Text -- Luke 22:1-8 (NET)

Judas’ Decision to Betray Jesus

22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 22:2 The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to execute Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. 22:4 He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard how he might betray Jesus, handing him over to them. 22:5 They were delighted and arranged to give him money. 22:6 So Judas agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus when no crowd was present.

The Passover

22:7 Then the day for the feast of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 22:8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us to eat.”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 22:1

¹ sn The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long celebration that followed the day of Passover, so one name was used for both feasts (Exod 12:1-20; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1-8).

NET Notes: Luk 22:2

¹ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

³ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

⁴ tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).

⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.

NET Notes: Luk 22:3

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² sn The cross is portrayed as part of the cosmic battle between Satan and God; see Luke 4:1-13; 11:14-23.

³ tn Grk “Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

NET Notes: Luk 22:4

¹ tn The full title στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ (strathgo" tou Jierou; “officer of the temple” or “captain of the temple guard”) is sometimes shortened to στρατηγός as here (L&N 37.91).

² tn Luke uses this frequent indirect question to make his point (BDF §267.2).

³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk “how he might hand him over to them,” in the sense of “betray him.”

NET Notes: Luk 22:5

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn The leaders were delighted when Judas contacted them about betraying Jesus, because it gave them the opportunity they had been looking for, and they could later claim that Jesus had been betrayed by one of his own disciples.

³ sn Matt 26:15 states the amount of money they gave Judas was thirty pieces of silver (see also Matt 27:3-4; Zech 11:12-13).

NET Notes: Luk 22:6

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the arrangement worked out in the preceding verse.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Grk “betray him to them”; the referent of the first pronoun (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk “apart from the crowd.”

sn The leaders wanted to do this quietly, when no crowd was present, so no public uproar would result (cf. v. 21:38; 22:2).

NET Notes: Luk 22:7

¹ tn The words “for the feast” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

² sn Generally the feast of Unleavened Bread would refer to Nisan 15 (Friday), but the following reference to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb indicates that Nisan 14 (Thursday) was what Luke had in mind (Nisan = March 27 to April 25). The celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted eight days, beginning with the Passover meal. The celebrations were so close together that at times the names of both were used interchangeably.

NET Notes: Luk 22:8

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 22:14). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.

³ tn Grk “for us, so that we may eat.”