Christ was preparing for his crucifixion and had been praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Satan, masquerading as the disciple Judas Iscariot, approached Jesus, spoke the words, “Master, master” and kissed him (verse 45b). At this prearranged signal, the Roman soldiers arrested Jesus and imprisoned Him. The devil was plotting to destroy Jesus, expecting thereby to get the upper hand over God. But the devil in his treachery ended up only losing control of God’s children and advancing God’s plan of salvation. Read Mark 14:10-11, 18-21 and 43-52.

Our heavenly Father sent Jesus to save us from our sins. God had cast the devil out of Heaven and Satan took his revenge by causing mankind repeatedly to break fellowship with God and to sin. In one last supreme effort, Satan took control of Jesus’ disciple Judas Iscariot, hoping to use Judas to destroy Jesus. This would be the battle of battles between God and Satan, played out via the mortal bodies of Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot. Neither Satan nor Judas was aware that he actually was helping carry out God’s plan, that God was allowing Judas’ betrayal of Jesus to succeed in order for Old Testament prophecy to be fulfilled.

A few days earlier, when the disciples were observing the Feast of the Passover, Jesus had shocked them by saying, “Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto Him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Good were it for that man if he had never been born” (verses 18b-21a).

Finally, Judas, possessed by the devil, “saw that Jesus was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pices of silver to the chief priest and elders, saying I have sinned in that I have betrayed this innocent blood. Then Judas went and hanged himself.” ( Matthew 27: 3- 5). And Satan, through his conniving, unknowingly had cooperated in the destruction of his power over God’s children. Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.” He had conquered Satan and purchased our salvation.