A Carton of Eggs - 30 Pieces of Silver

 

                                         30 Pieces of Silver the Price of Betrayal

“Search me God and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139

One of the most common acts of betrayal is usually considered to be the biblical story of Judas. An account of Judas’ betrayal of Christ is found in each of the four gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. So how should we interrupt this metaphor or symbol of the betrayal of Christ? Well, that is up to us as individuals but I will share a couple of my thoughts.

30 pieces of silver, the amount paid to Judas to betray Jesus has, over time, become a universally accepted insulting symbol of treason and betrayal. It is now seen as the price at which people will be willing to sell out their beliefs, values and even themselves.

The money that Judas received was a small amount, the sum to be paid to a slave’s owner if that slave were injured or killed in some manner. This can be symbolically seen as portraying Christ of having little value, as being worthless and useless. The irony in this of course is, that which was considered worthless has given us the most precious and priceless gift of eternal life.

While listening to a sermon once, the Pastor used the phrase “and Christ cried”. That was a “gut punch” to me. The thought and mental image of making loved one’s cry in disappointment let alone making Christ cry evoked such an emotional feeling in me that still to this day I cringe with guilt and remorse. Thankfully I haven’t been like Judas and betrayed Christ.

But wait, don’t I betray Christ every time I fail to live my beliefs, every time I don’t live a Christian life. Isn’t this the very definition of betrayal? What are our 30 pieces of silver that we accept as we betray our selves. We must certainly make Christ cry!

We are reminded through the example of Esau in Hebrews 12 that not every wrong can be made right. Not every decision can be reversed. Our choices can have permanent outcomes. There is a price to betrayal, one that we don’t want to pay and even in the healing, the trauma lives with us forever. So let us be ever mindful of how we treat ourselves, and how we treat others. Let’s make sure we choose God to make a home in our hearts and to guide our paths and be thankful for God’s forgiveness.

May God bless and keep each one of us on this journey, and may our love always show in our actions. Amen and so let it be!                                                                       

                                                                                          -----John Cameron