Matthew 27:6-10

Matthew 27:6-10

… after throwing the silver into the temple, he went away and he hanged himself.  And after the chief priests took the silver, they said, “It is not authorized for us to put this into the temple treasury since the cost is blood.”  And after taking counsel, out of it they purchased the potter’s field into a burial place for foreigners.  Therefore that field was being called the Field of Blood even up to this day.  At that time that which was being spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was being fulfilled while saying, “And they took thirty pieces of silver – they determined the cost of that which has been determined from the sons of Israel – and they gave it into the potter’s field just as the Lord instructed me.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Today we pick up the end of Judas’ life.  He hangs himself.  He comes looking for redemption and is turned aside.  He comes looking to make amends and his heart is dismissed.  Unfortunately for Judas, he feels that he has no other recourse than to take his own life.  His guilt is too much to bear alone, and he is spurned by the very people who are supposed to be charged with the spiritual well-being of the people.  I’m not trying to say that Judas isn’t responsible for his decisions – either prior to this act or including this act.  Of course he is absolutely responsible.  But in my eyes this is a sad story.  Here we have a person who legitimately makes a mistake – even a grievous error – but seeks to rectify it and make amends.  Yet he cannot find the forgiveness he needs.  That’s what makes it sad.

How have you ever experienced a lack of forgiveness from others when you genuinely repented and sought out forgiveness?  How have you ever failed to extend forgiveness to those who sought it from you?

Second Thought:

The Jewish religious leaders once more take up counsel to figure out what to do with the money.  Being good law-abiding Jews, they knew that they couldn’t take that money and apply it to the ministry of the temple.  So they did something else constructive with it.  The bought a field so that they would have a place to dispose of non-Jews who died while they were in Jerusalem.  For me, this is yet another piece in the argument against the Jewish leaders.  Once more we see their blind adherence to the Law serve their own purposes and get in the way of actual ministry that could have been done.  Rather than apply money to people in need, they used the money to take care of a very problematic issue for them that was the source of many headaches – that is, how to dispose of a Gentile dead body.

Have you ever been so focused on the letter of what should be done that you’ve missed opportunities for ministry?  How do you know where to find balance between strict pursuit of obedience and flexibility to follow where God is actually leading?

Third Thought:

Thirty pieces of silver.  Exodus 21:32 establishes this as the price for a slave.  Jesus was bought for a slave price.  Judas lost his life for a slave price.  Two lives are lost for simple sum of money.  I find this to be a point worth pondering.  How often are big effects brought about by small amounts that often feel like oversights?  How often do we ignore the small details thinking that they are insignificant yet those very same things turn out to have huge consequences in life?

How many things have you thought that you could ignore only to find them more important than you thought?  How can you avoid this in the future?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 27:11-14