“But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”
I see two things in these verses. First, Jesus revealed that he was aware of the plot to betray him. That plot was hatched in verses 3-4:
“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.” (22:3-4)
At that moment, there were two in the room who were aware of the plot. But there was a time when Jesus alone was aware. We saw that time back in chapter 18. “And taking the twelve, he said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.’ (Luke 18:31-32) Remember that none of them understood what he was saying because it was hidden from them. Now, it is slowly becoming clear. I said slowly because the guys still wondered who it was. (18:34)
All of the above points to Jesus’ determination to follow the Father’s will, even though he knew what that meant for him personally. He didn’t get tricked into it. He wasn’t caught by surprise. Peter told the crowd at Pentecost what Jesus already knew: “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” (Acts 2:23)
The second thing I see is that humans face accountability for the decisions we make. In this case, Judas will be held accountable for his decision to betray Jesus. Some will say, “That’s not fair. He just did what was determined by the definite plan of God.” (Acts 2:23) Others might say, “The devil made him do it.” (Luke 22:3)
Honestly, I don’t know how man’s free will and God’s sovereignty can work together, but I trust that God does. Later in this same chapter, Jesus told the disciples to “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (22:40) Based on this chapter, I know I want to pray, watch who I hang with, and perhaps avoid clandestine meetings.
Father, please help me to guard my heart and walk circumspectly for my good and your glory. Amen.
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