And he said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” And they paid him thirty silver coins.
This statement reveals the deep extent of Judas’s betrayal. He himself is the one who proposes to sell the Lord, on his own initiative. The question, “What are you willing to give me,” shows the condition of his heart: love for Jesus had been replaced by the calculation of profit. Judas had already lost within himself the spirit of faith and discipleship, viewing Christ not as Lord, but as an opportunity. The chief priests give him thirty silver coins, the very amount that in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:32) is mentioned as the price set for a slave. In a prophetic way, the word of prophecy is also fulfilled, according to what is said in Zechariah 11:12: “And I said to them, ‘If it seems good in your eyes, give me my wages; but if not, refuse.’ And they weighed out my wages—thirty shekels of silver.” The wages for Jesus—the price of the Savior of mankind—becomes the price of a slave. This is a painful picture, when divine love is valued with money. Judas’s step shows that when the heart loses the light of its faith, even a small material gain becomes the cause of spiritual loss. This statement suggests that it was not the chief priests who were buying Jesus, but Judas, who by his own will—selling himself to Satan—sold Jesus.