Bible Study from Matthew 27:3-10 – Easter Story
The End Result? Judas gained 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus but what did he lose? His life!
This part of the Easter story doesn’t always get as much attention as some of the other verses.
The death of Judas is significant for us because we sometimes act out of greed or want of power.
There are many lessons we can learn from these few verses from Matthew.
Let’s concentrate today on consequences from the actions of Judas and the religious leaders.
Death of Judas
Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”
And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
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.”
And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.
For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
“AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel;
AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.” – Matthew 27:3-10
Judas Commits Suicide – Consequence of Judas’ Actions
Feelings of guilt and remorse began to fester inside of Judas as he began to realize what he had done, accusing an innocent man, Jesus.
To correct his mistake, he went to the temple to give back the thirty pieces of silver and tried to get the charges against Jesus dropped.
It was too late. The process had started and the religious leaders were not about to stop now.
For every action there is reward or consequences. Many times we make decisions while, seeming harmless at the time will affect us and other people long into the future.
We need to think through, and ask God for guidance, especially in important decisions. We may still make mistakes but at least we didn’t make them hastily.
Our decisions might not condemn a person to death as was the case with Jesus but they could destroy a relationship or another persons trust in us. Be careful.
Consequence from the Actions of the Priests
Here was Judas, appearing before the religious leaders, admitting that he was a sinner.
Remember, the priests were charged with directing the people in the way of God.
What did they do? The answer to Judas was that it was of no concern to them. His repentance meant nothing.
They had already rejected the Christ and now they turned their back on Judas, totally neglecting their duties as priests.
These leaders were so far blinded by their actions that justice was completely thrown out. No mercy and no shame.
Field of Blood
Strange that the priests could not use the money because it was considered blood money, given in exchange for murder.
Like many modern churches sometimes do, the silver was used for another project outside the temple making it okay. Again, no guilt in doing this.
As Christians, let’s try not to let personal gain interfere with doing the right things for God.
It’s sometimes easy to justify perpetrating something bad as long as it produces what we believe is good in another area.
Final Thought
Always talk with God, listen for His answer first. Ask the old slogan “What would Jesus do?“.
Then, talk with other Christians to see if you are on the right track. You won’t be perfect (neither am I), but at least you’ll make better decisions based on the best input.
Love in Christ
– Bob
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