Daily Devotions

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.

But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” Matthew 27:1-10

One person in this passage repents. One person demonstrates the willingness to reflect on their behaviors in light of what they believe about God and God’s will for life. One person changes his mind about Jesus.

There are powerful people in this passage. The chief priests and elders are religious authorities. They are experts regarding the scriptures. They “know their Bible through and through.” They don’t repent. They don’t change their minds about Jesus. All they do is hatch the plan to get rid of him.

Pilate is the local political authority. He only answers to Rome. God? Who cares about God? Rome is where the power lies and Pilate knows full well that all Rome really cares about is skimming all they can off the backs of the people they dominate. Pilate’s goal is control. “Justice” is whatever it takes to keep things “just as” Pilate wants them.

Only Judas repents. Only Judas changes his mind. Only Judas comes to see things differently. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Tragically, he recognizes Jesus’ innocence but he is incapable of seeing Jesus’ mercy extending even toward him.

The result? Jesus is on his way to the cross and even his betrayal proves redemptive as it provides a potter’s field, a place to bury foreigners. Matthew doesn’t want us to miss this point. Jesus is what God has been up to all along. Those most likely to miss the point are the powerful.

Let us pray: Jesus, you know the pain of betrayal. You know the pain of being cut off and cast aside. Yet, in your love, even this makes a place for those who would also be cast aside. Like Judas, we too have often realized the mistakes we have made along the way. Be merciful to us, that we might be merciful to ourselves. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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