In Old Testament times, thirty pieces of silver was the value of a slave accidentally gored to death by an ox. The amount given to the prophet 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.
“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
Take a moment and ponder what value you place on your relationship with Jesus 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 on Facebook .. or Twitter .. because you were afraid someone would think ill of you because of your commitment to Christ? Have you given away your time and treasure to pursue personal ambition, or maybe an inappropriate relationship that has been bothering you? Maybe this Holy Week it’s time for you to spend some of your time, effort, and energy seeking first the Kingdom of God?