PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 27:6-10
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“They decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.” (Matthew 27:7)
These religious leaders have a problem; they’re doing God’s business, which ought to be holy.
But the money Judas ‘donated’ was not ‘holy money’, so they couldn’t use it.
Notice that they fail to see this as their ‘unholy money’.
Their solution is to use the money for another ‘unholy’ purpose.
The money used to crucify Jesus is now to be used to keep foreigners out too.
After all, the foreigners do not belong, they are not part of the family.
They may be guests, but they are ‘strange’ or ‘alien’ guests – they are not us.
“Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ [Isaiah 56:7]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Mark 11:17)
The business of Jesus followers ought to be gathering God’s strange and estranged family.
All the money spent to crucify heretics and keep ‘strangers’ out is not God’s business.
No matter how ‘holy’ we may portray our deeds, if they keep people away, they are not holy.
Through Jesus God is gathering the nations, welcoming strangers into the family.
I choose to gather with Jesus, not to scatter with the religious leaders.
PRAYER
Lord, as the Sanhedrin gathers to keep people out, they are crucifying you again. I was a stranger and you invited me in, help me to do the same with others.
“It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” That is so telling. Jesus had said they could arrest him anytime, but they choose to do it in secret and used paid Judas to betray Him. Yet the leaders went through with it and had Jesus crucified. Judas’ testimony of Jesus’ innocence was ignored as well. The money is tainted – as is everything else – the whole injustice and hypocrisy of it all! Yet it all came to be so that the Messiah would give his life on the cross for a complete redemption for sin. How am I using the resources God has entrusted to me? Help me to be generous O Lord for the sake of kingdom work and to bless my neighbour!
Who provided the blood money? The religious leaders. They had become a stumbling block instead of a stepping stone. To preserve their power and influence the religious leaders set themselves up as gods, doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. They were gathering for themselves rather than gathering for the Lord. They put themselves first rather than God. Our words and deeds, my words and deeds must put God first over all things as His follower. Not my will but Your will be done Lord.
1 We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.
2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side; all glory be thine!
3 We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!