A Mind Made Up

The second half of today’s passage—taken from the Gospel of Matthew—presents a different writer’s account of the same event recounted by John in yesterday’s Gospel passage. In it, Jesus announces to the twelve that one of them will soon betray him, and the disciples immediately begin to question both Jesus and themselves as to who it will be. I enjoy comparing and contrasting different Gospel writers’ recounting of the same occurrence, be it the accounts of Jesus’s birth, the Passover feast and sequential steps that comprise the Passion, or others (for the record, I find John’s account to be more detailed and dramatic than Matthew’s version when I engage in imaginative prayer on these respective passages).

The most striking and thought-provoking part of today’s Gospel for me was the very beginning part of the passage, though: Judas goes to the chief priests and asks them how much they will pay him if he hands over Jesus. Matthew writes that they pay him 30 pieces of silver at that time. This must have been a satisfactory amount for Judas, for Matthew continues by writing, “from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.”

Was there an amount that would not have been satisfactory to Judas? Would he have declined an offer of 10 pieces? 5 pieces? My gut says no, because it was not truly about the money. I believe Judas had already decided to turn in Jesus no matter the amount offered (but what if I’m wrong? What would have happened next if no deal had been reached?). When I relate this negotiation between Judas and the chief priests to my own life, how often do I decide to do something—good or bad—before weighing the offer(s), repercussion(s) or possible outcome(s)? How often is my mind so made up on something that I’m blind to these factors that could or should influence the decision? When is this okay and when is this not advisable?

Perhaps the mark of an impactful Gospel passage is that it prompts more questions than it provides answers.

Author: Seth Waits, Language Department