Why did Judas choose to betray Jesus according to Luke 22:4? Text in Question (Luke 22:4) “And Judas went to confer with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard how he might betray Jesus to them.” Immediate Context (Luke 22:1-6) Passover approached, the leaders “were afraid of the people.” Verse 3 adds the decisive spiritual note: “Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot.” Luke alone calls the temple guard officers (στρατηγούς) into the conspiracy, underscoring the official, statewide nature of the plot. Parallel Witnesses • Matthew 26:14-16 – Judas asks, “What are you willing to give me…?” • Mark 14:10-11 – Authorities “promised to give him money.” • John 13:2, 27 – “The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas…,” then “Satan entered into him.” Composite Motive Profile 1. Satanic Infiltration Luke’s first causal statement is spiritual: Judas becomes an instrument of supernatural evil. The grammatical aorist (εισῆλθεν) signals a decisive incursion. Yet Jesus will later say, “The Son of Man will go as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed” (v. 22). Divine sovereignty and human culpability stand side-by-side, exactly as Acts 2:23 does for the crucifixion. 2. Greed and the Love of Money John 12:4-6 discloses his habitual theft from the common purse. Matthew supplies the price—“thirty pieces of silver”—echoing Zechariah 11:12-13. Luke’s own emphasis on wealth ethics (e.g., Luke 16:13) frames Judas as an archetype of covetous apostasy; compare 1 Timothy 6:10. 3. Disillusionment with Jesus’ Kingdom Trajectory By this point Jesus has repeatedly predicted suffering (Luke 9:22; 18:31-34). Judas, like many first-century Jews, expected a political liberator (cf. John 6:15). Jesus’ refusal to trigger open revolt may have fueled frustration. Behavioral studies on expectancy disconfirmation note that when core hopes collapse, individuals shift from loyalty to aggression, often rationalized by secondary incentives—here, cash and recognition from the establishment. 4. Prophetic Fulfillment a. Psalm 41:9 – “Even my close friend… has lifted up his heel against me.” b. Psalm 55:12-14 – Betrayal “by my companion.” c. Zechariah 11:12-13 – Thirty pieces of silver thrown into the temple. d. Jesus frames the event as necessary: “Scripture must be fulfilled” (Luke 22:37). 5. Opportunity and Collusion with the Sanhedrin The chief priests needed an informant who knew Jesus’ night habits and could deliver Him away from supportive crowds (Luke 21:37-38). Judas fit: inner-circle access and the psychology of disaffected insider. Temple police provided armed force; Judas provided timing and location (Gethsemane, v. 47). Historical Credibility of the Betrayal Account The criterion of embarrassment powerfully applies; early Christian authors would not invent leadership treachery. Betrayal appears in independent strata—Markan priority (ca. AD 60s), Johannine tradition (P52 ≤ AD 125, P66 ≤ AD 200), Lukan research (P75 ≤ AD 200). Papias (early 2nd cent.) already alludes to Judas’ fate (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. III.39). Multiple early Aramaic targumic echoes of Psalm 41 place the betrayal prophecy in the Messianic orbit before Christian use. Value of Thirty Pieces of Silver The Tyrian shekel (≈14 g, 94 % silver) equals four drachmas. Thirty such coins ~120 days’ wages for a Galilean laborer—hardly a king’s ransom, reinforcing the vulgar smallness of Judas’ greed. Archaeological hoards at Tyre, Akko, and Jerusalem (e.g., Jerash 1964 cache) confirm circulation of these coins in the 30s AD. Theological Ramifications • Christology: Betrayal sets up the atoning death foreordained “before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20). • Soteriology: Judas, “son of destruction” (John 17:12), exemplifies apostasy, warning professed disciples to “make sure of your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10). • Ecclesiology: Church treasurers and leaders must be “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2-3) lest familiar sin patterns replicate. Pastoral Application Examine motives, guard against covetousness, resist the devil (James 4:7). Spiritual drift often begins with private thefts of devotion before public acts of betrayal. Summary Answer Judas chose to betray Jesus because (1) Satan gained a foothold in his heart, (2) he coveted money, (3) he became disillusioned with Jesus’ non-political mission, (4) prophetic Scripture had foreseen the act, and (5) the religious authorities offered a timely, lucrative opportunity. Each factor works in concert; none excuses him. Luke 22:4 places the decisive initiative in Judas himself—he “went to confer”—yet surrounds the choice with the larger, sovereign framework of God’s redemptive plan. |
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