Zechariah 11:12,13 “12 Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.”
This verse is a prophesy referring to Judas betraying Jesus for 30 shekels of silver. There are just some people in the Bible that I have never liked, people who I have never been able to connect with or relate to mostly. Judas has always been one of those people for me. Here was a man who walked with Jesus, he spent years beside Him witnessing His love, watching His miracles, and hearing His Word. Yet, he still betrayed the Son of God for 30 pieces of silver. How in the world was I supposed to relate to that kind of person? Then, I heard a sermon on the above verses and I realized that I am a Judas.
Judas in a sense, wasn’t selling Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, he was selling his own soul. He was selling his relationship with Jesus and condemning himself to an eternity without Him. The pastor preaching the sermon then asked, “What is your price?” At what price do I sell my relationship with Jesus?
It was really sad but I realized that I “sell” my relationship with Him for the pettiest things and that really any price is petty. I will knowingly damage my relationship with Jesus so that I can enjoy the passing pleasure of a sin. I have sold God’s presence for a half hour show that my flesh loves to watch and when Jesus has asked me to spend time getting to know Him I have sold it for a few more minutes of sleep. Our relationship with our Lord and Savior is worth more than anything that this world can offer and yet we sell it for so little.
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. Mathew 27:3-5
The money that Judas had betrayed Christ for became something that he didn’t want anymore. He realized that what he had sold was far greater than what he had received for it. That show I had wanted to watch might have entertained for a while but then I got bored or it ended and I had to wait until the next episode. The few more minutes of sleep weren’t that great and I was still tired or maybe it was great but once I got up it was gone and I gained nothing eternal from it. Isn’t it so like the world to say, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
I have sold my relationship with God to hang out with worldly friends who I had such fun being with but then when I was hurting or struggling they couldn’t help or disappeared saying, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
I am just so thankful that our God is merciful and that He values a relationship with us so much that He would pay the price of His own blood, His own perfect Son to have that relationship with us. He paid the ultimate price for us, so let me not sell it for anything for everything is less than what it is worth.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mathew 16:26
How true and how sad. Great reminder to put Jesus first in everything we do.
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