10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. (Mark 14:10-11 KJV)
Judas to Betray Jesus
Then Judas, one of the twelve, agreed to betray him (Mark 14:10-11). Though he was part of Christ’s closest circle, trained for the kingdom’s work, he went to the chief priests and offered his help.
He told them how to arrest Jesus without causing a public scene, which was exactly the problem they were trying to solve. Judas likely didn’t know their secret plans, and they couldn’t have guessed one of Jesus’ own would betray him. But Satan, who had entered Judas, knew both sides’ needs and brought them together. The same evil spirit that works in all the disobedient knows how to unite them in sin and make them think Providence is on their side.
Judas’s goal was money. When they promised him silver, that was enough. Covetousness was his ruling sin and led him to betray his Master. The devil tempted him through greed and succeeded. They didn’t offer him power or promotion—he wasn’t ambitious in that way—but only money. This shows how dangerous it is to indulge our besetting sin. Perhaps Judas had joined Jesus originally because he hoped to be the group’s treasurer. He loved handling money, and when more was offered from another source, he was ready to switch sides. When someone’s religious profession is motivated by worldly interest, that same motivation can lead to their downfall when things change.
After securing the money, Judas began looking for the right moment to betray Jesus, when it could be done quietly, without a crowd. This shows how dangerous it is to commit to evil plans. If we ever entangle ourselves in sin, we must retreat quickly. The law and our faith both teach that promises to do evil are void and bind us only to repentance. The path of sin leads downward. Once in, people feel they must keep going, and they become clever in planning how to commit sin conveniently. But in the end, those “conveniences” will turn into ruin.