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Mark 14:11
ESV And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
NIV They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
NASB They were delighted when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
CSB And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
NLT They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
KJV And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
NKJV And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

What does Mark 14:11 mean?

Judas has approached the chief priests to offer his services in bringing Jesus to them. The Jewish leadership has wanted to destroy Jesus since the beginning of His ministry. The Pharisees and Herodians, who otherwise have nothing in common, joined their efforts after Jesus flaunted His freedom during the Sabbath (Mark 3:6). The chief priests and the scribes allied with them after Jesus cleaned out the temple (Mark 11:18). But it was Herod the Great who first tried to kill Jesus. He murdered all the baby boys in Bethlehem to do it, but Joseph and Mary had already fled with Jesus to Egypt (Matthew 2:13–18).

Herod was the first of many who actively tried to kill Jesus. The people of Jesus' hometown, Nazareth, were of one accord when they tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:28–30). Twice, Jesus escaped the Jewish leaders who attempted to stone Him in Jerusalem (John 8:59; 10:31). Lately, however, Jesus has become too popular to kill. The way He heals (Mark 1:34; 3:10) and feeds (Mark 6:30–44; 8:1–10) people as well as expels demons (Mark 1:34, 39; 3:11; 9:25) has gained Jesus a great amount of popular support. People also love the way He exposes the foolishness of the teaching of the so-called religious experts (Mark 12).

This makes arresting Jesus difficult. The Jewish leadership finds it convenient that Jesus has come to their home turf, where they can manipulate the Roman governor into executing Jesus, but this Passover season has also brought an influx of Jesus' supporters from His home province of Galilee. If the Jewish leaders try to arrest Jesus in public, the Galileans may lead the Jews of Judea into a revolt (Mark 14:1–2). And if the Jews revolt, the Roman army will respond with extreme prejudice. The Jewish leadership needs to arrest Jesus when He is relatively unprotected (Luke 22:6).

While the Jewish leaders want to get rid of Jesus to maintain their position, authority, and influence, Judas' motivation is more banal: he wants money (Matthew 26:15). He manages the disciples' finances, which gives him ample opportunity to steal (John 12:6), but he has recently seen Jesus endorse the wasteful use of very expensive perfume wages (John 12:5; Mark 14:5). Perhaps realizing that Jesus will never become a worldly political leader, Judas is determined to make money off of Jesus one way or another.
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Context Summary
Mark 14:10–11 comes after Judas has watched Jesus approve the ''waste'' of at least a year's wages worth of perfume, and maybe two. Judas is no longer content stealing from the disciples' moneybags (John 12:6). He's ready for a bigger pay-out, even if he must betray Jesus to get it. Fortunately for him, the Jewish leadership has deep pockets and a strong need for what Judas can give: access to Jesus away from the crowds. The clandestine meeting is also found in Matthew 26:14–16 and Luke 22:3–6.
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Chapter Context
Jesus is anointed in a symbolic anticipation of His death. Judas decides to secretly cooperate with local religious leaders to arrest Jesus in secret. During the Passover meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas, and Peter's denial. He also institutes the Lord's Supper, also known as communion. After praying on the Mount of Olives, Jesus is captured when Judas identifies Him to a hostile mob sent by Jewish authorities. He endures a corrupt, prejudiced trial, ending in a conviction for blasphemy. Peter, fearing for his life, lies about knowing Jesus, before remembering Jesus' prediction and breaking down in sobs.
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