Here the word "then" probably identifies a logical connection with what preceded. [1] Evidently Judas made these plans the same day that Jesus predicted His crucifixion in two days, namely, on Wednesday ( Matthew 26:1-5). None of the evangelists recorded Judas" motives for betraying Jesus, but Judas may have taken offense at Jesus" rebuke on the previous Saturday evening ( Matthew 26:10-13). Perhaps the fact that Jesus permitted Mary"s extravagant act without rebuke convinced him that Jesus was not the Messiah. [2] This may have been part of his motivation. The chief priests were the clerical leaders of Israel. They were able to do Jesus in. [source][source][source]
The30 pieces of silver they agreed to pay Judas were a paltry sum and fulfilled Zechariah 11:12. The amount constituted a month"s wages, if the silver pieces were denarii, which seems likely. [3] Matthew did not refer to this as a fulfillment of prophecy here, but he did later in Matthew 27:9-10. Nevertheless he was careful to make the verbal correspondence with the Zechariah passage close here. [4] This was the price an Israelite had to pay his neighbor if his ox accidentally gored his neighbor"s slave to death ( Exodus 21:32). This small amount of money shows the light esteem with which the chief priests and Judas regarded Jesus (cf. Isaiah 53:3). [source][source][source]
". . . tragically, Judas, in selling his services to the chief priests to betray Jesus, unwittingly acts in a manner that is the exact opposite of "servanthood": Jesus is the servant par excellence, for he delivers himself to death in order that others might gain life; by contrast, Judas delivers Jesus to death in order that he might gain advantage for himself ..." [5][source]