Six Trials

Six Trials
Matt. 27:6-10

6 And [de] the chief priests [archiereus] took [lambano] the silver pieces [argurion] , and said [epo] , It is [exesti] not [ou] lawful [exesti] for to put [ballo] them [autos] into [eis] the treasury [korban] , because [epei] it is [esti] the price [time] of blood [haima] .
7 And [de] they took [lambano] counsel [sumboulion] , and bought [agorazo] with [ek] them [autos] the potter's [kerameus] field [agros] , to [eis] bury [taphe] strangers [xenos] in [taphe] .
8 Wherefore [dio] that [ekeinos] field [agros] was called [kaleo] , The field [agros] of blood [haima] , unto [heos] this day [semeron] .
9 Then [tote] was fulfilled [pleroo] that which [ho] was spoken [rheo] by [dia] Jeremy [Ieremias] the prophet [prophetes] , saying [lego] , And [kai] they took [lambano] the thirty [triakonta] pieces of silver [argurion] , the price [time] of him that was valued [timao] , whom [hos] they of [apo] the children [huios] of Israel [Israel] did value [timao] ;
10 And [kai] gave [didomi] them [autos] for [eis] the potter's [kerameus] field [agros] , as [katha] the Lord [kurios] appointed [suntasso] me [moi] . KJV-Interlinear

6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, 'It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.' 7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 and they gave them for the Potter's Field, as the Lord directed me. ' NASB

The priests paid Judas thirty pieces of silver, the price that must be paid for an ox which because of its conduct was to be killed, Ex. 21:32. Jesus was worth no more than a doomed ox or of a slave gored by the ox.

The price paid for the false testimony and false conviction of an innocent man is said to be blood money. And so the thirty pieces of silver were used to buy a field which had been used by potters. A place where they collected their clay for making pots and such. This particular field was apparently useless now and was to be used as a cemetery for strangers who happened to be in Jerusalem and for whatever reason met their death.

Matthew wrote this account about 30 years after the Cross. He states 'to this day' which is a reference to the common knowledge of the citizens of Jerusalem at that time, some thirty years later. They called the field the 'Field of Blood' or the 'Field of Blood Money.'

This is a testimony first from the priests who, out of their own mouths confessed to the innocence of Jesus by not accepting the money back into the Temple treasury calling it 'blood money' or a reference to their deceitful deed. And second, by the public common knowledge and naming of the field by the same terminology.

Jesus was innocent, guilty of no wrong and everyone knew it. The priests, the elders, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, all, were guilty of hypocrisy to the maximum. They would pay out of the Temple treasure 'blood money,' money to be used for the wrongful application of justice, then they would refuse to take the money back because it was just that, 'blood money.'

And it was all documented in Zech. 11:12-13. The Old Testament writings were often divided into three parts and identified as The Law, the Writings, and the Prophets. The third grouping began with the Psalms and continued through the rest of our current Old Testament books of the Prophets. Since Jeremiah was the first, his name was often used to identify this third category. It (the whole third category of books) was also referred to as the Psalms.

This comment also now implies that Matthew has acquired (over these thirty years) an extensive knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures as only one who is thoroughly familiar with the scriptures would refer to them in their common titled groupings. A younger student would refer to them with more specific titles.

The potters field was a place for burying strangers, and that is also a reference to the Priests and their relationship with God. They were men of clay, though they thought more highly of themselves, and total strangers to God.

Every thing came true as predicted several centuries prior. Without any provocation or pressure from God, man did exactly what God said (through the scriptures) he would do. The priests were supposed to be students of the scriptures, yet they fulfilled them as though they had no knowledge of these writings.

Anyone who rejects God and consequently lacks knowledge of the scriptures, or lacks Gods Word in their soul, is predictable. They are failures in life regardless of their circumstances, and they will be failures in death, which will last them a much longer time.

Take heed and do not associate your life with those who would be strangers to God. But do as Matthew did and become familiar with the scriptures, not in one weekend, but over the remainder of your life.

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