“When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ‘As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’” (Matthew 26:1–2 NLT)

At the same time Jesus was breaking the news of His imminent death to His disciples, the leading priests and elders plotting His death were trying to work around a snag in their plans. Jesus was still popular with the Jewish people. (Their meeting was taking place only three days after Jesus’ triumphant arrival on Palm Sunday.)

Complicating things even further was the fact that Passover was one of the holiest celebrations on the Jewish calendar. Executing someone many people believed to be the Messiah during Passover was a good way to start a riot.

And a riot was the last thing the Jewish religious leaders wanted. Their goal was to maintain the status quo. The Romans were extremely tolerant of Jewish worship practices. Roman leaders understood that respecting the religious traditions and customs of conquered territories promoted stability in the empire. As long as things remained peaceful and orderly—and taxes were paid, of course—the Romans were content to let the Jewish priests and elders lead as they saw fit.

Jesus threatened not only the status quo with Rome but also the leadership of the priests and elders. Throughout His ministry, He challenged their authority and exposed their hypocrisy. As He neared the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus became bolder in His challenges. He was forcing their hand so that they had no choice but to kill Him.

Their task was made easier by the help of someone in Jesus’ inner circle. “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, ‘How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?’ And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus” (Matthew 26:14–16 NLT).

The Bible doesn’t say why Judas betrayed Jesus—only that “Satan entered into” him. What we do know is that Judas regretted his decision. When he heard that Jesus had been condemned to death, he hanged himself. The blood money he received was used to buy a potter’s field.

Judas’ betrayal may seem like the ultimate surprise plot twist—the blindside that no one saw coming. But there’s one problem with that interpretation: His betrayal was prophesied centuries before it happened.

David wrote, “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me” (Psalm 41:9 NLT).

The prophet Zechariah wrote, “And I said to them, ‘If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.’ So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord” (Zechariah 11:12–13 NLT).

Everything that led to Jesus’ death on the cross was carefully orchestrated by God. It was all part of His perfect plan of salvation. And it was driven by His amazing love for us.

Reflection question: Why is it sometimes hard to see God’s plan at work?

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