Holy Wednesday
John 13:21
“Amen,
amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Thirty pieces of silver was the equivalent of 120 denarii. A denarius was the wage a worker was paid for
a day's work. So Judas was given the
equivalent of three months pay. In
Zechariah 11:12-13, thirty pieces of silver is referred to as a paltry amount
of money compared to anything of real value.
Thirty pieces of silver. It
is the legal price of a slave. They
purchased Jesus like any other slave so there is some legality in handing him
over to the Roman authorities. There is
irony, of course, that Jesus was paid for out of the temple treasury, with
silver that had been marked for the purchase of sacrifices. And irony that
Jesus, who took the role of servant for us all, was purchased for the price of
a slave.
Thirty pieces of silver. For
Judas, the amount is not only the price of slavery to greed and ambition and
self-preservation, but the value of his own cheapened life.
Thirty pieces of everything. Have
we exchanged our life with the Lord for something else? Watching a movie, instead of going to
Church? Telling a lie to cover-up our
sins? Entering into questionable
transactions for money? Jesus is the
only wealth we should aspire for, we should crave for. Earthly possessions and money must be used
for His glory, not in betraying Him. How
are you using yours now?
Let us pray +
Almighty Father, we call ourselves Your
friends yet one among us who ate at table with You betrayed You. We know that we often fail You. Transform us through Your Passion and the
sufferings we merit to choose to bear for Your sake so that we may help reveal
Your Glory at the appointed time. This
we ask through Jesus our Lord, Your Son.
Amen +
“Thirty pieces of silver is nothing;
Enriching your life in God is everything.”
Yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God.
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