The Untold Story of Judas Iscariot

A price tag can look small until it’s tied to your soul. We walk verse by verse through Matthew 26 to uncover how a private plot formed in Caiaphas’s palace while Jesus openly declared the cross on Passover, and why that timing was never in the hands of anxious leaders. Along the way, we explore the unnerving truth that someone can travel with Christ, preach his kingdom, and still trade him away for thirty coins—proof that proximity is not loyalty.

We dig into three anchoring insights. First, Jesus sees what’s hidden: he names betrayal before it’s set, reads hearts like open books, and uses exposure as mercy. Second, Jesus is in charge of timing: prophecy, Passover, and the arc of redemption converge with precision, reminding us to align our calendars with his call rather than our control. Third, the Judas story warns that a religious resume can mask a divided heart; greed, convenience, and quiet compromise can turn devotion into a bargaining chip.

To ground these themes, we connect Scripture with lived history—Nathanael’s surprise under the fig tree, healing at Bethesda arriving on cue, and moments in mission where provision met obedience right on time. We also confront the modern “price of betrayal,” from career gains that mute conviction to comforts that trade away prayer and presence. Practical takeaways include examining hidden motives, practicing generous detachment, choosing service to the unnoticed, and embracing holy patience that trusts God’s pace.

We close with a simple prayer of surrender and faith-filled declarations, not as spectacle but as a way to train our hearts toward durable loyalty. If you’re ready to move beyond surface closeness and cultivate a faith that holds when tested, press play and journey with us. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs courage for a hard choice, and leave a review to help more people find hope and truth.

Join Dr. Novella Springette as she conducts in depth analysis of Scripture to help us to grown in Christian Discipleship

Transcript

The Question Of Loyalty

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Are we truly loyal to Jesus? Imagine spending three years with Jesus, seeing the miracles, hearing the teaching, and still being willing to cash in on his debt. For Judas, thirty pieces of silver became the price of treachery. Five hundred years before this negotiation between Judas and the high priests, the prophet Zechariah identified this exact price tag. Judas didn't lack proximity to Jesus. What was missing was loyalty to Jesus. That's what makes this so sobering. It's possible to sit at Jesus' table and still sell him out. Matthew 26, 1 to 5 and 14 to 16 pull back the curtains and a chilling plan to eliminate Jesus. It also reveals the moment Jesus began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Today we are going to walk to this passage verse by verse and uncover three truths. One, Jesus sees what's hidden. Two, Jesus is in charge of timing. Three, we can be close to Jesus outwardly and still far from him inwardly. We are not just going to analyze this passage. We will internalize the message of this scripture so that we remain loyal to Jesus. Like the Apostle Paul, we will be able to say at the end of our time here on earth that we have fought the good fight. We have finished the race, we have kept the faith. The crown of righteousness awaits us. Stick with me as we discuss the scripture verse by verse. While the leaders are plotting in secret and Judas is negotiating in private, there is one person in this story who is never in the dark. This brings us to a first truth. Jesus sees what's hidden. Are we cognizant of the fact that Jesus knows everything about everything? Verse 1 tells us that Jesus switches from speaking to the crowd who was following him to an intimate conversation with his disciples. Jesus' last lecture to the multitude provided information on what steps must be taken to make heaven our home. In order to do so we must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, minister to the sick, and visit those who are in prison. We are to perform these acts to the least of those among us, as when we do so we minister to Jesus. Are we ministering to Jesus? In verse 2, Jesus informs the disciples that in two days when the Passover occurs, he will be handed over to be crucified. Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man, which is the title that is reserved for the Messiah. In those days, crucifixion was the worst possible form of death. It was reserved for the worst criminals. The Romans did not invent crucifixion, but they perfected it. The English word excruciating comes from the Roman word for out of the cross. Do we really understand the price Jesus paid for our salvation? Verses 3 to 4 tells us that the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest whose name was Caiphus. According to Moses' law, the position of high priest was hereditary and was to be passed on from father to son. All high priests had to be descended from Aaron. The position was for life. However, the Romans did away with that practice and appointed whoever they felt like as high priests. Chirenius, governor of Syria, appointed Annas as high priest in 7 AD. Annas sentenced a man to death in 14 AD. As a result, the Roman governor had Annas removed from the post of high priest. Five of Anas' sons then held the office of high priest in succession. Eliezer, Jonathan, Theophilus, Matthias, and Ananus. None of them lasted very long. Next, Joseph Caiphus, Anis' son-in-law, was given the position. Caiphus filled the role of high priest from AD 18 to AD 36, a span of 18 years. Over the course of 100 years, the Romans appointed 28 high priests. Caiphus lasted longer than any of the others in the role. In this passage, it is at Caiphus's palace that the chief priests and the elders have congregated. They have assembled at the home of the most senior religious person in all of Judea, the high priest, to concoct the plot to assassinate Jesus. However, prior to them doing so, Jesus had already informed the disciples of this scheme. Let us reflect on the truth that there is nothing hidden from Jesus. The New Testament is replete with innumerable stories of Jesus being the all-knowing one. In John 1, 43-50, we are told the story of Philip enthusiastically encouraging Nathaniel to come and meet the Messiah, the one who the prophets predicted, Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph. Nathanael accompanied Philip to meet Jesus and was overwhelmed when Jesus complimented him as being an Israelite in whom there was no guile. Nathanael asked Jesus how he could possibly have any information about him. Jesus informed Nathaniel that he saw him on the fig tree before Philip called to him. Nathanael was shocked at Jesus having knowledge of his prior location. Nathanael then worshiped Jesus and declared that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. Are we aware that there are no secrets when it comes to God? Christian history is replete with stories of God granting revelations of future events to save God his people. When Isabel Kuhn was preparing to go to the Moody Institute to study, she sought advice from James Fraser, who was a missionary to China. James Fraser gave Isabel some advice that she considered to be rather strange at that point in time. James told her that after she made it to Bible school, she might receive a telegram stating that her parent is ill and she should come home immediately. As her parents were in Vancouver, Canada, and she would be studying in Chicago, this would be a severe interruption to her studies. This was 1924 and transportation was neither quick nor reliable. James advised her that instead of rushing home, she should check with a Christian who was located close to her parents' home. This person would investigate the seriousness of the matter and advise her as to whether or not she should make the journey. A couple of years later, while Beth was studying at college, she received a telegram from her brother. It stated that her father had been critically injured in an elevator accident and demanded that she return home at once. Beth followed James Fraser's prior directions and asked a Christian who was residing in Vancouver to look into the matter for her. She next received a telegram that said her father was improving and wanted her to stay with her studies. Several years before this incident, God had given her the instructions that she needed to follow. Betty had been saved from making an unnecessary trip halfway across the North American continent. Have we received a glimpse of our future? Verse 5 tells us that the chief priests and elders of the people gathered to conspire to assassinate Jesus. They determined that they would not do so during the Passover, as that might cause the people to riot. Prior to these religious leaders concocting their plot, Jesus had informed his disciples that in two days he would be crucified during the Passover. The chief priests and the elders lacked the authority to determine the timing of Jesus' demise. No one was taking Jesus' life. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. He had to die during Passover. This brings us to a second truth that Jesus is in charge of timing. Is Jesus ordering our steps? These senior religious people wanted to wait until after the Passover to implement their scheme as they did not wish to antagonize the Romans. The Romans did not want any uprising. They wanted peace and quiet throughout the Passover. At one point the Roman governor Cestius took a census of how many lambs were sacrificed during Passover. The number was 256,500 lambs. The ratio according to Moses' law was that one lamb should be sacrificed for every ten persons. Based on that formula, that meant there were approximately two and three-quarter million people in Jerusalem to observe the Passover. Many of these pilgrims would be coming from Galilee. It was in Galilee that Jesus had spent most of his time doing good, healing the sick, raising the dead. These Galileans would not have taken kindly to Jesus being abused by the high priest and his cohorts. These schemers decided to wait until after the Passover, as by then the Galileans would have left town. History documents that this plan came to naught as Jesus was crucified during the Passover. Are we aware that God is in charge of timing? The New Testament records many examples of Jesus' excellent sense of timing. In John 5 we are told that there was in Jerusalem near the sheep gate a pool which in Aramic is called Bethesda. An angel came down on occasion to stir the waters of this pool. While the angel was engaged in this activity, anyone who could make it into the pool would then receive their healing. As a result, a great number of disabled people, the blind, the lame, the paralyzed, took up permanent residence around the pool. A man who had been paralyzed for 38 years, had been lying beside a pool, but had not succeeded in obtaining his healing. Jesus showed up and asked him if he wanted to be healed. He explained to Jesus that he had no one to help him, and while he was trying to get to the pool, others would get there ahead of him. Jesus then told this disabled man to arise, pick up his mat and walk. This man did not quibble, question, or ponder. He got up, picked up his mat, and was healed instantly. Jesus' timing is impeccable. Have we proven God to always be right on time? Christian history provides outstanding examples of those who have experienced God's incredible sense of timing. Around 1876, Mary Slesser became the first European woman to venture into the interior of Africa to serve as a missionary. Everyone told her not to go, as she would surely be killed by the tribes of the interior. In response, Mary Slesser stated that God was calling her to that area. Mary Slesser made her way to the Okoyong despite the misgivings of the other missionaries. After living with the tribes, providing medical expertise and educational opportunities, she won their trust. The African tribe at Kenje then showed their appreciation by building a compound of beautiful homes for Mary and the children she was taking care of. There were even holes in the walls for windows and doors. Mary wrote to her home church in Scotland to ask if anyone would be willing to come to Africa to install the doors and windows. In July 1889, Mr. Charles Ovens came from Scotland to the African interior to fulfill this task. He then went on to build a large home for Mary and the children. The bedrooms were upstairs. The kitchen and living room were downstairs. Charles Ovens had been sent by God to meet the needs of Mary and her growing family. Let us reflect on the truth that God is never early, never late. God is always right on time. Judas was present when Jesus fed 5,000 plus persons with five loaves and two fishes. He was also present when the ten lepers were healed. Judas had been part of Jesus' ministry for three years. He was one of the twelve disciples Jesus personally chose. Judas and the other disciples had traveled in peers to the towns of Israel. There they had preached that the kingdom of heaven is near, healed the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Verses 14 to 16 informs us that the same disciple, Judas Iscariot, approached the chief priests to negotiate the price of delivering Jesus into their hands. In Luke's account of this story, he notes that prior to Judas taking this step, Satan entered into Judas. This brings us to our third truth. We can be close to Jesus outwardly and still far from him inwardly. Do we have a price at which we would betray Jesus? The chief priest and his fellow conspirators were not sure how to implement their plan to murder Jesus. However, to their seemingly great fortune, one of Jesus' own disciples offered to assist them in their evil. An insiders such as Judas would know Jesus' patterns and be able to inform on his movements. Scripture implies that the chief priests and Judas haggled over the value of the treachery and was finally settled at 30 pieces of silver. This was the fulfillment of prophecy. Five hundred years before Jesus came on the scene, Zechariah prophesied that the price of Jesus' betrayal would be 30 pieces of silver. Historians believe that the currency that the high priest and his conspirators used to pay Judas was a Tyrian shekel. 30 Tyrian shekels were roughly 100 days wages. Today, 100 days pay based on the US Bureau of Labor statistics, average wages for the second quarter of 2025 comes approximately$28,704. This covers the cash purchase of the 2026 Honda Accord, which has a manufactured suggested retail price of$28,395 for the base LX model. Would we betray Jesus for a brand new Honda Accord? Scripture provides us with examples of how the pursuit of wealth can undermine one's faith. In 2 Kings 5, 1 to 15, we are told the story of Naaman. Naaman was a chief military officer in Syria at a time when Syria was one of Israel's biggest enemies. The title that is given here to Naaman in 2 Kings 5 of Mighty Man of Valor was also given to Gideon, Jeptah, David, Jeroboam, and Eliadad. These men were mighty warriors who distinguished themselves in the history of Israel. Naaman is the only Gentile in the Old Testament who received such a grand title. Naaman contracted leprosy, which was a death sentence in those days. However, his Israelite maid told his wife that the prophet in Israel would be able to secure Naaman's healing. Naaman left for Israel to acquire this miracle, bearing incredible gifts. Naaman took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. This converts to 750 pounds of silver, which at today's 2026 prices would be worth about 767,800. Additionally, this amounted to 150 pounds of gold, which at today's 2026 prices will be worth approximately 11,487,150. The ten sets of garments were surely garments fit for a king. After Naaman had interacted with the prophet Elijah and received his healing, he attempted to give all of this treasure to Elijah. Elijah did not take any of it. However, after Naaman's Started his journey back to Syria. Elijah's servant Gehazi came to the conclusion that Elijah had to be mad to refuse such wealth. Elijah's servant ran after Naaman and lied to Naaman. He stated that Elisha had changed his mind and would like some of the items. Naaman gladly gave Gehazi double what he was asking for. Gehazi took the riches he had received from Naaman and stacked them away in the house. Gehazi then went to stand in front of his master. Elijah asked Gehazi if he had been anywhere. Once again Gehazi lied and stated that he had never left the house. Elijah informed Gehazi that for his duplicity Naaman's leprosy would cling to him and his descendants forever. Gehazi then went from Elijah's presence. His skin was leprous and had become as white as snow. Are we aware that treachery carries a steep price? Recent history also provides pertinent examples of betrayal. Indira Gandhi was the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of India. On the morning of October 31st, 1984, Indira Gandhi was following her normal daily routine at her official residence in New Delhi. She had a scheduled interview that there with Peter Ostinov, who was gathering material for documentary. At approximately 9:20 a.m., Indira Gandhi left her official residence and began walking through the garden toward her adjoining office where the interview was to take place. As she approached a small gate along the pathway, she was greeted by two of her bodyguards who were stationed there. These men were part of her regular security detail. When she was only a few feet away, these two men opened fire on her. Indira Gandhi's assassination followed Operation Blue Star in June 1984. This was a military operation she ordered to remove armed militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sikism's holiest shrine. The operation deeply angered many Sikhs. Indira Gandhi's assassins were Sikhs who viewed their act as retaliation. These men were trusted members of her inner security detail and were sworn to protect her. Only those who are close to Indira Gandhi could have committed this highness act. Is there anything that could move us to lose our loyalty to Jesus? We started by asking if we are truly loyal to Jesus. This passage reveals three important truths. One, Jesus sees what's hidden. Two, Jesus is in charge of timing. Three, we can be close to Jesus outwardly and still far from him inwardly. Having analyzed this passage, we have also internalized the message of this passage so that we can remain loyal to Jesus. Like the apostle Paul, we'll be able to say at the end of our time here on earth that we have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, we have kept the faith. Before you go, if this message spoke to you, like this podcast and subscribe so you don't miss what God is doing here at Catch on Fire Podcasts. If you are ready for real change, take a moment right now to pray with me. Jesus, I give you my life. Lead me, forgive me, and make me new. If you pray that, welcome to the family. Follow along, stay connected, and let's walk this walk together. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand. We are still in God's holy plan. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as God requires. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so we are ministering to Jesus. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed. From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled. Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and is being over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed. Our enemies have not and never will triumph over us. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress, and our well-being is immediately destroyed. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such we are lenders and not borrowers. As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reaped a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living under an open heaven in every area of our lives. Blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones. These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical. Let's repeat the 23rd Psalm together. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea do I walk to the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.