Judas’ Bargain (Matthew 26:14-16).Thursday January 29, 2026
The passion narrative is studded with contrasts. Jesus declares His act of sacrifice; the greatest act of love in the history of the world. But around Him are the chief priests, Judas, and the disciples who do not yet understand His mission.
Mat 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?" And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. 16 From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.
Matthew’s use of “then” sets the contrast with Mary. 300 denarii spent on perfume to worship Him. 30 denarii to betray Him (silver coin a denarii).
He went to them. He did not go because he was invited.
They wanted to arrest Him in secret and Judas was offering that opportunity.
Jesus is going to set the time (Mat 26:2) for He is in control.
Joh 13:27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."
Why doesn’t Judas refuse? The priests must have told him the plan’s time frame. Christ is sovereign.
In the exchange we find the foundational word of the passion: “betray” or “hand over.” It is used 14 times in these two chapters (Judas to priests to Pilate to soldiers to death).
There are many theories for Judas’ motivation.
Judas had become disillusioned and decided that something had to be done about Jesus before it was too late. [greed joined hate]
The Lord knew all along:
Psa 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.
Psa 55:12-14 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. 13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; 14 We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.
Joh 6:70-71 Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?" Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
30 pieces of silver:
Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra prophesy after the Babylonian captivity. Zec 11 reveals what they do also, that even a short time after the return, the shepherds (leaders) of Israel (like all leaders: greed and power struggles).
In a wonderful prophetic act, God tells Zechariah to shepherd the flock of Israel. Yet this good shepherd is rejected.
Zec 11:4-8 Thus says the Lord my God, "Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 "Those who buy them slay them and go unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, 'Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich!' And their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 "For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land," declares the Lord; "but behold, I will cause the men to fall, each into another's power and into the power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will not deliver them from their power."
7 So I pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, hence the afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Favor [grace of the covenant] and the other I called Union; so I pastured the flock. 8 Then I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me.
Zechariah pastured the doomed flock. Apparently very few if any would listen to him or do the good from God from the Law, and so he left them to their own devices.
Zec 11:9-11 Then I said, "I will not pasture you. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be annihilated, let it be annihilated; and let those who are left eat one another's flesh." 10 I took my staff Favor and cut it in pieces, to break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was broken on that day, and thus the afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord.
He applied the law of reap what you sow to them.
Zec 11:12-14 I said to them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I cut in pieces my second staff Union, to break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
The price was an insult. Notice how the Lord states “that magnificent price [“noble price”] at which I was valued by them” Not only that, but it is possible that they gave this amount because the Law set it as the price of a lost slave.
Exo 21:32 “If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.”
Fulfilment in Christ is that Israel rejected Him as the Shepherd. There are many references of Him as Shepherd.
Application:
Joseph was sold for 20 silver coins. The evil that men do will cause us a great amount of suffering, but the Lord will deliver us out of all of them.
If we try to deliver ourselves, if we do not embrace our suffering as the Lord is embracing His cross, we will fail to see God’s deliverance in a miraculous way.
Phi 3:7-11 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
2Ti 4:17-18 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The good news is that through our Lord’s willingness to be handed over for crucifixion, all believers have gained Him. Paul and you can say with confidence, “the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.”
“Exult, Christian, you have gained by this bargain …; what Judas sold and what the [leaders] bought, belongs to you.” [Augustine] |