Good morning,

This Sunday we are going to look at the life of Judas Iscariot.  Judas famously betrayed Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of the silver:

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Matthew 26:14-16

So what’s the deal with the 30 pieces of silver?  Why was the price?

The first thing that we should know is that in the Hebrew/Jewish culture thirty pieces of silver was not a large amount of money (although it wasn’t an insignificant one either).  It may have been the equivalent to a few months’ wages for a day laborer. This makes Judas’ betrayal all the more confusing.  It’s not like he got rich off of betraying Jesus!

In the Mosaic Law 30 pieces of silver was the price that needed to be paid to a master of a slave if the slave was accidentally gored by an ox.

If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

Exodus 21:32

By offering that amount of money to Judas, the chief priests were insulting Jesus.  To them His life was only worth that of a slave.

We also see the 30 pieces of silver in the book of Zechariah.  In Zechariah 11 Zechariah compares his calling as a prophet to the role of a shepherd, and the Jews are the sheep under his care.  In the prophecy Zechariah is fed up with the people, so he announces that he is done being their shepherd and asks them to pay him what they think he is worth.  He is given 30 pieces of silver…an amount meant to insult him.

God then tells Zechariah to return the insult:

And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

Zechariah 11:13

Zechariah is being sarcastic when he calls the 30 pieces of silver a “handsome price.”  He obeys God and throws the silver into the temple complex near the feet of the potters who would have made the jars, pots, and other items needed for the work of the temple.

This prophecy also alludes to the fact that Judas will also throw his 30 pieces of silver into the temple complex.  The Jewish leaders then used the thirty pieces of silver to buy a field from a potter.  It was in that field that Judas hanged himself.

What we learn from all of this is that the 30 pieces of silver was in no way a random amount that the chief priests just came up with.  God, in His sovereignty, had put in motion the events of Judas’ betrayal long before Judas was even born.

Here’s what’s happening:

1.            SUNDAY - We’ll have a coffee fellowship time from 9:30 until 10 am.  We are in need of someone to provide the snack on 8/17.

2.           SUNDAY – Last day to bring in school items for Solanco Neighborhood Ministries.

4.           SUNDAY - Double Nickels meet for their monthly luncheon.

5.           SUNDAY – I would like to meet with the youth parents briefly after the service.

6.           We will be celebrating the missions trip on 8/17 during the service!

7.            Several area churches are sponsoring a “Back to School” pool party being planned for Wednesday, August 20^th in the evening at the SECA pool in Quarryville.  If your youth(s) would like to attend please see Elizabeth Barrett or Amanda Brinton.

8.          We are planning for a youth group campfire/outdoor game night on Friday 8/22 at the church.

9.           The Double Nickels will be serving at Blessings of Hope on Saturday, August 23.  Please see Gary Barrett if you are planning on serving.

10.         Our baptism service is set for 6:30 pm on 8/24 (weather permitting) at the swimming pond on the Mark and Andrea Hoover Farm.

11.          The annual church Corn Roast is on 9/7 after the service at Lloyd and Mary Lois Kreider’s home.

There may not be a greater "man of mystery" in the Bible than Judas Iscariot.  How did his lack of faith in Jesus go undetected by the disciples?  How was he able to steal money from them?  Why did he betray Jesus?  We’ll look at what the Gospels tell us about Judas and what we can learn from his life on Sunday.

Scott