14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Matthew turns to the betrayal of Judas and his plot to undo Jesus.
26:14
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
It must have been a shock for the chief priest to have one of Jesus’ disciples come to them to betray Him. Judas was one of the inner twelve.
26:15
and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
Judas offered to be a witness against Jesus for money. The religious leaders were more than willing to do this, so they paid him “thirty pieces of silver” immediately. This was a substantial amount of money.
26:16
So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
The word “betray” means to hand over. From the time of Judas’ sellout he sought occasion to hand Jesus to the religious leaders. This was a dastardly attitude after exposure to intimacy with the person of Jesus for three-and-a-half years.
PRINCIPLE:
Love of money is a great snare.
APPLICATION:
The woman who poured her wealth on Jesus stands in stark contrast to Judas, who sold him out for money. It is easy to make money an idol.
