The Last Night
and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the people. Luke 22:2 · Berean Standard Bible
The religious leaders desperately wanted Jesus dead but were afraid of the people who loved Him. They needed a sneaky way to make it happen.
This shows the cowardice behind the plot — they didn't dare move openly because the crowds adored Jesus.
Luke reveals the scheming hearts of the powerful, showing that their opposition to Jesus was driven by fear and calculation, not justice.
Behind closed doors, the most powerful religious figures in Israel were plotting murder. But they had a problem: Jesus was too popular. They couldn't just arrest Him in broad daylight without risking a riot. They needed an inside man — and one was about to volunteer.
The chief priests and grammateis (scribes) seek (ezētoun) a way to anelōsin (destroy/kill) Jesus, but they fear (ephobounto) the laon (people). The imperfect tense indicates ongoing, persistent plotting.
This verse reveals the paradox driving the conspiracy: the religious authorities have the desire and authority to act but lack opportunity due to Jesus' popularity, necessitating the treachery described in verses 3-6.
Luke narrates the murderous intent of Israel's religious leadership, constrained only by political calculation rather than moral conviction.
The religious establishment had decided Jesus must die, but they were trapped by His popularity. They kept looking for a method that wouldn't provoke a public uprising — a dilemma solved only when one of Jesus' own disciples offered to help.
1Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,
2and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the people.
3Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve.
4And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them.
Read all of Luke 22 — The upper room, a betrayer's kiss, a servant's ear, and Peter's denial by firelight. The longest night in history begins.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad