Sold Out

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?  And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

Matthew 26:14-16

We all know that Jesus was betrayed by Judas.  But what we might not think about is the fact that, not only did he betray Him, but he actively “sought opportunity” to betray him.  It wasn’t just a moment of weakness or fear of the priests if he didn’t do what they told him to do.

I think that most people get the false impression that the priests initiated this “deal.”  But it was Judas who went to them and asked what they would give him to betray Jesus.  They decided on thirty pieces of silver, but Judas started the whole thing.

Imagine not only selling out the Lord Jesus, but wanting to sell Him out, offering to sell Him out, and seeking opportunities to sell Him out.  Thirty pieces of silver doesn’t seem like that much to me.  Definitely not enough to sell out and betray an innocent man.  Judas had been with Jesus during His earthly ministry.  He had seen the miracles: the blind given sight, the lame made to walk, the deaf caused to hear, and the sick made whole.  He saw evil spirits being cast out of people and saw Jesus’ tender mercies toward the multitudes.

What could possibly have been in his heart to sell out Jesus?  Was he really that greedy?  Was he really that desperate for a handful of silver?  Or did he just have nothing in his heart?  Whatever it was, may it never come near our hearts.

Judas sold Him out for thirty pieces of silver.  Others have sold Him out for much less.  Let us never be among them.