How Jesus Used Psalms 41:9

By virtue of the foot washing, the influence of the devil was removed from the heart of Judas. After the foot washing, Judas felt no desire to deliver Jesus. If Jesus had left the matter at that, Judas would have defaulted on his obligation to deliver him under the covenant he made. He would have gone to the chief priests at a later date, offered an explanation that he found no opportunity to deliver him, and returned his hire.

However, the time had come for Jesus to deliver himself to the chief priests – to suffer many things of them, and to be killed, and to be raised again. This was the cup which his Father gave him to drink, and this was the bread which his Father gave him to eat. The bread of Jesus was to do the will of Him that sent him and to finish His work.

All things were given into the hands of Jesus. To deliver himself, he chose one of the twelve to serve as guide for those who arrested him. He regarded the acceptance of that task as an act of cooperation with him, an act of eating his bread with him – the bread which his Father had given him to eat. Jesus used Scripture to determine whom he should choose to eat this bread with him. He used Psalms 41:9, and in accordance with the psalm, he chose the one who had lifted up his heel against him. Thus we read:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.”

Already, the heel had been lifted up against Jesus. For the scripture to be fulfilled, and the contingent blessing to be realized, the one whose heel was lifted up needed next to eat the bread of Jesus with him.

The world believes that the words of Jesus, “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen,” excluded Judas from participation in this particular blessing. In fact, the words excluded everyone else. Judas alone was chosen to deliver him.

The devil for evil put into the heart of Judas to deliver Jesus. Jesus removed that influence of the devil from his heart. Then, Jesus for good put into the heart of Judas to deliver him. This is the basis for the gospel of Judas.

Of course, Judas had a choice. When Jesus identified him as the one who should deliver him, he could have just said no. That's what the world thinks he should have done.

Saving Judas did not entail preventing him from delivering Jesus. No. Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would deliver him; that fact could not be changed. Saving Judas entailed only changing what was in his heart – his motivation for delivering him.

By just saying no, Judas could have gained the whole world; but what then, as Jesus put it, would he give in exchange for his soul?

 These ideas are offered only in my own name.