John 13:18-30
“Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and He exclaimed, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!’ So [John] leaned over to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus 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. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, ‘Hurry and do what you’re going to do.’”
Despite having followed Jesus for the past three years, Judas handed Jesus over to the Roman officials and high priests looking to arrest Him and put Him to death. Once again we see Jesus had full knowledge of the situation and that He was deeply troubled by everything about to happen to Him—an agonizing and humiliating death on a cross. Jesus wasn’t unfeeling and emotionless, He felt the weight of what lay ahead of Him to the point that it brought Him great anguish.
Respond in Prayer
Take some time right now to thank Jesus, again, for willingly moving forward with a plan that deeply troubled Him. Thank Him that He did it for you, because of His great love for you. Pray for yourself or anyone in your life who might, like Judas, know all about Jesus but still hasn’t humbly admitted their need for Him and chosen to put their faith Him. Pray that God would soften their hearts toward Him and give them new eyes to see the place Jesus has in their life.
For Families with Kids at Home
As a family, spend some time praying for those you know who need to accept Jesus and believe in him. Ask your kids to share something they’re thankful for about who Jesus has been to them, and share with your kids, too, about what Jesus has done for you.
If your kids are too young to understand this conversation, that’s okay! Share with your kids who Jesus is to you, and spend time praying for them—that they would know their need for Jesus and believe in Him.