Matthew 26:15

"Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests"

Key Reflection

Judas Iscariot's decision to betray Jesus to the chief priests marked a pivotal moment in the narrative. In first-century Israel, the chief priests held significant religious and political power; their willingness to engage Judas indicated that they saw him as having valuable information about Jesus' whereabouts or activities. For the original audience, this move would have underscored the betrayal's gravity, showing how one of Jesus' own followers could be swayed by material gain, thus setting the stage for the events leading up to the crucifixion.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 15. And they covenanted with him. Made a bargain with him. Agreed to give him. Mark says they promised to give him money. They did not pay it to him then, lest he should deceive them. When the deed was done, and before he was made sensible of its guilt, they paid him. See Mt 27:3; Ac 1:18. Thirty pieces of silver. Mark and Luke do not mention the sum. They say that they promised him money--in the original, silver. In Matthew, in the original, it is thirty silvers, or silverlings. This was the price of a slave. See Ex 21:32. And it is not unlikely that this sum was fixed on by them to show their contempt of Jesus, and that they regarded him as of little value.

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