And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
The ones who were glad were the Jewish leaders, including the chief priests, scribes and rulers, and their gladness was over Judas's offer to betray Jesus, which they met with a promise to pay him money. The promised money was thirty pieces of silver, a paltry sum for which one of Jesus' own twelve disciples sold the Lord of life and glory to shame and death and ignominy. The leaders wanted to take Jesus by secret treachery rather than open violence because they feared a tumult among the people, many of whom had seen His mighty works and believed Him to be a prophet, even the prophet of the Most High, and would be angered by an open arrest. Judas therefore proposed to lead them secretly to one of Jesus' quiet resorts for prayer and retirement where they could seize Him with no multitude to oppose them, and contracted with them to hand over his Master.
Judas made the proposal from greed for gain, for he was ever greedy and his love of money and covetousness moved him to agree to betray Jesus for money. His covetous spirit had been rebuked when Mary anointed Jesus with costly ointment, which he resented, and having yielded to temptation he became an agent of Satan. He expected that Jesus would escape His enemies by divine power so that the priests would be cheated of their bribe while he kept the money for his own use.
His agreement also followed his decision to abandon Jesus after Jesus humbly washed the disciples' feet, when he concluded that Jesus would not become Israel's worldly king and that following Him would bring no worldly honor. At that time he was possessed by a demon and had negotiated the betrayal, though the arrangement was not yet complete. Behind the bargain was Satan's work, for he had blinded the Jews so they would not receive Jesus as Saviour and through envy of His mighty works had led them to seek His life. He then entered one of Christ's own followers to lead him on to betray Jesus into the hands of His enemies, so that by their gladness and promise of payment they agreed to seize Him in order to crucify the Lord of life and glory, a sinful act prompted by Satan's influence.
The ones who were glad were the Jewish leaders, including the chief priests, scribes and rulers, and their gladness was over Judas's offer to betray Jesus, which they met with a promise to pay him money. The promised money was thirty pieces of silver, a paltry sum for which one of Jesus' own twelve disciples sold the Lord of life and glory to shame and death and ignominy. The leaders wanted to take Jesus by secret treachery rather than open violence because they feared a tumult among the people, many of whom had seen His mighty works and believed Him to be a prophet, even the prophet of the Most High, and would be angered by an open arrest. Judas therefore proposed to lead them secretly to one of Jesus' quiet resorts for prayer and retirement where they could seize Him with no multitude to oppose them, and contracted with them to hand over his Master.
Judas made the proposal from greed for gain, for he was ever greedy and his love of money and covetousness moved him to agree to betray Jesus for money. His covetous spirit had been rebuked when Mary anointed Jesus with costly ointment, which he resented, and having yielded to temptation he became an agent of Satan. He expected that Jesus would escape His enemies by divine power so that the priests would be cheated of their bribe while he kept the money for his own use.
His agreement also followed his decision to abandon Jesus after Jesus humbly washed the disciples' feet, when he concluded that Jesus would not become Israel's worldly king and that following Him would bring no worldly honor. At that time he was possessed by a demon and had negotiated the betrayal, though the arrangement was not yet complete. Behind the bargain was Satan's work, for he had blinded the Jews so they would not receive Jesus as Saviour and through envy of His mighty works had led them to seek His life. He then entered one of Christ's own followers to lead him on to betray Jesus into the hands of His enemies, so that by their gladness and promise of payment they agreed to seize Him in order to crucify the Lord of life and glory, a sinful act prompted by Satan's influence.