2nd September

Judas asks the chief priest: "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. Matthew 26, 14 & 15 They took the thirty silver coins and they used them to buy the potter's field. Matthew 27, 9 & 10

Thirty silver coins

In the Old Testament we find several texts which in ahead announce Christ's sufferings and describe the circumstances which accompany the life of Jesus on earth and his death on the cross in a pictureous way.

Five centuries before Christ's birth, the prophet Zechariah specified the price which would be paid to Judas for his betrayal: thirty silver coins. He also announced that this money returned by the treacherous would be used to buy a potter's field (Zechariah 11, 12 - 13). As other prophecies this one comes true with a perfect exactness. The price which the Jewish chief priests suggested was thirty silver pieces. Judas was nibbled by self reproaches when seeing Jesus being convicted. He returned the money to the principal chiefs of the people and said: "It is not allowed to put the money into the consecrated treasure". So they took this money and used it to buy the potter's field (Matthew 27, 6 - 7).

You may well think that the Jewish chiefs did not do this to accomplish the prophecies which would convict them. Everything which had been announced should be fulfilled. These religious persons were unbelievers and they did not understand the Scripture. Although they did not realize that they were the depositaries they accomplished the prophecies without knowing it.