As Passover approaches, the Jewish leaders are determined to kill Jesus, but they cannot act openly because they fear the crowd. Judas, one of the Twelve, then gives them the private opportunity they need, and Luke shows that both human evil and satanic activity are involved in this betrayal.

Luke opens the passion account by placing this scene near the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which he also identifies as the Passover. That detail matters. Passover was Israel’s great festival of redemption, when the nation remembered the Lord’s deliverance from Egypt. So this is more than a date on the calendar. It sets Jesus’ coming death within the larger Gospel pattern of deliverance and prepares us to see its redemptive meaning.

The chief priests and the scribes already know what they want: they want Jesus put to death. Their problem is not uncertainty but opportunity. They fear the people, because Jesus still has public support, and that fear shapes their strategy. They cannot simply seize Him in public without risking unrest and backlash.

At that point Luke takes us deeper into what is happening: Satan entered Judas Iscariot. This should not be explained away as though Luke only means Judas had dark thoughts. He presents real satanic influence. Yet Judas is not a helpless puppet. The passage makes clear that he acts deliberately. He goes to the leaders, discusses the matter with them, agrees to the arrangement, and then looks for the right moment. Satan’s activity is real, and Judas’ guilt is real.

Luke also underscores that Judas was one of the Twelve. That makes the betrayal especially grievous. This is not merely hostility from enemies on the outside, but treachery from within Jesus’ closest circle. Nearness to Jesus, privileged access, and a trusted place among His followers do not, by themselves, guarantee faithfulness.

Judas meets with the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard to discuss how he might hand Jesus over to them. The plot is no longer just hostile intent; it has become a practical plan for arrest. The mention of the temple officers shows that they are working out the actual means of seizing Him.

The leaders are pleased when Judas comes to them because he solves their main problem. He can give them what they need: a way to take Jesus when no crowd is present. Luke mentions payment, but he does not focus on the amount here. His emphasis falls on the agreement itself and on Judas’ willing consent.

Verse 6 gives the practical center of the scene: Judas begins looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus apart from the crowd. That is why his betrayal is so valuable to the authorities. Luke has already told us that they fear the people, and Judas now supplies the answer to that obstacle.

This passage should not be reduced to politics alone, though political fear is clearly part of it. Luke also shows satanic opposition at work. At the same time, satanic influence does not cancel human responsibility. Luke holds both together. Wicked leaders, a willing betrayer, and Satan all play their part as Jesus moves toward the cross.

The Passover setting also prepares the reader for the redemptive meaning of Jesus’ death, which becomes clearer in the verses that follow. His death is not an accident or a sudden collapse of His ministry. It unfolds through real betrayal and real evil, all within the Passover setting that Luke deliberately highlights.

Key Truths: - Passover is an important setting for this plot and prepares for the meaning of Jesus’ death. - The leaders want Jesus killed, but fear of the crowd keeps them from acting openly. - Satan truly enters Judas, yet Judas still acts willingly and remains responsible for his sin. - Judas’ identity as one of the Twelve makes this betrayal an act of treachery from within Jesus’ inner circle. - Judas is valuable to the authorities because he can help them arrest Jesus in secret, away from the crowd.