"Thirty Pieces of Silver"

Scripture Passage

Zechariah 9:1-14:21

Scripture Focus

And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12 NLT)

Observation

I think “remarkable” has become my favorite word for describing Scripture. What a remarkable passage today! These promises of restoration given by Zechariah are laden with prophetic declarations regarding Jesus of Nazareth—it’s remarkable!

One of the most interesting chapters is Zechariah 11. Zechariah is called on to play the role of a good shepherd rejected by his sheep—an oppressed flock intended for slaughter. But rather than welcoming and responding to his care, he was hated by the sheep and dismissed as their shepherd. So the shepherd asks for his severance pay:

And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12 NLT)

I mean, c’mon. Can anything…could any words…be more prophetically powerful than these? I don’t see how. But more words could add to the marvel of it all, so read the next verse:

And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the LORD. (Zechariah 11:13 NLT)

Over 500 years before the fact, Zechariah prophetically announces the rejection of Jesus by His own, the price paid for the betrayal, and the disposition of the funds involved.

It’s more than just an interesting tidbit of history. This is one of hundreds of prophecies—several others are included in this very passage—specifically fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God. And it does more than “only” affirm that Jesus was indeed Son of God and Savior of the world. These prophetic declarations announce that long before I was conceived, God sacrificially planned for my redemption. Neither my life nor yours is an afterthought. The God who cared enough to purposefully and intentionally plan for our redemption has just as assuredly planned purposefully and intentionally for all our days—including this one.

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