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Author: Stephen Weller
447 words, 2 minutes read time

Purchase the Potter’s Field

Scripture: Matthew 17:6-7, 9-10; Acts 1:19

In the previous lesson it appeared that things didn’t go as Judas had planned because hearing of the charges against Jesus, he changes his mind about what he did and brought back the thirty pieces of silver and confessed that he had betrayed innocent blood and goes out and hangs himself. In this lesson we will see what happens to the thirty pieces of silver that is considered to be blood money.

^{Mt 27:6} But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. ^{Acts 1:19} And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood. ^{Mt 27:9} Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

The chief priest picked up the pieces of silver and consider what they should do with them, because according to Deuteronomy 23:18 that money cannot be brought into the house of the Lord since it is blood money. As they considered this among themselves, they decided to use the thirty pieces of silver to purchase the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.

That field became known as the Field of Blood because of the violent death of Judas (Acts 1:18 – 19) and perhaps also because the money used for the purchase was considered to be blood money (Matthew 17:6) paid for the betrayal of Jesus.

What Matthew says in Matthew 27:9 – 10 is drawn from Jeremiah 19:1 – 13 and Zechariah 11:11 – 13. How those two verses were constructed from those two passages may not seem clear to us, I am sure it was clear to Matthew who knew and understood things that we are missing today.

Conclusion

The work of Judas is finished, and his reward was his physical death and an eternity in hell under the wrath of God. The money he was paid for his work was returned because he believed that he had sinned and betrayed innocent blood. The silver was used to purchase the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. The narrative now moves on to the hearing before Pilate.