As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. “What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him,
As Barclay notes, “What was meant to be love’s appeal became hate’s dynamic.” Instead of responding, Judas gave himself even more fully to Satan.
“This is the natural outcome of one who plays with the devil.” (RWP)
“do quickly” = aorist tense in the Greek literally means “do more quickly what you are doing.” The deed was virtually done.
There is a “therefore” in (NAS) or “then” in (KJV) (“After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.””) (NAS95) This shows that Jesus knew that there was no more chance to get Judas to repent. There comes a time in all of us when God must give up because there is no more possibility for us to give ourselves to Him, but notice that Jesus kept appealing to Judas until the very last second. He does the same with you.
The father of the prodigal son in the parable Jesus told in (Luke 15:11-13) released him to go and do all the bad things that were in his heart to do. Also, Balaam was told by God to not go with the men who wanted him to put a curse on the Israelites (Num 22:12), but when they came back with more money, he asked God again, even though he already had God’s answer. God released him to go (Num 22:20), because he knew Balaam’s heart, but it was a reckless path (Num 22:32) which led to destruction (Num 22:33). God will come to us over and over again trying to get us to repent and give our lives to Him, but there comes a time, which He knows, when there is no more chance that we will give in, so He gives us over to our sin and lets us go, as He must (Psalms 81:12, Rom 1:28). The dirt on a path becomes increasingly packed as more and more travellers walk upon it. Don’t let the devil walk on the path of your heart and harden it to the point that you turn away from God.
Luke 15:11-13 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
Numbers 22:12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”
Numbers 22:20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”
Numbers 22:32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.
Numbers 22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.”
Psalms 81:12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
The “do more quickly what you are doing” may be an indication that Judas was not planning to consumate his deal with the Jewish authorities that night, but Jesus made him do it “more quickly” than he had planned. If so, it is Jesus and not Judas who determines the time of His passion.
God’s will cannot be defeated. Even the actions of this traitor will be turned by God into the most wonderful event in all of history. What will He do with the supposedly “bad” things that are going on in your life?
See the eagerness of Jesus for the passion in (Luke 12:50). Why was Jesus so eagerly looking forward to that which was going to cause him so much pain? For two reasons, which in the end are the same: first because He desires to do the will of the Father and second, because He loves us so much that He wants us to get saved and into a right relationship with Him and Father God.
Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!