THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER:

THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER: (THE BIBLE EVEN ACCOUNTED FOR INFLATION) Most people know Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, but they don’t understand why that exact amount matters. When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, Genesis 37:28 says: “And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver.” Joseph lived during an earlier period. Ancient records show that twenty shekels was a common price for a slave during the early second millennium before Christ. As the centuries passed, prices rose. By the later second millennium, records from places such as Nuzi and Alalakh show slave prices around thirty shekels or more. Prices differed according to the person, location and circumstances, but the general increase is clear. The Bible accounted for that increase. By the time God gave the Law to Moses, Exodus 21:32 established thirty shekels as the compensation owed when a slave was killed: “If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” Joseph was sold for twenty pieces during an earlier period. The Law later placed the compensation at thirty. The Bible didn’t lazily copy the same number into every century. The amounts fit their historical settings. Then God took that exact amount and turned it into prophecy. Zechariah 11:12–13 says: “So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.” The prophecy included thirty pieces of silver, the house of the Lord and the potter. Centuries later, Judas went to the chief priests and asked: “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” Matthew 26:15 says: “And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” After betraying Jesus, Judas returned the silver and threw it down in the Temple. The priests then used that same money to purchase the potter’s field. Thirty pieces of silver. Thrown into the house of the Lord. Used for the potter. Exactly as Scripture had said. Thirty shekels wasn’t the price of a king. Under the Law, it was the compensation paid for the death of a slave. Israel’s Messiah was valued at the price of a servant killed. The One who created the silver was sold for silver. The King of kings “took upon him the form of a servant” and allowed sinful men to price Him as one. Jesus was sold at a slave’s price so those enslaved to sin could be purchased by His blood. This is why I trust the Bible. Its history, laws, economics, prophecies and Gospel all fit together. Even a detail as small as the changing price of a slave lands exactly where it belongs. The Bible is always accurate. #MoreJoyMinistries