LECTURE CXV.

LUKE XXII. 1-18.

"Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the passover. 2. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. 3. Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. 5. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. 6. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 7. Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. 9. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10. And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12. And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 14. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16. For I say unto you, will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come."

LUKE commences this chapter with these words: "Now, the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the passover," but in the parallel passage of Matthew (xxvi. 1), we find the time, which is here given only in a general way, noted more exactly by our Lord himself: " And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified."* Of the original institution of the passover, as well as its observance by Christ and his apostles on this occasion, it will be better to speak when we come to the latter part of the passage under consideration. We shall only remark

*See also Mark xiv. 1.

here, that what Jesus had repeatedly alluded to before, he now speaks out with the utmost plainness, namely, that he was to be betrayed and crucified, and that, too, now almost immediately. His thus making his disciples fully aware of what was coming, must have had considerable effect, notwithstanding all their weakness, in preventing them from being altogether discouraged, and from renouncing his name, or rashly hurrying into any improper measures, when he was actually put to death.

"And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him: for they feared the people;" or, as in Matthew, "Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar among the people." The rulers had been long desirous to put Jesus to death; and as public executions generally took place at one of the three great feasts, some of them thought that this would be a proper time for carrying into effect their criminal design against him. They were afraid, however, of the people, many of whom counted him a true prophet; and, therefore, they saw the necessity of proceeding with much caution. Some of them, indeed, gave it as their opinion that no attempt against him should be made "on the feast day," or rather (as there is no word in the original for "day"), "during the festival;" which may mean either the first day, or the whole eight days of the feast. These persons were for waiting till the feast was over, lest the crowd of people then assembled should make an insurrection, to oppose the attempt on Christ's life, or to avenge his death. Others, however, pushed on the measure with more keenness, to whom the rest yielded on finding, in the treachery of Judas, a more inviting opportunity than they expected.

"Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests, and captains, how he might betray him unto them." This Judas, as distinguished from the other Judas, or Jude, had the additional name of Iscariot," or the man of Carioth, which was a small town beyond Jordan.* It was a high aggravation of his crime that he was one of the apostles, for thus he was guilty of

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* See Lecture on Luke vi. 16.

base treachery to the Master who had treated him with confidence and kindness. Herein were fulfilled, in antitype, the words of the Psalmist:* “Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." Our Lord himself, quoting these words of the Psalm,† in this application, adds, "Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he." We are told that "Satan entered into Judas." In illustration of this, the words of the evangelist John (in his account of what is justly, I think, considered by many to have been a supper in Bethany before the passover) should be noticed: "And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him."- "And after the sop, Satan entered into him." Satan entered into Judas, chiefly by the temptation of avarice, to which he was very accessible, for we are assured that he was unfaithful to his trust as treasurer for the common stock of our Lord and his attendants. "He had the bag, and bare what was put therein;” but "he was a thief."§ He was habitually covetous; and now his covetousness urges him on to a most shocking crime. He went, of his own accord, and conversed with "the chief priests;" by whom we are here, as in a preceding verse, to understand either the heads of the different sects of priests, or Annas and Caiaphas, whose anomalous situation was explained when we considered the words in the 2d verse of the 3d chapter: "Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests." He conversed also with "the captains;" that is, probably, those who had the command of the watches of the temple. He consulted with these chief men how he might, most conveniently and safely, deliver Christ up to them. And being a covetous wretch, he resolved to obtain some pecuniary advantage by his treachery. According to Matthew, he expressly put the question to the chief priests, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" It is very deserving of remark, that he did not prove, nor even allege, any crime against Jesus; though, had there been any ground of accusation, he could not have been ignorant of it, and, we may be sure, he would not have neglected to avail himself of it as an excuse for his + John xiii. 18, 19. § John xii. 6.

* Ps. xli. 9.

John xiii. 2, 27. See Josephus, Wars, VI., v. 3. Bishop Pearce, Dr A. Clarke, and especially Lightfoot's Horæ, in locum. The captain of the temple (Acts iv. 1) seems to have been over the whole captains and watches.

treachery. What stronger evidence can there be desired in support of the innocence and excellence of Jesus? No colourable pretext does the traitor show: his own words evince that he was led on solely by the inordinate love of money. And dreadful are the crimes to which that passion instigates many who cherish it.* Without any view to the atrocious crimes of murder and robbery, is not this virtually the sinful question of many a man, "What will ye give me?" or, "What shall I gain by this?" and if he can but secure some worldly gain, he is ready to sacrifice his fidelity to Christ, his conscience, and his hope of heaven. But what folly! "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

The enemies of Jesus were delighted to hear a proposal so well adapted to accomplish their diabolical purpose, and immediately entered into an agreement with Judas: "And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude," or, without tumult. The exact sum of money agreed on is specified in Matthew, namely, "thirty pieces of silver." The pieces of money here meant, appear to have been what were called staters, which were of the same value with shekels; and the shekel, being estimated to have been worth from two shillings and sixpence to three shillings of our money, the sum for which Jesus was sold into the hands of his murderers was from £3, 15s. to £4, 10s.† Two remarkable circumstances are here interwoven-the amazing humiliation of the Son of God, and the fulfilment of the prophecy concerning him. This was the exact price appointed, by the law of Moses, to be paid for a slave, in the following case: "If the ox shall push a man-servant, or a maid-servant," a male or a female slave, so that death ensue, the owner of the ox "shall give unto the master" of the slave "thirty shekels of silver." This may be considered as one striking illustration of the way in which he humbled himself, who, "being in the form of God," " made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant," or (as the word should perhaps be rendered), slave. Thus, too, was

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* "Quid non mortalia pectora cogis

Auri sacra fames ?"-VIRG. En. iii. 56.

+ Prideaux and others.

Exod. xxi. 32.

fulfilled, in antitype, one part of the prophecy in Zechariah (xi. 12, 13): "And I said unto them, If ye think good give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them! And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord." The other part of the prophecy was fulfilled in a subsequent event in the history of Judas. Surely, "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."

Before leaving this part of the passage before us, let us reflect on the view it gives of the agency of Satan on the mind of man. However the idea may be ridiculed by some, and little thought of by others, it is plainly and frequently taught in Scripture, and therefore demands our serious consideration. Of his ineffectual attempts, that which he made on our Saviour in the wilderness is the most remarkable. Among his successful temptations may be noticed, in addition to that on Judas, his beguiling Eve, his standing up against Israel, and provoking David to number the people, and his filling the heart of Ananias to lie unto the Holy Ghost, and keep back part of the price of the land.* We are also taught to consider his attempts, whether successful or not, as of frequent and usual, not of rare occurrence. Unrenewed men are described as "walking according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience;" and we are told that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places;" and that "our adversary, the devil, goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." We cannot explain the manner of his access to the minds of men, any more than that of the Holy Spirit; neither can we certainly distinguish his suggestions from those which arise spontaneously in our breasts; but, to doubt of the reality of his agency, would be infidelity. Let us guard against every temptation, which, bearing his wicked image, may proceed directly from him. Let us remember, that, though he may tempt, he cannot compel us to sin, and therefore, that we sin if we yield to him. Let us 66 put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil:" "above all, taking the * Gen. iii.; 1 Chron. xxi. 1; Acts v. 3.