What are We Watching For?

“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve… and [he] began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.”

Jesus taught the people in the Temple to be watchful, to guard their hearts against the dissipation, drunkenness, and worries of this life that lead us astray (Luke 21:34-36), to guard against the corruption of our minds and the division of our attention and desires. Jesus instructs the people to watch their hearts so they may stand before the Lord.

Then, Luke changes the scene. We see the scribes, chief priests, and Judas. These are people who failed to guard against the corruption of their heart and mind. The scribes and Pharisees want to kill Jesus as a political leader, and Judas has been led astray by the promise of money. They were each corrupt in mind and heart.

Watchfulness is a tool for the righteous and the wicked. Jesus instructs us to be watchful of our heart and mind, while the enemy is watchful for opportunities to deceive. Deception leads to the corruption of our attention, where we will watch for the wrong things.

Judas did not heed the warning given by Jesus to guard his heart. Because of this, “Satan entered into Judas.” Satan is deceptive and destructive, and because Judas did not listen to Jesus’s instructions, he got caught up in a cosmic, spiritual battle. In his corruption, Judas begins looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. This too is watchfulness.

This is our instruction: Be watchful over the content of our heart. What in this world entices your attention, takes over your mind, and causes you to worry? We would be wise to learn from the tragic deception of Judas. Judas was not watchful against the corruption of his heart. Proximity to Jesus did not guarantee protection from deception. We guard our hearts through prayer as we align our hearts to Jesus. We must “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things” (Luke 21:36).

Lord, we ask that you would form in us a posture of watchfulness so we can guard our hearts against the worries of life. Amen.

GRACE SWARTLEY
Master of Divinity Student
Sioux Falls, South Dakota