What Jesus Did! 'Night Descends' — John 13:27-30

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

[Jesus had said that the one who ate the bread would betray him.]
When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry and do what you're going to do." None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
— John 13:27-30 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus had warned that night was coming. [1] He knew he was to battle the forces of darkness on their home turf in the world of darkness. From this point forward, the powers of darkness will assert themselves even more overtly. They will, for a limited time, appear to be successful in their efforts to destroy Jesus, the one whom God sent to be humanity's Savior. As night descends, war begins. In the subsequent events of Jesus' ministry, we will see the battle of all that is good against all that is bad. But what are we to learn from these events? There are many lessons. Let's focus on just two of them today:

  1. Jesus loves us enough to go face-to-face with darkness, evil, Satan, and the demons, and
  2. all it takes for Satan to bring great hardship on the people of God is for just one of them to sell out the Savior.
The first of these lessons offers great comfort and grace. The other, however, should make us all pause and examine our hearts!

[1] John 9:4.

Today's Prayer

I praise you, O God my heavenly Father, for your love and mercy demonstrated to me in Jesus. Please, dear Father, may I never be a stumbling block to your children or a rebellious child that opens the door for Satan to attack. I ask that you not only forgive me, dear God, but also purify my heart and empower me by your Spirit. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

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Illustration

Illustration of John 13:27-30 NLT — "Hurry and do what you're going to do."

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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