The betrayal plot
The Jewish leaders met with the high priest, called Caiaphas, and made a plot to capture Jesus and kill him. But they didn’t want a riot among the people during the Passover.
Then one of Jesus’ disciples came to them with a deal.
More
The Jewish leaders were the chief priests and the elders of the people.
They didn’t like Jesus because he spoke against them and claimed to be God’s Son. He spoke about forgiveness and they thought this was blasphemy, since only God can forgive.
They were desperate to catch Jesus out with things he said and they looked for any excuse to accuse him.
Who betrayed Jesus?
One of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrayed him.
He knew that the leaders wanted to arrest Jesus and he may have been angry after an incident in the town of Bethany.
A woman had poured very expensive perfume over Jesus and some complained that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus answered that she poured perfume on him to prepare for his burial.
Judas cared more about the money and after that he offered to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Dig deeper
Judas had been one of Jesus’ disciples for three years and had seen the miracles and listened to his teaching. But he was greedy and was willing to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
After Jesus was condemned, Judas was ashamed and gave back the money to the chief priests and elders. He was so filled with remorse that he went out and hanged himself because of what he had done.
The Bible says
Matthew 28:3-5, 14-16
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. ‘But not during the Feast,’ they said, ‘or there may be a riot among the people.’
Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.