November 17, 2011 – Zechariah 10-12

This section talks about the 30 pieces of silver, which we are getting close to in Luke, but it doesn’t really explain the significance of it or what it meant. There is a section in the Old Testament that talks about that. Exodus 21:32 talks about it being the price of a slave. Her it appears more to be the cost of betrayal and the breaking of a covenant. Both are suitable to reflect upon the relationship of Judas and Jesus. Jesus became a slave to sin, dying for our sin, although never succumbing to it. Nothing could be more humbling then being paid the price for a slave. And Judas betrayal is the ultimate in betrayal’s. He broke his covenant with Christ and turned him over to His enemies. There is also the image of throwing the 30 pieces back into the Temple, like Judas trying to take back his actions too late. I just never know how to feel about Judas. You want to be sympathetic because he appears to be confused about what Jesus is about. If he really did regret doing what he did, then you feel for him. Yet, sometimes this is hard to do because if a person was with Jesus for so long, they should never have done it. And with all of Christ talk of redemption, killing yourself after your regret is the last thing you should do. It just appears that he may have heard everything Christ said, but was not actually listening or taking it in. But when the Apostles come back and say “we have healed in your name” it doesn’t say “all except for Judas”, so something must have been there. Judas is a character that I think is hard to reflect on because of the depressing nature, but more to the point, I think sometimes it hits a little close to the mark for our own actions and that scares us.