And after the morsel, Satan entered into him. And Jesus said to him: That which thou dost, do quickly.

“(t. xxxii. 14.) Observe, that at first Satan did not enter into Judas, but only put it into his heart to betray his Master. But after the bread, he entered into him. Wherefore let us beware, that Satan thrust not any of his flaming darts into our heart; for if he do, he then watches till he gets an entrance there himself.”

“Having set forth the foretelling of the future betrayal, here is set forth the consummation of the very thing foretold, namely the perpetration of the betrayal. And first he permits Judas to fulfill what he had said; secondly he shows how it was fulfilled, at the place, "When therefore he had received the morsel, he immediately went out." Concerning the first he does three things. First he sets down the words of the Lord permitting; secondly he manifests the obscurity of those very words; thirdly he adds how those words were understood by the apostles. Now the words of the Lord are these: "What you do, do quickly." These words are indeed not the words of one commanding, or counseling, since sin cannot fall under a divine precept or counsel, because it is said in Psalm 18:9: "The precept of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes"; but they are the words of one permitting. For, as has been said, the Devil had put it into the heart of Judas that he should betray him, namely Jesus, which he had already arranged with the chief priests; but he could not accomplish it unless Christ himself permitted it: because above, John 10:18: "No one takes my soul from me, but I lay it down of myself"; Isaiah 53:7: "He was offered because he himself willed it." They are also the words of one reproaching the crime of betrayal, so as to show that while he conferred benefits, the other intended death; Psalm 49:21: "I will reprove you, and set you before your own face." They are also the words of one longing for the work of our redemption, as Augustine says. Yet he did not command the crime, but foretold it, not so much raging toward the destruction of the faithless one, as hastening toward the salvation of the faithful; Luke 12:50: "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened until it be accomplished?" Now the words of the Lord were obscure only to the disciples; and therefore it says: "But this no one of those sitting at table knew, to what end he said it." In which it is given to understand that the words of Christ are so profound and exceed human understanding, that we cannot grasp of them any more than he himself reveals; Proverbs 25:2: "It is the glory of God to conceal a word." But here a question arises. For since the Lord had pointed out to John the person of the betrayer, saying, "He to whom I shall reach the dipped bread," and had given the dipped bread to Judas, the disciples seem to have been too dull, in that they did not understand the word of the Lord. To this it must be said that the Lord had spoken those words secretly to John alone, so that the betrayer should not be made manifest. The reason for this is that Peter was so fervent in his love of Christ that, if he had known for certain that Judas was going to betray Christ, he would have killed him at once. But since John was one of those reclining at table, another question still arises, why it says that none of those reclining knew. To this it must be said that it is the custom of a good and innocent mind to believe that others too are far from the iniquity from which they know themselves to be free. Since, therefore, John was most innocent, and removed from the iniquity of betrayal, he by no means suspected that a disciple would go forth into so great an iniquity. But as to what the disciples, ignorant of the true cause of the words, supposed concerning those very words, the Evangelist adds, saying: "But some of them," namely the disciples, "thought, because Judas had the purse," and so on. Here it must be known that the Lord God of heaven, who gives food to all flesh, had a purse—not that he possessed any earthly thing, but keeping what was offered by the faithful, that he might come to the aid of his own needs and of others in want; and it was Judas who carried this purse. In which an example is given, as Augustine says, that the Church can have money and reserve it for pressing needs. In which we are also instructed that ecclesiastical money is to be spent only on two things. First, indeed, on those things which pertain to divine worship; whence it says, "Buy those things which we need for the feast day," that is, the things by which we can worship God on the feast day; Malachi 3:10: "Bring in all the tithes into my storehouse, that there may be food in my house." And then, on those things which pertain to the sustenance of the poor, as it adds, "or that he should give something to the needy." But if you should object against what the Lord says, Matthew 6:34: "Take no thought for tomorrow," Augustine responds to this, and says that this was not commanded by the Lord to the effect that no money or other things of a single day should be kept by the saints for tomorrow; but the Lord said, "Take no thought for tomorrow," for this reason: lest we should preach and perform other services of God so that provision might be made for us in the future; or lest we should desist from those things which belong to virtue, on account of anxiety for the morrow. From which it is clear that the Lord, in saying, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow," forbids two things. One, that we should not do good works for the sake of tomorrow; the other, that we should not be drawn back from good works through fear of tomorrow's want, and so on. But Chrysostom explains it more plainly, saying: "Take no thought for tomorrow"; that is, do not anticipate today the care that belongs to tomorrow's day: for sufficient for the day is its own evil. There is also a doubt here, since the Lord commanded his disciples, Luke 10:4: "Do not carry on the way a purse, nor a scrip, nor shoes." How then did he himself have a purse? But, according to Chrysostom, the Lord carried a purse for the service of the needy, so that from this you may learn that however poor one is, and crucified to the world, one must have care for the poor: according to that saying, Psalm 111:9: "He has distributed, he has given to the poor," and so on. Or it must be said that this saying, "you shall carry nothing on the way," etc., is to be referred to individual preachers and apostles, who ought to carry nothing when they go forth to preach. But it is not to be referred to the whole company, which must have something both for themselves and for the needy. Consequently, when it says, "When therefore he had received the morsel, he immediately went out," the fulfillment of the thing foretold is set forth; and first the execution is set forth; secondly the determination of the time. The execution indeed was swift: for when he had received the morsel, he immediately went out. Here attend, according to Origen, that the Evangelist does not say, "when he had eaten the morsel," but "had received it": which can be understood in two ways. In one way, that the betrayer, being solicitous only to obey the master in this, did not eat the bread once received; but perhaps, having left it on the table, he brooked no delay, going to perpetrate the betrayal. The reason for this can be that the Devil, who had already entered into the heart of Judas, fearing that if he ate the bread he would have to yield—being unable to be in the same place together with Jesus—did not permit Judas to eat the bread; 2 Corinthians 6:15: "What agreement has Christ with Belial?"; 1 Corinthians 10:21: "You cannot be partakers at once of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils." In another way it can be understood that he ate the bread once received; and so the sense is: "When therefore he had received the morsel"—not only in hand, but also by eating it—"he thus immediately went out," making evil use of a good thing. Just as one who unworthily eats the bread of the Lord, or drinks his cup, eats and drinks to his own prejudice and is the more burdened with sins; so the bread given by Jesus to Judas was unto damnation, so that after the bread Satan entered into him. Now the time or hour is marked as dark; whence it says, "Now it was night": which indeed it specifies for two reasons. First, to aggravate his malice, which had so prevailed in his heart that not even on account of the inopportuneness of the hour did he wait until morning; Job 24:14: "The murderer rises at the very break of day (...) and in the night he becomes a thief." Secondly, to designate the quality of his mind—"for it was night"—because the mind of Judas the betrayer was darkened from the divine light. Above, John 11:9: "He who walks in the day does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but he who walks in the night, stumbles, because the light is not in him."”

“And after the morsel Satan entered into him, urging and impelling him to avenge this his disgrace, — to betray to the Jews Christ who had betrayed his villainy. Satan, who had before “ Digitized by v^iOOQLe CAUSES OF JUDAS* FALL. 65 entered into Judas for the plotting of the betrayal, as was said in verse 2, here again entered into him for its accomplishment ; both because Jifdas, being already called by Christ and the apostles a traitor, dared remain among them no longer lest he should be ill-treated by them, and also because the hour proper for the betrayal, and appointed first by Judas, was near at hand — that hour, namely, when he knew that Christ would, after His wont, go out to pray on Mount Olivet, where He could easily seized* Wherefore there was no need for John to point out Judas to Peter when Christ pointed out the traitor to him, for Judas soon betrayed himself both by his question and by his departure. So Satan entered into Judas to take complete possession of him, and that with certainty and with a strong hold, so that he brought him soon to the halter. Not that the morsel given him by Christ put the devil into him, for this was a sign of Christ’s love by which He wanted to win the heart of Judas to love Him in return, but that Judas, ungrateful for this love of Christ, took it in bad part, thinking that Christ was giving him the morsel out of hatred and a desire to injure him and make his crime known to the apostles. Wherefore, bidding farewell to the apostolate of Christ, he went away to the household and the bondage of Satan and of the Jews as a deserter and apostate. So S. Chrysostom, S. Augustine, and Cyril, who observes that a kindness hurts those who are ungrateful not of itself, but through their fault and ingratitude. S. Ambrose ( De Cain et Abel bk. ii. ch. 4) says — “When Satan put himself into the heart of Judas, Christ went away from him, and in that moment when he received the former he lost the latter.” The devil entered into Judas for three reasons. First, for his ingratitude, says S. Augustine ; for Christ having discharged all the offices of love towards him, and he not being moved even by these, was left to be fully possessed by the devil. Then again, because the devil knew from the words of the Lord and from outward signs that he was stubborn in his evil will, and given over by the Lord, says Chrysostom (Homily 71). Thirdly, because Judas himself understood that he was now found out, and, as it were, separated vol. v. e Digitized by v^iOOQLe 66 from the disciples and from their Master ; so he became hardened in evil, and, as if in desperation, gave himself over entirely to the devil; and so it was that he went out, unable to bear the looks of his Lord and of the disciples, or, says Euthymius, following S. Chrysostom, fearing lest he should be torn to pieces by them. So Ribera. Notice here in the case of Judas how a man who deserts Christ is palpably deserted by Christ, and when deserted is attacked by Satan — possessed by him, and, when possessed, hurried into every crime, and then into the abyss. Just as Judas from an apostle became a devil, so Lucifer from the fairest of angels became the darkest of evil spirits, — as the sourest vinegar is made from the sweetest wine, and the heretic — Luther, for instance — nay, the heresiarch, is made from the monk. And Jesus said to him ; What thou doesi, do more quickly — more quickly , that is quickly , as the Syriac translates it ; the comparative is put for the positive. Christ is not precipitating the treason of Judas, but He permits it He says as it were : Think not that thy doings are hidden from Me ; I know that thou art meditating treason. He did not tell him to commit the crime, says S. Augustine, but He foretold it, not so much in wrathful desire for the destruction of the villain, as in haste for the safety of the faithful. He permitted it, saying, as it were : Do what thou hast begun, finish what thou didst intend ; in a thousand ways could I hinder thee, but I will not ; rather do I leave thee to thy free wilL Do what thou hast planned in thy heart. Thirdly, S. Chrysostom says they are words of reproach. I know that thou art working great evil against Me, from whom thou hast received so many gifts ; are these the injuries thou repayest Me for so many kindnesses? But do what thou hast to do. For even though I have made known thy crime, yet have I not done so as fearing it, nor would I wish to hinder it ; for if I wished I could do so; but in order to cast before thine eyes thy malice and thy shamelessness, and to reprove thee. Fourthly, they are the words of a lofty mind that despises all the machinations of Judas. St. Leo (Serm. y, On the Passion) says, Digitized by v^iOOQLe SATAN ENTERS INTO JUDAS. 67 “ It is the voice of one who commands not but permits, of one not fearing but prepared, who, holding all time in His power, showed that He allowed no delay to the traitor, and that He so followed out the will of the Father for the redemption of the world, as neither to prompt nor fear the crime that was being matured.” Fifthly, they are the words of one excluding Judas, as incorrigible, from His family and the fellowship of the apostles. Since thou wilt sever thyself from us, I exclude thee from My table, from My house, My apostolate, and My companionship ; get thee gone, then, to thine own Jews and to Satan, to whom thou hast sold thyself. So S. Ambrose (De Cain et Abel , bk. ii. ch. 4). Cyril (bk. ix. ch. 17), following Origen, interprets in a novel fashion, taking these things as said by Christ not to Judas but to Satan, who was entering into Judas. He says that, “ Just as if a mighty man against whom some one advances with hostile intent, trusting in his own might, doubts not but that his adversary shall fall, and, with loud and threatening noise, speaks : What thou doest do quickly , that thou niayest know the strength of my right hand. Such words we would not call so much the words of one in haste to die, as of one who knew before that his adversary must fall. So our Lord bids the devil run quickly to the things he has made ready, that being conquered and bound he may the sooner relieve the world of his tyranny.” But from what we have said it is clear that this was said to Judas and not to Satan, as the Fathers and interpreters generally hold”

“And after the sop, Satan entered into him,.... After he had taken and eaten the sop, or crust of bread, by which he was pointed out to be the betrayer, "Satan entered into him"; possessed his body, and filled his mind, and stirred him up more eagerly to pursue with rigour his wicked design. The Jews have a saying (l), that "no man commits a transgression, until , "a spirit of madness enters into him".'' Such an evil spirit entered into Judas, which pushed him on to commit this horrid iniquity: then said Jesus to him, that thou doest, do quickly; this he said, not as approving his wicked design, and exhorting him to it as a laudable action, but rather as deriding him, having nothing to care about, or fear from him; or as upbraiding him with his perfidy and wickedness, and signifying that he should take no methods to prevent him, though he fully knew what was in his heart to do; and it seems also to express the willingness of Christ, and his eager and hearty desire to suffer and die for his people, in order to obtain salvation for them. (l) T. Bab. Sota, fol. 3. 1. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 112. 1. & 117. 3.”

“Satan entered into him - He had entered into him before, and now he enters again, to strengthen him in his purpose of delivering up his Master. But the morsel was not the cause of this entering in; the giving of it only marks the time in which the devil confirmed Judas in his traitorous purpose. Some have thought that this morsel was the sacrament of the Lord's Supper: but this is an utter mistake. That thou doest, do quickly - As if he had said: "Thou art past all counsel; thou hast filled up the measure of thy iniquity, and hast wholly abandoned thyself to Satan; I will not force thee to turn from thy purpose, and without this thou wilt not. Thy designs are all known to me; what thou art determined to do, and I to permit, do directly; delay not, I am ready."”

“Satan entered into him, who presently went out with great anger and indignation. It was then night, likely about nine o’clock. (Witham) — That which thou dost, do quickly. It is not a license, much less a command, to go about his treason: but a signification to him, that Christ would not hinder or resist what he was about, do it as soon as he pleased: but was both ready, and desirous to suffer for our redemption. (Challoner) — Christ does not by these words exhort the traitor, much less command him, to perform his wicked deed; but he means to reprobate it, and at the same time testify that he would not hinder his being betrayed. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxi. in Joan.) — It is the voice not of command, but of permission, not of a person in fear, but of one prepared for death. (St. Leo)”

“after the sop Satan entered into him--Very solemn are these brief hints of the successive steps by which Judas reached the climax of his guilt. "The devil had already put it into his heart to betray his Lord." Yet who can tell what struggles he went through ere he brought himself to carry that suggestion into effect? Even after this, however, his compunctions were not at an end. With the thirty pieces of silver already in his possession, he seems still to have quailed--and can we wonder? When Jesus stooped to wash his feet, it may be the last struggle was reaching its crisis. But that word of the Psalm, about "one that ate of his bread who would lift up his heel against Him" (Psa 41:9) probably all but turned the dread scale, and the still more explicit announcement, that one of those sitting with Him at the table should betray Him, would beget the thought, "I am detected; it is now too late to draw back." At that moment the sop is given; offer of friendship is once more made--and how affectingly! But already "Satan has entered into him," and though the Saviour's act might seem enough to recall him even yet, hell is now in his bosom, and he says within himself, "The die is cast; now let me go through with it"; fear, begone!" (See on Mat 12:43). Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly--that is, Why linger here? Thy presence is a restraint, and thy work stands still; thou hast the wages of iniquity, go work for it!”