Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”
Comment: The word ‘silly’ can be used rather flippantly. My dictionary says ‘having or showing a lack of common sense or judgement; absurd and foolish.’ Judas had spent the major part of three years walking beside the Messiah, the perfect man, the Son of God. He had plainly heard the condemnation of evil and the correct way to walk to please God. He may not have understood everything he heard taught or the explanations of the acts of healing and kindness, but to go to the people who desired to kill Jesus and sell Him for what would be about a week’s wages today! You would have wondered how he felt when he heard Jesus say the bit about ‘it would be better if he had never been born’. He still seemed to hope that what he had done was hidden from Jesus but when he asked his ‘attempting to cover the fact’ question, Jesus simply said ‘you are the one!’ And this whole event occurs during the family meal at which the whole sacrificial system was to be put into place by Jesus! (see tomorrow)
Prayer: I’m listening, Lord, for what You want me to understand. Don’t let me be sill
As I read it! 