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And it was Night

And it was Night
Words of Faith 1-19-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 13
[21] After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."
[22] His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. [23] One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. [24] Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."
[25] Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
[26] Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. [27] As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, [28] but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. [29] Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. [30] As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

“The disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.”
Do you remember such an awkward moment? Perhaps in a schoolroom or around a family table when someone had committed a bad deed? There is that moment in which everyone looks around baffled to see to see who it could be. Of course there was more at stake here than a childish prank. The silence of the disciples reveals more than just the shock that one would betray them.
The confrontation of Jesus was direct and penetrating. "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." It caused everyone listening to look inward and realize ‘It could be me’. I suspect that some thought of betrayal had run through every mind in the room.
Only Judas had gone to the very edge of betrayal in his heart but every person in the room had at least considered going home and quitting. These were dangerous times and frightening circumstances. When Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me," the spotlight was turned into every heart so they asked John to inquire more specifically. “Which one is it?”
Jesus answered saying that it was the one to whom I will give the piece of bread. The giving of bread was a sign of friendship yet in his heart Judas was on the edge. It appears that in this moment Judas gave in fully to the temptation and Satan entered into him. He set his resolve to betray Jesus for money and whatever other reason which we do not know. Of course this was not beyond the knowledge of Jesus who instructed Judas to go and do quickly his deed of betrayal.
The phrase ‘and it was night’ takes on a deeper meaning. The phrase describes the dark moment in which the betrayal was set in motion and Judas walked out of the light. Indeed it was night.
The darkest moment we face is the one in which we deliberately choose to walk away from God and His light. The darkest time in our life is when look into the face of truth, take the bread, and yet choose the lie. Don’t misunderstand. This is not a point of no return but it is place of great darkness, great danger and great treachery.
Have you been to the brink of the darkness? Have you been to the place where betrayal was in the air? Have you been to the place where looking baffled will not cover up the dark intentions of the heart? It is not a place of no return. It is a place to turn back and run from the darkness toward the light! It not a place to linger in the night.

Lord, search my heart. Find in me any thought or plan that displeases You. Drive out the darkness by Your grace and mercy. Fill me with Your light. In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2017
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.