1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
In the first six verses, during the Passover week, people began to plot against Jesus. They, under Satan’s influence, engaged Judas to betray Him.
22:1
Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.
Luke joins two festivals: Unleavened Bread and Passover; Unleavened Bread begins immediately after Passover and lasts seven days (Num 28:16-17). Passover was the celebration of the occasion when lambs were slain in Egypt, and God delivered the Israelites from death (Ex 12:1-28). Passover was the time when Israel focused on its deliverance from Egypt.
22:2
And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.
Religious leaders sought to kill Jesus, but it was too risky to arrest Him in the presence of the crowds who favored Jesus. They sought a place where they could catch Him in private.
22:3
Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
Judas betrays Jesus under the influence of Satan (Jn 13:27). Satan became an active player in Jesus’ death. Judas, the disciple, was not a genuine believer.
22:4
So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.
Judas took the initiative to approach the religious leaders and temple guards to discuss how he might betray Jesus. His betrayal of Jesus was voluntary.
22:5
And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.
The religious leaders agreed to pay Judas a fee for betraying Jesus (Zech 11:12; Mt 26:15).
22:6
So he promised and sought an opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
Verse 6 culminates the conspiracy against Jesus. Religious leaders sought to kill Him throughout His ministry. Their opportunity lay in arresting Jesus in a private place.
PRINCIPLE:
Religious phonies are everywhere, including the church.
APPLICATION:
People can be intimately involved with the church and Christianity and still not be genuine believers. Judas was like that; he had intimate contact with Jesus throughout His ministry but rejected Him as Savior. God saves no one, no matter how long they have been involved in a church. These are people without any trust in Jesus’ death for them.
