Matthew 27:1-10
In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, “I’ve sinned. I’ve betrayed an innocent man.”
They said, “What do we care? That’s your problem!”
Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself.
The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn’t know what to do with them. “It wouldn’t be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple.” They decided to get rid of it by buying the “Potter’s Field” and use it as a burial place for the homeless. That’s how the field got called “Murder Meadow,” a name that has stuck to this day. Then Jeremiah’s words became history:
They took the thirty silver pieces,
The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel,
And they purchased the potter’s field.
And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.
May 1st, 2007 at 6:07 am
incredible how the priests agonise over the ethics of how they use the money that was thier payment for murder, rather than over the ethics of the murder itself.
Bad religion seems to have a way of screwing up our ethics so that secondary issues become sources of agonising debate, division and distraction while the main ones are largely ignored.
May 1st, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I cannot describe how precisely this speaks into a situation I have encountered lately - being made to feel condemned and burdened by a group of religious Christian fundamentalists - quibbling over the minutiae and even - in some cases - taking it all out of context. ….. people are in bondage to this, that and the other ….. this action is evil …… you have to be careful of doing that ….
Took me a whole day to recover!
What strikes me sooooo much about this reading tho’ - is how Judas just could no longer live with himself. It really is a very dramatic part of the story …. in one short line.
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 am
“And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.”
I find this bit really hard!
Did God condemn these people to behave in this way, hundreds of years before they were born? Are there prophesies that were never fulfilled because the actors chose not to behave in a particular way?
It’s the old pre-destination vs free choice debate again. I still can’t really get my head around it.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:19 pm
absolutely Bethan!
If you do get your head around it please tell me.
Having said that I don’t believe that God condemns people to behave in a particular way.
May 3rd, 2007 at 2:41 pm
It’s one of those God is God and all-powerful and we’re not moments. I don’t have the answer Richard, but I think part of it is that He must give us some free choice, cos otherwise what would He get out of us choosing to worship Him (or not!!).
Remember that here, God doesn’t have the same constraints on time as we do. He could have let them do whatever they want, then gone back and predicted it beforehand, couldn’t He?? In theory at least…
May 3rd, 2007 at 2:56 pm
hmmm sorry Michael but I don’t think God’s a time traveller. In fact I don’t think God is even outside of time. But that is openning a big can of worms!
May 3rd, 2007 at 9:42 pm
But I thought you could pray for something after it happened or something? Maybe I’m a bit confused…
May 4th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Loads (maybe most) other Christians think that too Michael - even some famous and theologically clever ones (even cleverer than me!) - I guess I (and some others) just disagree and think you all “a bit confused” ;-)
Seriously tho I really don’t buy this “God outside of time” business at all.