“I said to them, ‘If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!’ So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.’ So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.” (Zechariah 11:12-13)
“Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.” (Matthew 26:14-16)
In Old Testament times, thirty pieces of silver was the value of a slave accidentally gored to death by an ox (Ex. 21:32). The amount given to Zechariah is an intentional insult for the rejected shepherd, who was a pre-figure of the Messiah. In a prophetic fulfillment that occurred centuries later, that same sum of thirty pieces of silver was all it took for Judas to agree to hand over Jesus to the Pharisees. Such a paltry sum speaks of how lowly Jesus was viewed not only by Judas, but also by the chief priests. They traded away the Savior of the World, the Holy Son of God, the promised Messiah, for the price of a dead slave.
Take a moment and ponder what value you place on your relationship with Christ. How much is Jesus worth to you? What have you been willing to “trade” your faith for this past year? Did you trade your witness for social acceptance because you were afraid someone would mock you or think ill of you because of your commitment to Christ? Have you given away your time and treasure to pursue personal ambition, an inappropriate relationship, or some habitual sin rather than spending your time, effort, and energy seeking first the Kingdom of God?
How highly do you value your salvation and relationship with Jesus? Spend some time asking God to reveal your “cheap trades,” and then ask His forgiveness. Follow up by asking Him to give you a heart that values Jesus above all else.
Prayer
Father, thank You so much for so abundantly taking care of all of my needs. You have provided bread for my journey; a Sacrificial Lamb for my forgiveness; and release from the bitterness of my sins. Thank You most of all for providing a Passover Lamb in Your Son, Jesus, the greatest servant of all.
* Daily Readings are not based on the sequence of events during the Passion Week, but instead to reflect on and then prayerfully consider applications of some of the aspects and events of this sacred week.