The Betrayer

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The Betrayer

Chapter 26 is a very abrupt transition to the final days before Jesus’ death, and things will progress rather quickly from here. Let’s read verses 1-16 together:
Matthew 26:1–16 CSB
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him. 5 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.” 6 While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. 12 By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 14 Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. 16 And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
These sixteen verses set the stage for the events that will take place in the next few chapters. Let’s jump right in to verse 1:⭐
Matthew 26:1 (CSB)
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things...
We have been tracking how Matthew used the phrase, “When Jesus had finished...” [7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and now 26:1] to transition from one focal point to another. Often it was the end of a teaching segment and the beginning of a narrative, which usually also meant a change of physical location.
[⭐ see slide]
In this case, there is not a change of location. However, there is something different in this transition. This is the only instance where the word, “all” is used. “When Jesus had finished saying all these things...”
This marks the end of all of the major teachings that Matthew will record in this gospel. Though there are many, many things to learn in the pages to come, there will not be another opportunity for us to gather with Jesus and his disciples for a chance to hear about the kingdom. Jesus ministry will now focus on doing that which has been planned from the beginning in order to usher in the kingdom.
By using this phrase, Matthew may be directing us to the life of Moses. Moses certainly taught Israel many things over may years. But as Moses’ life was coming to its end we have a very similar situation. Deuteronomy 31-34 are the account of the end of Moses days. At 120 years old he addressed the nation with his final speech, a final song and a final blessing. ⭐
Deuteronomy 32:44–50 CSB
44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the presence of the people. 45 After Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to follow all the words of this law carefully. 47 For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” 48 On that same day the Lord spoke to Moses, 49 “Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim range in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Israelites as a possession. 50 Then you will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
Twice it mentioned that Moses recited “all these words”. Then he commanded Israel to “take to heart all these words”. For these words bring life if you obey them. Immediately after relaying all these words, Yahweh told Moses to go up to mount Nebo and that is where he will die, looking over the promised land.
The use of the word “all” helps to signify a completion of a task, and in this case also the impending death of the prophet and the imminent entrance into the Promised Land.
This parallels Jesus ... ⭐
Matthew 26:1–2 CSB
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
When Jesus had completed teaching his disciples about the work of the Messiah and the kingdom of God, he told his disciples that he was about to die. In two days he will be taken up on a hill, overlooking the city of Jerusalem, to be crucified.
Just as Moses led the people of God to the promised land, Jesus is about to provide a way for the people of God to enter into THE promised land - the kingdom of God.
This is the 4th time that Jesus mentioned he was going to die. Each time we have been given a little more detail: ⭐
Matthew 16:21 CSB
21 From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.
The next one added that he would be “betrayed”. ⭐
Matthew 17:22–23 CSB
22 As they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were deeply distressed.
Just before Jesus and the disciples made the journey to Jerusalem, where we are at present in the story, Jesus told his disciples this: ⭐
Matthew 20:18–19 CSB
18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. 19 They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”
That set of verses mentions that some group of Gentiles will be responsible for the crucifixion.
So the summary looks like this:
Jesus will be betrayed. The chief priests, scribes and elders will condemn Jesus to death and turn him over to the Gentiles who will mock, flog and crucify him. He will be killed and buried and on the third day he will rise from the dead.
Let’s go back to verse two again:
Matthew 26:2 CSB
2 “You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
We now have the timeline of when this will take place - in two days. It is Wednesday of the Passover feast in Jerusalem.
The city is swollen with as many as 4 times its normal population as people have have the pilgrimage to the Holy City to celebrate the Passover. Jesus and the disciples, along with a large group traveling from the region of Galilee arrived in Jerusalem on Friday. Since that time Jesus has been at the temple daily, teaching the crowds, confronting and confounding the religious leaders, driving away money changers and merchants, and retreating each night to the Mount of Olives for rest.
TIMELINE from one commentary: ⭐
Matthew Introduction to Beginning Events of Passion Week (Matthew 21:1–22:46)

Friday

Arrival in Bethany (John 12:1)

Saturday

Mary’s anointing of Jesus (John 12:2–8; cf. Matt 26:6–13 par.)

Sunday

Triumphal entry (Matt 21:1–11 par.), surveying the temple (Mark 11:11), return to Bethany (Matt 21:17; Mark 11:11)

Monday

Cleansing the temple (21:12–13 par.); cursing the fig tree (21:18–22); miracles and challenge in the temple (21:14–16); return to Bethany (Mark 11:19)

Tuesday

Disciples’ questions regarding the fig tree (Mark 11:20–21); debates with the leaders in the temple (Matt 21:23–22:46 par.); Olivet Discourse after return to Bethany (Matt 24–25)

Wednesday

Little recorded in the gospels—Jesus and disciples apparently remain in Bethany; Judas arranges for his betrayal (26:14–16 par.)

Thursday

Preparation for Passover (26:17–19 par.); after sundown, Passover meal and Last Supper (26:20–35); Farewell Discourse (John 13–17); Gethsemane (Matt 26:30–46 par.)

Friday

After midnight, the betrayal and arrest (26:47–56); Jewish trials—Annas (John 18:13–14), Caiaphas and partial Sanhedrin (Matt 26:57–75 par.), full Sanhedrin (27:1–2); Roman trial—Pilate (27:2–14 par.), Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6–12), Pilate (Matt 27:15–26 par.); crucifixion (9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 27:27–56); burial (27:57–61 par.); tomb sealed with guards (27:62–66)

The plotting

We were told that it would be the scribes, elders and religious leaders that were going to treat Jesus badly and eventually condemn him to death. We read several times that this group wanted to dispose of Jesus - it seems they were constantly plotting against him: ⭐
Matthew 12:14 LSB
14 But going out, the Pharisees took counsel together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
They plotted ways to trap him in his words to discredit him: ⭐
Matthew 22:15 CSB
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he said.
However, we are now given insights into the final plot that will bring out the crucifixion of Jesus. ⭐
Matthew 26:3–5 CSB
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him. 5 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.”
What we have here, is an informal gathering of the religious leaders at the home of the high priest, Joseph Caiaphas. There is a bit of a tainted history with this guy. To understand it better we should travel back in time a bit:
During the life of Moses, the priesthood was established. The first high priest was selected by Yahweh himself - Aaron. Future high priests were appointed through the priestly line - or based on heredity. You were born into the priestly line and inherited the position of high priest from your father. They were to be descendants of Aaron, the original high priest, as appointed by Yahweh God.
Until 175 B.C. the high priesthood was hereditary, and the office was held for life. In that year the rightful high priest, Onias III, was deposed by the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes.
Dockery, D. S., ed. (1992). Holman Bible Handbook (p. 519). Holman Bible Publishers.In 9 AD, the Roman Governor, Quirinius, appointed Annas as high priest.
We talked about Antiochus IV a little when we covered the “Abomination of Desolation” passage. Here is a little more detail about how the priesthood changed at that time and became a political entity:
The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Antiochus IV Epiphanes)
Taking advantage of the instability of the Jerusalem priesthood, Jason, brother of Onias III, bribed Antiochus IV to support him as the new high priest, promising Antiochus 360 talents (approx 26,000 lbs or silver) per year, 80 talents as a one-time payment, and an additional 150 talents to transform Jerusalem into a Hellenistic polis, complete with a gymnasium. Menalaus, however, outbid Jason for the high priesthood. He promised so much tribute to the Seleucids that he began to sell vessels from the Jerusalem temple, which started a revolt. After campaigning in Egypt in 168 BC, Antiochus IV attempted to resolve the dispute between Jason and Menelaus in Jerusalem. However, during Antiochus’s engagement with Egypt, Jason attempted to take Jerusalem and was eventually forced to flee. Antiochus IV responded by slaughtering and enslaving thousands of Judaeans. Antiochus IV then entered the Jerusalem temple along with Menelaus, took much of its gold, and outlawed the Jewish religion. Antiochus IV prohibited temple sacrifices, Sabbath and festival observances, the practice of circumcision, and possession of the book of the covenant. He also set up a statue of Zeus Olympios in the Jerusalem temple and built altars throughout Judaea (1 Maccabees 1:41–61).
In A.D. 6, Quirinius, governor of Syria, appointed Annas as high priest. This is significant as we have a ROMAN official appointed the leader of the Jewish faith.

While Annas was deposed in A.D. 15, his prestige and control to the temple still continued in that five of his sons and his son-in-law Caiaphas became high priests after him.

Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas, was appointed to the position of High Priest by the Roman procurator, Valerius Gratus in A.D. 18. Valerius was succeeded by Pontius Pilate, whom we will meet very soon.
Caiaphas held office much longer than any of his brothers-in-law which is most likely a tribute to his political prowess and keeping Rome happy. He was high priest for 18 years until A.D. 36
So the religious leaders are meeting in the courtyard of a Roman appointed, politically allied, high priest. The goal of their meeting was to arrest Jesus and kill him.
The WAY they want to arrest Jesus is interesting! Depending on your translation of the Bible, you may have different words: ⭐
CSB - treacherous way
NLT - secretly
CJB - surreptitiously (in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention)
NASB - covertly
LEB - by stealth
NIV - some sly way
NKJV - by trickery
The crowds loved Jesus! To arrest him in public, with the masses of pilgrims in Jerusalem, and the tension of the Romans just looking for a reason to squash them, would be too much to risk. If they were going to pull this off, it had to be done quietly to avoid making a bad situation even worse.
Based on the context or not wanting to cause a riot, I think the idea of secretly or by stealth makes the most sense.
In the end, their objective was to mistreat and kill Jesus. This is, of course, exactly what Jesus said would happen. They see Jesus as a threat to the people and as a menace to their work. While it might seem honorable to want to protect the people from a teacher that you believe is leading people astray, that could be done in a much more God-honoring way than to plan the cold-blooded murder of a man.
QUESTION: what would lead a spiritual leader, religious authority, highly esteemed by the people, to harbor such animosity in their hearts that they would take the life of an innocent person?
PROTECTION. They saw Jesus as a threat to their way of life, to their popularity and their authority. When someone feels threatened they are often willing to do things that are rash and uncommon for them.

A Tale of 2 Disciples

Verses 6-16 tell the tale of the hearts of two of the followers of Jesus. One, a woman. The other, one of the 12, Judas. At first glance, this narrative may seem out of place here. We have gone from a scheming to kill Jesus to him eating dinner and having perfume poured over him. But Matthew has inserted this here, out of chronological order, for at least one reason. ⭐⭐
Matthew 26:6–13 CSB
6 While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. 12 By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
"While Jesus was in Bethany” - Matthew often flips between timelines to help us carry a thought. This passage is also recorded in the gospel of John. John places the time at six days before the passover. So, in Matthew’s account, this is a flashback meant to give us insight into some events that were about to take place. Keep that in mind.
At a quick glance, we have the following events:
a woman pouring perfume over Jesus
the disciples getting upset at the waste of resources that could have helped the poor.
Jesus correcting the disciples and telling them the meaning of the event
When we just look at this narrative from Matthew’s account, we may very well understand the apparent concern of the disciples. After all, the last teaching Jesus gave was about the sheep and the goats - and the sheep used their resources to help the poor. The conclusion of the disciples might seem justified, based upon the teaching they just heard.
However, there is more to the plot than just that. Let’s read John’s account to find out more:⭐⭐
John 12:1–8 CSB
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. 7 Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
In John’s account Mary anointed Jesus’ feet. In Matthew and Mark she poured it on his head. Mark actually says that she broke the alabaster jar as well. A pound of perfume was a LOT - enough to pour over an entire body, like they would do at a burial. Perhaps the two points of view are meant to be illustrative of Jesus being anointed from “head to toe” as we would call it?
But let’s focus in on Judas and notice two things here:
a) we are told flat out that Judas is the one who will betray Jesus.
b) we are told what motivated Judas to do it: ⭐
John 12:6 CSB
6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.
That about says it all. I can see Judas even using the teaching of Jesus about the poor to get the other disciples riled up so they would want to back him. The more money they collected the more money Judas pocketed. This oil was expensive - about a years wages!
Many have speculated on the motives of Judas and have tried not to demonize him, however, John seems pretty clear that the heart of Judas was dark.
It seems that this loss of income may have been the tipping point that finally drove Judas to be willing to betray Jesus: ⭐
Matthew 26:14–16 CSB
14 Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. 16 And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
“THEN” could mean right after the event with the perfume, or it could mean right after Jesus told them he was going to be crucified. I would not get caught up in a timeline debate when studying the gospel of Matthew!
The focal point is that Judas, one of the twelve, was the betrayer that Jesus mentioned in 17:22. And Matthew is the only one who names the price: 30 pieces of silver. Whether this is 30 denarii (30 days wages) or 30 shekels (120 days wages ) we do not know because most coins were minted in silver, and Matthew did not state which coin, just “pieces” of silver.
Why did Matthew think it was important to document the exact amount of compensation Judas received? Perhaps because he was thinking of the Law of Moses: ⭐
Exodus 21:32 CSB
32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, he must give thirty shekels of silver to the slave’s master, and the ox must be stoned.
Thirty pieces of silver is the price of a life of a servant whose death you are responsible for. Basically, the religious leaders saw Jesus’ life as having the value of a common servant, and they were going to take his life so they were offering restitution for the life that they would soon take. This seems to absolve Judas from being responsible - by paying Judas, the religious leaders are accepting ownership for the death of Jesus.
I believe there is also another connection to the 30 pieces of silver that Matthew mentions, but I am hoping we will look into that when we get to chapter 27.
CONCLUSIONS
FIRST
On the surface, Matthew is laying the foundation for the events to come by reminding us of the plot, introducing us to the main characters and providing us the motive and timeline. We will watch this drama unfold in the next few chapters.
SECOND
I believe we are invited to notice the stark contrast of the ways that people respond to Jesus. Matthew has pointed this out to us many times throughout the gospel account.
Religious leaders plotted to protect their position - including the high priest
Judas plotted to and profited from betraying Jesus
Mary presented a gift to Jesus as an act of worship
Look at the contrast of 2 “followers” of Jesus.
Mary took a very valuable item that she possessed, probably an heirloom of great emotional value as well, and poured it out on Jesus as an act of worship.
Judas was looking to profit from Jesus and the ministry and was upset that he did not get more.
One was a notorious thief and the other recognized by Jesus and her act of worship. If you are interested in the legacy you leave behind, which will you be remembered by: the one who gives or the one who takes?
THIRD:
Jesus mentioned that what was done would be remembered “where ever the gospel is proclaimed”. This forward looking statement declares that Jesus anticipated that the good news of his death and resurrection would be proclaimed to all nations and for all ages. It is the explicit mission he will give the disciples after his resurrection, and it is the current mission of all his disciples until he returns - that means you and me!
FINALLY:
While we must offer our lives (and what we value) to Jesus for what he has done for us, and we must embrace the privilege we have of taking the good news of victory over death, forgiveness of sins and fellowship with our Father to the nations, but perhaps the most valuable insights in this narrative is the picture of Jesus that is painted for us.
The purchase price of 30 pieces of silver symbolizes the suffering servant image of the Messiah - we will see this connection in the weeks to come as we compare Jesus to Isa 53.
The anointing of the head of Jesus with oil symbolizes the kingly appointment of Jesus as Messiah.
Jesus KNEW who would betray him and when it would happen.
JESUS WILLINGLY allowed himself to be betrayed by Judas, KNOWING it would lead to his abuse and even horrible death. As a servant of the Father he submitted to that death and in exchange, the Father anointed him as king and placed him on the throne.
I believe the Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote this:
Philippians 2:5–11 CSB
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What a compassionate God we have. What a loving savior we have. That he would do this so that sinful people like me and you can be forgiven and restored back to our Father. I believe we will see much more of this amazing love and grace in the weeks ahead.
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