John Gill Commentary Luke 22

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh Which lasted seven days; during which the Jews eat their bread without leaven, in commemoration of the haste in which they went out of Egypt; being such, that they had not time to leaven their dough, but took it with their kneadingtroughs along with them, as it was; and as figurative of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, with which the Gospel feast is to be kept; see (Exodus 12:34) (1 Corinthians 5:8) .

Which is called the passover ; because the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites, when he slew all the firstborn in Egypt; now the time of this feast drew near, when the conspiracy was formed against the life of Christ: Matthew and Mark are more precise, and suggest, that it was two days before the passover; see (Matthew 26:2) (Mark 14:1) .

And the chief priests and Scribes
Matthew adds, "and the elders of the people"; which made up the great sanhedrim and council of the nation; these met together, not in their usual place the temple, but at the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest; see (Matthew 24:3).

And sought how they might kill him ;
that is, "Jesus", as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read; they had determined before, upon the advice of Caiaphas, to put him to death, and very likely had fixed what kind of death he should die; see (John 11:49John 11:50John 11:53) and now they consult together, of the manner of bringing it about, and at what time; and the majority were not for doing it on a feast day, when there was a great concourse of people, but with more privacy:

for they feared the people :
which were now in great multitudes with him, who came along with him, from Galilee, and other parts; and had hosanna'd him into the city, and still abode with him, and their numbers were increasing; and the sanhedrim were aware, that at the passover there would be still a greater company of people from all parts of the land; and they might conclude, that he would have a large number of his friends come out of Galilee, where he had been for the most part teaching, and working miracles; and they were afraid, should they lay hold on him publicly, the people would rise and stone them; at least would rescue him out of their hands, and disappoint them of their designs.

Then entered Satan into Judas

At the same time that the sanhedrim were sitting, and consulting about the death of Christ, Satan, or the adversary, as the word signifies, the devil, who is the enemy of the Messiah, the woman's seed, entered into Judas; not corporeally, as he did into those that were possessed by him; but he entered "into his heart", as the Ethiopic version renders it; he put it into his heart to betray him, as it is said in (John 13:2) he stirred up, and worked upon the corruptions of his heart; suggested evil things to his mind, and baited his temptations agreeable to his malice and covetousness.

And this man was surnamed Iscariot; to distinguish him from another apostle of the same name; concerning this his surname, (See Gill on Matthew 10:4), (See Gill on John 13:2).

Being of the number of the twelve; apostles, or disciples of Jesus, as the Persic version reads, and which is an aggravation of his sin.

Now this being two days before the passover, shows, that the sop which Judas took, after which the devil entered into him, (John 13:27) could not be the passover sop, but was the sop he ate at the supper in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, so long before it.

And he went his way
From Christ, and the rest of the apostles, out of Bethany; and when it was night, about two miles from Jerusalem, where he went directly: and communed with the chief priests and captains ;
that is, of the temple, as in (Luke 22:52) and so the Persic version reads, "the militia of the temple"; and the Syriac version renders it, "the captains of the militia of the temple"; instead of captains, the Ethiopic version, reads "Scribes", and so does the Arabic, and which, adds, "and the soldiers"; but these captains were not Roman officers, or soldiers, but ecclesiastical persons, who presided in the temple, and were heads and governors, over bodies of men employed there, of which sort were the following ^F9 :

there were fifteen, (Nynwmm) , presidents, or governors in the sanctuary, and so they were appointed for ever over each of these fifteen things, one governor; and they are these: one was over the times, or solemn seasons; the second, over the shutting of the gates: the third, over those that kept watch; the fourth, over the singers; the fifth, over the cymbal, with the rest of the singing instruments; the sixth, over the lots; the seventh over the nests (of doves); the eighth, over the seals, or tickets; the ninth, over the drink offerings; the tenth, over the sick (priests); the eleventh, over the waters; the twelfth, over the business of the shewbread; the thirteenth, over the business of the incense; the fourteenth, over the business of the vail; and the fifteenth, over the business of the priests' garments; and every one of these governors had under him "abundance of men", that so they might prepare the business they presided over.''

These seem rather to be meant, than the watch in the temple; which, though kept in several places, there was but one single person that presided over it; as appears from the above account, and from what follows; and who was called the man of the mountain of the house, or the governor of the temple ^F11 : ``in three places the priests kept watch in the sanctuary, in the house of Abtines, and in the house of Nitzotz, and in the house of Moked, and the Levites in twenty and one places--the man of the mountain of the house, went round every ward with torches burning before him, and every one that was not standing, he said unto him, peace be on you; and if he found he was asleep, he struck him with his staff, and had power to burn his garments.''

From which it does not appear to me, that there were heads or captains over every ward, as Dr. Lightfoot suggests, but one over them all; perhaps these captains may be the same with the governors of the temple, as in 1 Esdras: And Helkias, Zacharias, and Syelus, the governors of the temple, gave to the priests for the passover two thousand and six hundred sheep, and three hundred calves.

Did very carefully oversee the holy works, assisting the ancients of the Jews and governors of the temple. But be these who they will, Judas it seems was informed where, and upon what they were met together, and he went to them, and conversed with them: how he might betray him unto them ;
in the most secret manner, and with, the least noise and disturbance.

FOOTNOTES:

• F9: Maimon. Hilch. Cele Hamikdash, c. 7. sect. 1, 2. Misu. Shekalim, c. 5. sect. 1, 2.
• F11: Misn. Middot, c. 1. sect. 1, 2.

And they were glad For nothing could be more opportune and agreeable to them, than that one of his disciples should meet them at this juncture, and offer to put him into their hands in the most private manner;

and covenanted to give him money . The Ethiopic version reads, "thirty pieces of silver"; which was the sum they agreed to give him, and he accepted of; see (Matthew 26:15) .