Meditation for Monday
Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him unto them. Luke 22:3,4
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested as they tried to plant electronic surveillance equipment in the Democratic National Committee headquarters, the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. The next day, then President Richard Nixon held a private meeting in his office with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman. Nixon had been in the practice of recording all of his meetings in the White House. However, during the Watergate investigation that followed, it was discovered that there was an 18 and a half minute gap in the recording for June 18. The gap included the meeting between Nixon and Haldeman. The gap caused considerable consternation in Washington, and many theories were put forward as to how the tapes got erased and what the two men talked about in that meeting. We will never know for sure; Nixon and Haldeman carried that secret to their graves. We can only imagine that they were up to no good in terms of covering up Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate break-in, undoubtedly the worst scandal to ever hit Washington. But it was not as rotten as the meeting between Judas Iscariot and the chief priests and captains.
We can only imagine what the headline would have been if the Jerusalem Post had been in existence at the time, and if one of its reporters had gotten wind of the meeting between Judas and the chief priests. What a stir that would have caused! But there were no investigative journalists around at the time, and the clandestine meeting occurred. The next verse tells us that the chief priests and captains were glad to hold the meeting. We can picture them rubbing their hands in glee. They had been seeking an opportunity to kill Jesus, but were afraid to take any action publicly because of Jesus’ widespread popularity among the people. Their meeting with Judas produced the results they wanted, and they proceeded with their evil scheme. That meeting has set the tone for untold numbers of meetings held since, as evil people got together to plot and scheme against the purposes of God.
We know, of course, that the Lord Jesus knew all about that meeting between Judas and the Jewish leaders. Nothing that happened in that meeting, and as a result of that meeting that night altered the purposes of God one little bit. The evil schemes of men often seem to accomplish their purposes. But God knows about them all. And He often permits those schemes to proceed that those wicked people will deepen their own damnation. There can be no doubt that the events of that night will be brought up when Judas and the temple plotters stand before the Great White Throne. What will they have to say then? All will be revealed and holy justice will be dispensed. The many meetings since then, including those being conducted by opponents of Christ and His Gospel today, will be uncovered for all to see.
Christians are often fearful of the underground activity of our enemies, and what they can do to harm us and hinder our testimony for our Lord. But God’s knowledge of all of these things is perfect, and His tapes have no gaps in them. – Jim MacIntosh