was at the dinner party where Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with very expensive perfume.

Now we’ll look at this dinner 6 days later:

John 13:2

2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,

One point to note: failure to trust in the Lord makes you a vulnerable recipient for Satan’s attacks. The Greek says that Satan literally threw this idea into Judas’ soul. Don’t think that this means the devil made him do it (my apologies to Flip Wilson). The devil merely put the idea in Judas’ heart; Judas still has the choice to betray Jesus or not! Make no mistake about it – Satan will throw ideas and temptations into YOUR heart, too. But it’s still up to you whether you act on them or not. Judas did not become a traitor until he made his own choice in response to Satan’s temptation.

Look at one more passage:

Luke 22:1-3

1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.

2 The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.

Notice the difference between these two passages – at the first dinner, Satan simply had thrown an idea into Judas’ soul, but at the Passover Feast, Satan actually EISERCHONAI in Judas. The word means to take up residence, and refers here to actual Satanic possession.

Can Satan (or any demon) take up residence in a believer? The Bible gives an unequivocal NO in response to that question. As believers, we are now permanently indwelled by God the Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 6:19

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

1 John 4:4b

4…because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Once indwelled by God the Holy Spirit, there is “no room in the inn” for Satan or another demon to come in. They are incompatible:

2 Corinthians 6:14b-16a

14 … what fellowship has light with darkness?

15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; …

As a believer, you have absolutely NO danger of being possessed by Satan. But don’t think that this makes you safe from him and from his throwing temptations into your soul! Believers can certainly be influenced, tempted and oppressed by demons. Look at the example of King Saul, who was a believer. (See 1 Sam 16:14-23, and 1 Sam 18:10) He was oppressed and terrorized by this demon, but never possessed.

Therefore, using the categorical approach of comparing scripture with scripture, what conclusion can we come to about Judas? He was definitely an unbeliever! If Satan was able to enter into Judas, and take up residence, then Judas could not have been a believer.

Next time we’ll see the actual betrayal, and what happens next. Then we’re going to answer that question that’s always bothered me – Why would Jesus pick an unbeliever to be one of His chosen 12 disciples?