The Deal

The Deal

Matthew 26:14-15, NIV

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.

Luke 22:4-5, NIV

And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5They were delighted and agreed to give him money.

Setting the Scene

The group plotting to kill Jesus was “delighted” (Mark 14:11; Luke 22:5, NIV) to be approached by one of Jesus’ own disciples with an offer they couldn’t refuse. Judas’s approach is consistent with John 12:6 as someone who helped himself to the disciples’ money bag. Greed and satanic suggestion may be enough to explain Judas’s motivation, but we are not given specific insight into his reasoning. He may have also taken personal offense over Jesus’ rebuke in John 12:7-8 that Mary should not be chastised for her gesture of worship in anointing him. Having decided on a course of action, Judas approached the one group he knew could afford to fund his betrayal.

The thirty pieces of silver have some interesting biblical connections. Exodus 21:32 informs us that was the fair market value for a slave. One of the startling messianic prophecies written by Zechariah several hundred years earlier actually mentions thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13) and will come up in our discussion of Judas’s regrets. The amount turned out to be enough to buy a field, but it was a poor sum for Judas to accept in exchange for his soul.

Getting Personal

Looking back on life, we can usually remember that the turning point in our worst mistakes has often come at the moment when our plans begin to work out. Things suddenly “falling into place” can be a sign they are about to fall apart.

What examples can you apply in your life of Satan’s attacks when things seemed to be going well?

When has success in your life not been a good thing? And when has failure been later revealted to have been the best event of all?

Judas’s plans were paying off, but success is not a sure measure of what’s right. When we ask God for open doors, we ought to ask him for the wisdom to see that an open door may lead us into an elevator shaft. The success of evil plans is always temporary.

Talking to God

Don’t trust your own assumptions that when things seem to be going all right, everything is fine. Ask God to keep your heart open to his Word and to his Spirit’s prompting, so that something that is only temporarily satisfying doesn’t distract you from what God is calling you to do or to be.