Luke 22:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.

NIV: And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.

NASB: And he left and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he was to betray Him to them.

CSB: He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand him over to them.

NLT: and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.

KJV: And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.

NKJV: So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.

Possessed by Satan (Luke 22:3), Judas intentionally seeks out the chief priests for the purpose of betraying Jesus for money. The priests had no idea how to get to Jesus without facing an angry crowd. They are glad for this help, promising to pay Judas thirty pieces of silver. Judas coordinates with the temple guard as to when and where they will find Jesus apart from the people who would defend Him (Matthew 26:15–16; Mark 14:10–11; Luke 22:5–6).

It's unclear what Judas thinks will happen to Jesus. He seems to have no problem betraying Jesus and watching Him be arrested. Yet when he realizes Jesus' fate, he throws back the money and hangs himself (Matthew 27:3–10). Judas chooses to betray Jesus; it's possible that his possession by Satan was a catalyst to push Judas to do what he'd already decided to do without thinking too much about it.

Judas's name is ironic. "Judas" is taken from "Judah" which means "to throw out a hand in an exclamation of praise." Psalm 55:20–21 describes him in a different way:

My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.

Most priests are Sadducees and descendants of priestly families who supported Herod the Great and escaped his paranoid persecution. The leader of the temple guard is also a Sadducee. His position comes with a reputation for power and cruelty. The temple guard itself is made of Levites; they are not Roman soldiers.

In Luke 22:1–2, the Sanhedrin prepares for Jesus' arrest. In Luke 22:3–6, Judas prepares for his betrayal. Next, Jesus will prepare for the Passover meal (Luke 22:7–13). Luke 22:1–2 is essentially a restatement of Luke 19:47–48 and a continuation of Luke 21:37–38. The leaders have lacked a secret place to capture Jesus, where crowds cannot object. Judas's betrayal is what they need. Judas will lead them to Jesus in the quiet dark of night, away from the public. Matthew and Mark also record this turn of events (Matthew 26:1–5, 14–16; Mark 14:1–2, 10–11).

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.