When they heard it, they rejoiced and promised to give him money. And Judas was looking for a suitable opportunity to betray Jesus.
The joy of the chief priests reveals the evil of their heart: they rejoice not in the truth, but in the possibility of betrayal. The money promised to Judas exposes his inner attachment to profit. He who had seen the priceless glory of Christ and heard His words agreed to hand Him over in exchange for money. Probably disappointment had already ripened in Judas’s heart, because he saw that Christ’s kingdom was not coming in the way he imagined, with earthly power, glory, and an advantageous position. The phrase “was seeking an opportunity” shows the cold and calculated course of sin: sin is sometimes not a sudden stumble, but a decision long matured in the heart. Yet even this betrayal could not thwart God’s saving plan: what people were doing with evil, God in His providence included within the fulfillment of the mystery of salvation.