1: It is likely that a portion of the Sanhedrin was not present for the middle of the night meetings. Besides, the Jewish leaders wanted to make things look as legal as possible. So, in the most rushed official trial they could put together, Jesus was officially condemned that morning.
2: Jesus had to be judged before the Roman authorities now because of the sentence of death passed upon him. The Jews could not lawfully carry out the death penalty. The Romans had to approve.
3: As soon as Judas, who presumably slept well that evening, realized that the Jews had condemned Jesus to death, he changed his plans. In order to understand his bringing of the money back to the chief priests, one must understand a couple of things.
First, the word for ‘repent’ here is not the normal one. It simply indicates that Judas felt remorse or regretted his actions. He realized that things had not gone as he planned. What he planned exactly remains a mystery. Most likely, misunderstanding Christ as the other disciples, like Peter, did, he had thought Jesus would set up his earthly kingdom by force. In this way, Judas may have planned to force Jesus’ hand and get some money from the Jewish authorities at the same time. Or, he may have expected Jesus to escape, as he had at other times. Either is a likely scenario for a thief like Judas. He cared not what happened as long as it was to his benefit.
Secondly, having expected Jesus to remain unhurt, was overcome with guilt. Unlike Jesus, he did not know the final outcome of all this. If Jesus was found innocent before Pilate, Judas could be in trouble. If Jesus was indeed put to death, those who knew Christ might hunt Judas down to kill him. It was blood-guiltiness and all of its attendant dangers that troubled Judas, not true sorrow.
Personal Journal Entry #12021
Prayer Journal Entry #12021
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 5:1-7:25