Mk. 14:10-11,18-21, What was Written About Jesus’ Betrayer?

Remember, we are acknowledging that “the Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him” (14:21).  In v10-11 we see that Judas initiated the betrayal and the chief priests paid him accordingly.  In the recent post called “Thirty Pieces of Silver” we saw that this was written beforehand in Zech. 11:12-13. 

As Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal together, Jesus prophesied that one of “them” would betray Him (14:18-21).  Jesus seems to indicate He is less concerned about naming the betrayer and more concerned about the fate of the betrayer: it would have been good for that man if he had never been born.  The Zechariah passage had prophesied the tragic ending for the betrayer when the prophet said, And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.  The Gospels tell us that Judas threw the money at the feet of the chief priests and hung himself in the potter’s field.  The priests used the money to purchase the field for the burial of strangers (cf. Matt. 27:3-10).  Peter, in Acts 1:20 quoted two Psalms that spoke of Judas’ woeful fate: Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it (Ps. 69:25) and, Let another take his office (Ps. 109:8).

There is one other Biblical connection with Judas.  In John 17:12 Jesus refers to him as the son of perdition.  2 Thess. 2:3 refers to the future antichrist by the same title: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of^] sin is revealed, the son of perdition.

All of these references to the betrayer work together to assure us that Jesus’ is correct to pronounce a “woe” upon Judas (Mk. 14:21).  There are people who sometimes want to paint Judas as a “gray” individual, struggling with perhaps some political motives or “reverse psychology” (trying to force Jesus’ hand).  As we have noted, and say again, Judas was a man of covetousness, loving money, and he was willing to put a price of 30 pieces of silver on Jehovah, God who came in the flesh!

Having said that, and without any diminishing of this description of evil Judas, there is an interesting study in the NT.  The word for “betray,” paradidomi (prefix “over, beside” with verb “to give”, to give over or give to someone) appears several times in the NT in speaking of Jesus’ crucifixion.  Who gave Him over?

·       Mk. 14:10: Judas gave Him over, betrayed Him.

·       Mk. 15:1: the elders, scribes and entire Sanhedrin “delivered” Him to Pilate.

·       Mk. 15:15: Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified.

·       Rom. 4:25: Jesus was “delivered up” for MY justification; I delivered Him up.

·       Jn. 19:30; Gal. 2:20: Jesus “gave up” His spirit; He loved me and “gave Himself up” for me.

·       Rom. 8:32: The Father “delivered Him up” for us all.  Why did the Father do this?  Because there was no other Redeemer!