Bird's-eye view
In these three short verses, we witness one of the most infamous and grotesque transactions in human history. The stage has been set. Mary of Bethany has just anointed the Lord with a shocking display of extravagant love, and the disciples, Judas taking the lead, have revealed their own cramped and miserly hearts by objecting to the "waste." But here the objection curdles into something far more sinister. Judas, stewing in his avarice and perhaps wounded pride, marches straight from a house filled with the aroma of worship to the smoky back rooms of the corrupt religious establishment. This is not a spur of the moment decision; it is the final, rotten fruit of a heart that had been hardening for a long time. Here we see the collision of divine sovereignty and human depravity. God is weaving the tapestry of our redemption, and He is doing it with the blackest threads imaginable, all without becoming implicated in the evil Himself. Judas acts as a free agent, driven by his own greed, and yet he is also a pawn in a cosmic plan laid down before the foundation of the world.
This passage is a stark reminder that proximity to Jesus is not the same as union with Jesus. Judas walked with Christ, heard His sermons, saw His miracles, and was even entrusted with the ministry's money bag. But his heart was never regenerate. He was a branch that bore no fruit, and so was destined for the fire. The transaction is cold, calculating, and utterly venal. A price is named, a deal is struck, and the Son of God is valued at the price of a gored slave. This is the anatomy of betrayal, and it serves as a solemn warning to all who would profess the name of Christ.
Outline
- 1. The Betrayal Arranged (Matt 26:1-16)
- a. The Conspirator Identified (v. 14a)
- b. The Initiative Taken (v. 14b-15a)
- c. The Price Settled (v. 15b)
- d. The Opportunity Sought (v. 16)
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
v. 14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
Matthew is deliberate here. He doesn't just say "a man named Judas." He says, "one of the twelve." This is a punch to the gut. The treachery comes not from the outside, from the Pharisees or the Romans, but from within the inner circle. This is a covenantal betrayal. Judas was part of the band, one of the chosen apostles. He had a seat at the table. This emphasizes the profound horror of his sin. It is one thing to be opposed by your enemies; it is another thing entirely to be sold out by your friend. The name "Iscariot" likely means "man of Kerioth," a town in Judea, which would have made him the only non-Galilean among the twelve. But his ultimate identity was not geographic; it was spiritual. He was the son of perdition. And notice his destination: the chief priests. He goes straight to the corrupt heart of Israel's religious leadership, the very men who should have been welcoming their Messiah. The darkness finds its own.
v. 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to deliver Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.
The question is breathtaking in its crudity. "What are you willing to give me?" There is no pretense of religious motive, no tortured justification. This is raw, naked greed. Judas reduces the Lord of glory to a commodity, a piece of merchandise to be haggled over. He is putting Jesus on the auction block. His soul is so shriveled that this is all he can see, a chance to turn a profit. And the chief priests are more than happy to play along. They "weighed out" the silver, a phrase that evokes old covenant commercial dealings but here has a sinister finality. The price they settle on is thirty pieces of silver. This is not an arbitrary number. Under the Mosaic Law (Exodus 21:32), this was the compensation price for a slave who had been gored by an ox. They are making a theological statement, whether they know it or not. They are valuing the Shepherd of Israel at the price of a common slave. This is also a direct fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-13, where the prophet, representing God's shepherd, is rejected and his wages are valued at this insulting price. God is sovereignly orchestrating even the contemptible details of His Son's rejection.
v. 16 And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
The deal is done. The silver is likely in his purse, clinking alongside whatever else he had managed to pilfer. And now, his course is set. "From then on." This was the point of no return. His will is now fixed on this evil. He is actively "looking for a good opportunity." The Greek word for opportunity here is eukairia, which means a "well-timed" or "convenient" moment. He wants to hand Jesus over when the crowds are not around, to avoid a riot. He is now a hunter, stalking his prey. But his prey is the Lamb of God. Judas is now living a double life, still walking with the disciples, perhaps even sharing a meal with Jesus, all the while scanning the horizon for the perfect moment to spring his trap. This is the picture of a reprobate mind. He has given himself over to his sin, and now that sin is driving him. He thinks he is in control, looking for his opportunity, but he is simply a tool, a necessary instrument in the hands of a sovereign God who had determined this very moment for the salvation of the world.
The Sovereignty of God in Betrayal
It is crucial that we see two things happening here at the same time, without trying to flatten the paradox. On the one hand, Judas is entirely responsible for his actions. Jesus Himself will say, "Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!" (Matt. 26:24). Judas was not a robot. He made a choice, driven by his own sinful desires. He loved money more than he loved Jesus, and his sin found him out.
On the other hand, God's hand is all over this. Peter would later preach in Acts that Jesus was delivered up "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). The betrayal was prophesied centuries before Judas was even born. God, in His infinite wisdom, ordained to use the wickedest act in human history as the very means of salvation for the world. He did this without coercing Judas's will and without being tainted by Judas's sin. God wields the wicked acts of men for His own glorious purposes, much like a master weaver uses black thread to make the brighter colors in the tapestry stand out all the more. This should give us immense confidence. If God can take the betrayal of His own Son by a trusted friend and turn it into the cornerstone of our redemption, then there is no sin, no disaster, no evil in our lives that He cannot overrule for our good and His glory.
Application
The story of Judas is a solemn warning against a hollow profession. Judas had all the external privileges. He was a disciple, an apostle, a preacher of the kingdom. He looked the part. But inwardly, he was a thief and an unbeliever. This should cause us to examine our own hearts. It is not enough to be in the church, to know the right answers, or to go through the religious motions. The question is, have we been born again? Do we love Christ more than we love our money, our reputation, our comfort? A secret, unmortified sin, especially the sin of greed, can act like a cancer, eating away at the soul until there is nothing left but a shell.
Secondly, we see the profound ugliness of sin. Judas's betrayal was not just a mistake or a poor choice. It was a monstrous act of rebellion against the God-man. He traded eternal glory for the price of a slave. Every time we choose our sin over Christ, we are making a similarly foolish and wicked bargain. We are declaring that our fleeting pleasure is worth more than the Lord of the universe. May this passage drive us to repentance, and to a greater appreciation for the grace that would save sinners like us.
Finally, we must rest in the absolute sovereignty of God. The darkest hour in the history of the world was the hour of our salvation. The cross was not a tragedy that God had to salvage. It was a victory planned from eternity. This means that no matter how chaotic the world seems, no matter how treacherous men are, God is on His throne, and His plan cannot be thwarted. He is working all things, even the vilest sins of men, together for the good of those who love Him and for the glory of His own name.