Bible Story of the Day: 30 pieces

Bible Story of the Day

Scripture is the story of Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation. There are over 400 prophecies and representations of Jesus in the Old Testament alone. The Old Testament pointed forward to the coming Christ, and the New Testament points back to Jesus. The Bible is a record of redemption through Jesus Christ who conquered sin and death when He died on the cross and resurrected three days later. The New Testament was written almost 2000 years ago. Some of the Old Testament was written over 4000 years ago. The Bible Story of the Day not only shows Jesus throughout scripture but shows how scripture is relevant to our lives today. Seeing Jesus in scripture is a major step into understanding who our God is, and how He impacts and affects our lives in every moment. I pray that the Holy Spirit opens your mind to understanding the verses and how they affect your life and gives you a better understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will post a link to the chapter that each passage is from, so that you can read further on your own.

30 Pieces of Silver

Zechariah 11:12-13

“¹² 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. ¹³ 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.” (NASB)

Matt 26:14-15,

“¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.” (NASB).

Where is Jesus and What Does This Mean to Us?

Prophecy fulfilled. Jesus was sold out by one of His Apostles, Judas, for 30 pieces of silver. The silver tender was a monetary exchange known as a shekel to the Jews and a pence to the Romans. The tender was the same. In Zechariah the shepherd is telling the audience to pay him his fair share or not. It made no difference to him, because money was not an issue. The audience to the shepherd paid him 30 silver pieces. The simile refers to Jesus. Jesus is our Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd that leads us to green pastures. He was sold out to be crucified for 30 silver pieces. Jesus did not care about the money. He was more concerned about His flock; His sheep.

Judas was not forced to betray Jesus. Nor was Judas forced to follow and believe in Jesus. In John 13 we see Judas approaching the Pharisees on his own. He was not tortured or coerced into giving up Jesus. Our betrayal of Jesus comes freely and without resistance. It is our love for Jesus that is scrutinized and attacked. Thirty pieces of silver was no small amount 2000 years ago and would be a fair amount of money today. Some estimates propose that 30 pieces of silver would equal 6 weeks’ worth of work. Judas gave up the Son of God for 6 weeks of pay. Jesus does no care about money. He cares about His sheep, us. What is salvation worth to you? Would you sell out Jesus for 6 weeks of pay? Does eternity matter to you at all or are you completely consumed with the activities of today? Jesus will let you choose. This is the worst and greatest gift Jesus can give us. He gives us free will. You are more than allowed to choose to not believe anything I write about Jesus. You are free to choose work of God. You have nothing keeping you from what you choose.

You have free will. We all do. Six weeks of work is not worth my eternity. I have chosen Jesus. Who do you choose? I challenge you to read the story of Judas’ betrayal. When all is said and done, and after Judas has received his reward. Judas realizes that the reward was not worth the cost of being apart from Jesus. The thought of betraying Jesus affected Judas so much that he gave back the 30 silver and killed himself. I do not want one single person to make that same mistake and regret their decision. Was Judas saved? Did he repent of his sins and receive eternal life? Who knows. Do you really want to play the odds that close?

Resource

• Zec 11 NASB – The Doomed Flock
  The Doomed Flock – Open your doors, O Lebanon, That a fire may feed on your cedars. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, Because the glorious