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CHAPTER XVI Thirty Pieces of Silver
There were six of them, two of the chief priests (members of the Sanhedrin), three scribes and one officer of the Temple guard.
It would be a mistake to infer that such men were always sanctimonious and ceremonial. They were men. Just because they were devoutly religious did not mean that they were not men. It did not mean that they could not drink too much wine. It did not mean that there weren't moments of relaxation and a total dismissal of discipline. Judas heard the visceral laughter as he stood outside the door of Rabbi Asher. Sounds from inside did not strike him as remarkable. Better, perhaps, to approach them in a mood of hilarity than anger, he thought. He also thought about what he was about to do. Strategy. What would he say? How must he couch his words? He must be discretionary and careful. He must be shrewd. And just as his knuckles struck the door, he thought about betrayal--and feared. But only for a moment.
The knock at the door was almost completely obscured by peals of laughter. "Did I hear a knock?" asked one of the men inside. All eyes turned to the door. Nothing. "Who would trouble us during Passover?" said another. "Passover? Yes, it is Passover--I had almost forgot." More laughter. There was a second knock. One of the priests immediately got up to answer the door. On opening it, they saw a nervous man standing in the doorway, hands held in an obsequious manner.
"My name is Judas . . . from the region of Iscariot . . . I am a disciple . . . ah, former disciple of Jesus of Nazareth."
At this, Asher stood. "Judas? I have seen you before, Judas." At first, Asher was incredulous, amazed that one of the Nazarene's disciples would show up at his door. There is a reason for this, he thought. I have heard of this man. I think I know why he is here. "By all means," said Asher, "let him in." Judas shuffled in, bobbing his head in deference to those in high office, smiling appreciation. He stood by the table where the men were sitting. "Did you say, former disciple, Judas? Are you no longer associated with the Galilean Messiah?" His tone was patronizing, mocking.
"No! I am not." This with more self-assurance. His jaw tightened, head rising in tentative defiance.
"Weren't you one of the chosen?" Asher continued. "Did not this respected Rabbi deliberately select you as one of his special . . . apostles?" Muffled snickers of amusement. "Selected to rule one of the twelve tribes of Israel, I believe?" Asher put a finger to his lips tentatively as if he were smugly uncertain of his information. "Yes, I do think I heard that. Tell me, my good man," said the priest generously, "Which tribe is yours?" Loud guffaws from the others. Judas smiled nervously.
"I have information," he said, intensely aware that he was being ridiculed. Asher's eyes narrowed. "I can tell you where to find him," Judas continued.
"And what makes you think we are looking for him?"
It was Judas' turn to laugh. "Do you think I am a fool?" said he in his best sardonic tone. Judas was indeed afraid of these men, but he did his best to conceal it. "I know well that you seek him. I know that you wish to arrest him. I can help you do that."
"And what price do you require for this information? Certainly there is a price; isn't there, Judas?" Quite frankly, this question had not been anticipated by Judas. A fleeting thought, perhaps, had entered his mind that his information was worth money to certain people, but Judas, despite his history of greed and embezzlement, had not seriously considered the possibility of being paid. He wasn't doing this for money! His motivation was something . . . something else. Suddenly, the opportunity of monetary gain was staring him in the face. And, as he said, he was no fool.
"One hundred pieces of silver."
"Surely you jest," laughed Asher. "You could not possibly have information worth that much to us. You are indeed a fool, a silly, arrogant fool! Whatever you have to say to us could not possibly be worth more than a fraction of that sum."
In the few seconds of this dialogue, Judas had been calculating in his mind. He knew that his initial price should be much higher than what he would actually accept. In truth, until Asher had mentioned the possibility of payment, he had been perfectly willing to provide his information for free. Knowing this, he had correctly assessed Asher's willingness to pay.
"Fifty pieces of silver," he said, anticipating that Asher would reject this as well, but the priest had already committed himself to negotiation, and he was now putty in Judas' hands.
"I would not consider it for more than 15," replied the priest. Judas turned as though he would leave. "Wait a moment, my greedy friend. I will give you 20 and not a denarius more."
"I have lowered my price to 50; I have endured your derisive insult and you offer me a paltry 20 pieces of silver?" Judas replied with artificial contempt. He was playing his role. He was good at this and he knew it. Despite Judas's fear of Asher and his cohorts, once the priest had entered into negotiation he had unknowingly entered into his domain. In doing so, he had conceded major leverage. "Priest," said Judas Iscariot boldly, "I will lower my price one last time to 30 pieces of silver, and, more than that, I will lead you to him now. I know exactly where he is. You can accept my generous offer now, or I will go my way."
Asher considered Judas and completely believed that the exchange was over. Judas would not divulge one syllable of his information unless his price was met. "You will guarantee that you will lead us directly to him?"
"I guarantee it."
Asher consulted his friends with a glance and received consenting nods.
"Done."
Thirty pieces of Roman silver; each of them Shekels of Tyre, the only coinage accepted in the Temple. It was the equivalent of about four months' wages for the average worker. For this, had Judas negotiated damnation.
Over the years, I have continued to wonder just what might have triggered betrayal in Judas--what made him available to Satanic manipulation? Nothing, it seemed, was more important to Judas than what he considered the appropriate management of money. He was always conniving, always seeking stratagems by which he could generate greater funds. He was not well liked. This he knew. He was from Judea, the rest of us from Galilee. He never really "fit" with the rest of us. Perhaps, had he approached the group as one of us instead of an outsider in judgment of us, he would have been more favorably looked upon. Instead, he became disagreeable and irritable. Only Jesus would have anything to do with him; and, after a while, even Jesus became distant, or, perhaps more to the point, because of Judas's demeanor and aloofness, he distanced himself from Jesus. Judas became more embittered and more hostile. Ultimately, he rejected us all--especially Jesus. Disillusioned, he sought revenge for what he perceived as rejection. I could relate to his feelings of rejection. I, too, have felt rejection--yet I could never turn my back on my Lord. I could not do what Judas did! Could I?
When Judas had gone from the upper room, we each looked at one another and were quiet. There were the "twelve," now less Judas, Matthias and I. The table was low and square and was almost not large enough for us all to recline comfortably. We were silent for several minutes. Jesus spoke, "Perplexing as it may appear to you, in what Judas is about to do, the Son of Man will be glorified, and God will be glorified as well. God will glorify the Son in himself and will do so very soon. "My friends, we haven't much time left together. I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "Tonight we celebrate Passover. As you know, the first Passover meal was eaten when the firstborn of Israel was spared from the angel of death. Now, you, therefore, are my 'firstborn,' so I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. I want you to know that I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment--when the chosen ones of God are completely delivered--in the home of my Father." Jesus then took a loaf of bread, raised his eyes to heaven and gave thanks to the Father. He then broke it open. His gaze fixed each one of us intently. Then he passed the broken loaf among us. We were too numb to eat or to realize the significance of what he was doing until Jesus said, "Take this bread and eat it. This bread is my body and it is broken for you." He again watched as we each consumed our piece of bread. As I put the dry morsel into my mouth, in my mind I did not comprehend the meaning of what he was saying, but in my heart, I think I did. He then took his cup of wine and lifting his eyes to heaven, he again gave thanks and offered the cup to John and from John to the rest of us. "Take this cup," he said, "and divide it among you. Drink from it, each one of you. Know . . . know that this is my blood. This proclaims a new covenant, which is poured out so that freedom may be given to all enslaved by their own sin." When it reached me, I realized that this is the cup that had touched the lips of Jesus only a moment ago. I drank and in so doing felt cleansed and at absolute union with him. As we were doing this, I began also to realize for the first time that we were not simply observing the Passover that first took place in Egypt. That lamb, that deliverance from the angel of death, was but a precursor of this man, a foretelling of this "Lamb of God," whose sacrifice would deliver us from eternal death, the death of our soul. "Let me tell you," he continued, "I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the house and family of God are manifest." A somber, reflective hush settled over the room. What could any of us say or do after what had just transpired? But after a quiet period, the silence was broken.
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