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30 Pieces of Silver, 20APR

I didn’t get to good Friday service, but I remember the events.. we are to reflect on how forgiveness is for us…. for the world…
How much silver was exchanged? – it was 30 pieces of silver that Judas got… it was sad how betrayal came down to cold cash… and yet it still teaches us of Jesus’s warm Love…

Jesus still called Judas friend…

Perhaps it’s the saddest thing to be on autopilot of sin… and also for Judas to not recognize that for even this, Jesus likely would have forgave – IF ONLY Judas had asked.

Hmmm…. both the sin of non-realization of the power to forgive yourself and the non-realization of forgiveness from your Savior…

This was a big deal – scripture says sins are sins… Jesus can heal the rift from big and little.
Judas may have brokered for 30 pieces of silver, but Jesus brokered the way home.

When we drop our identity in self, we are to be filled with the spirit. The beatitudes state – blessed are the poor, poor in their own self, instead filled with the Lord…

To come to the Lord is to drop the facade of having life all figured out… be willing to be still and be real and be with Jesus as the only resort… to carry one’s own cross is to take up the realization that we have to lift our burdens to hand them over… and we can – Jesus wants them – Jesus wants us…

For Judas, the plans were already in motion – and he couldn’t even stop himself even if Jesus told him in advance…. Judas never dropped his self completely, nor often do we…. to drop one’s self would have stopped the process of sin in the first place – the retro remorse filled Judas…

Jesus saw this and how sad for Jesus to not only see the train wreck of Judas, but know that the prophecy was to be fulfilled by His own friend… Jesus himself had human anger, told it the way it was… Told Judas even what he would do… As Jesus prayed for the cup of suffering to have been removed from himself, surely He would have asked on Judas’s behalf too… as upset as Jesus could have been, His Love would have replaced the anger… Jesus asked the Father to forgive…

Can we pre-forgive our enemies? Jesus can help us remember to try…

We all need to know Jesus already pre-advocates for us… we still need to ask forgiveness…

The coins weren’t taken back because they were blood money…

Worth remembering, the blood for our sins can never and will never be taken back – we are forever forgiven and saved…. all that was broken, Jesus, the curtain, the rocks, the tombs – all were broken to be OPENED to eternal life…

Jesus said “Remember me” – Jesus asks we remember our forgiveness – asks that remember our salvation – asks us to teach others that healing is from Him…. Jesus also asked on behalf of those who didn’t even know what they did… us too…

Jesus will ALWAYS take us back to the Father.
Remember John 3:17
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world thru Him.”

Amen
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Matthew 26,27
14 Then one of the Twelve–the one called Judas Iscariot–went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
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21And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.

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45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Jesus Arrested
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”
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Judas Hangs Himself
Matthew 27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
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50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.