CXVI.
JESUS PREDICTS, THE RULERS PLOT FOR,
AND JUDAS BARGAINS FOR HIS DEATH.
(Mount of Olives, Bethany, and Jerusalem. Tuesday after sunset,
which Jews regarded as the beginning of Wednesday.)
aMATT. XXVI. 1-5, 14-16; bMARK
XIV. 1, 2, 10, 11; cLUKE XXII. 1-6.
c1 Now the feast of unleavened
bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. {b1
Now after two days was the feast of the passover and the unleavened
bread:} a1 And it came to pass,
when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples,
2 Ye know that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of man is
delivered up to be crucified. [We may regard Jesus as having entered
the temple Tuesday morning, and as having taught there until the evening.*
He then retired to the slopes of Olivet and delivered the discourse which
occupies Sections CXIII.-CXV., The
discourse finished, it is likely that he arose about or a little after
sunset (which the Jews reckoned as Wednesday) and proceeded on his way
to Bethany, where he remained until late Thursday afternoon. On his way
to Bethany he spoke the words of this section. The two days mentioned are
Wednesday and Thursday. The passover was eaten Thursday night after sunset,
which the Jews reckoned as Friday. For a full discussion of the time when
the Passover was eaten, see Andrews' "Life of Christ," pp. 423-460.]
3 Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the elders of the
people, unto the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas;
4 and they took counsel together c2
And [641] sought bhow athat
they might take Jesus by subtlety, and chow they might put him
to death; {akill him.} [This council may have begun on the
evening of Tuesday and continued until the beginning of Wednesday, Jewish
time. It seems to have been a formal rather than an informal conference.
The court where they met was the open space enclosed by the palace of the
high priest. Caiaphas had been appointed high priest in A. D. 26 by the
Procurator Valerius Gratus and was deposed A. D. 38. Ishmael, Eleazar,
and Simon held the office between the deposition of Annas and the appointment
of Caiaphas (Jos. Ant. xviii. 2. 2). See also p.
64.] 5 But
{b2 for} they said, Not during the feast, lest haply there shall
be a tumult aarise among {bof} people. cfor
they feared the people. [They knew that there were many at the feast
from Galilee, and other sections of the country where Jesus ministered;
and, judging by the demonstration made at the triumphal entry, they felt
that there were plenty to take arms in Jesus' behalf. The sense of their
council, therefore, seemed to be that if Jesus could be taken by subtlety--i.
e., arrested privately--he might be taken during the feast. But if
he had to be arrested publicly, then it was better to postpone his apprehension
until after the feast. The treachery of Judas caused them to adopt the
former course. At this place Matthew and Mark insert the account of the
supper given to Jesus in the house of Simon the leper. They do this because
the treacherous determination of Judas was formed at it and dates from
it. The rebuke of the Lord then administered, or the desire to reimburse
himself for the price of the ointment, which Mary expended, and which he
felt that he ought to have had, or some other reasons, evidently induced
him at that time to decide upon our Lord's betrayal. Since then he had
been seeking opportunity to betray the Master.]
3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, being of the number
of the twelve. {bhe that was one of the twelve,} [See pp.
226, 391, 392.]
a14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, bwent
away unto the chief priests, that [642] he
might deliver him unto them. cand communed with the chief priests
and captains, how he might deliver him unto them.
a15 and said, What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver
him unto you? [It is probable that the proposal to sell his Master
was made by Judas to individual members of the Sanhedrin, and that this
proposal was one of the moving causes leading to the assembling of the
council. The language implies that Judas appeared before the council and
bargained openly with it.]
b11 And they, when they heard it, were glad, and promised cand
covenanted to give him money. aAnd they weighed unto him thirty
pieces of silver. [There had been coined shekels since the time of
Simeon, or 143 B. C., before that the money was weighed. It is likely that
the term "weighed" survived the practice and became a synonym or equivalent
for "paid." The amount paid him was about fifteen dollars of our money.
It was indeed a low price for so base a deed, but from the language used
it may be fairly implied that it was but the earnest money of a larger
sum. But Judas evidently hardened himself, and shut out all thought as
to anything save the actual labor involved. Viewed thus, his task
was neither difficult nor dangerous.]
c6 And he consented, a16
And from that time he sought opportunity to deliver him bhow
he might conveniently deliver him unto them. cin the
absence of the multitude. [He soon found his opportunity. He bargained
on Tuesday night and fulfilled his contract on Thursday night. Or, as the
Jews reckoned time, he agreed in the beginning of Wednesday and fulfilled
his covenant on the beginning of Friday.] [643]
{*} NOTE.--If
this had been Tuesday, he would have said "after three days," as is the
case of the resurrection. In all such expressions the remaining part of
the present day was counted as one.--J. W. McG.
[FFG 641-643]
