The prophecy concerning the Messiah being sold for thirty pieces of silver is a significant element in the tapestry of messianic predictions found in the Old Testament, which find their fulfillment in the New Testament narrative of Jesus Christ. This specific prophecy is rooted in the book of Zechariah and is fulfilled in the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot.

Old Testament Prophecy

The prophecy is found in Zechariah 11:12-13, where the prophet Zechariah, acting in a symbolic role as a shepherd, speaks of his wages being weighed out as thirty pieces of silver. The passage reads: "And I said to them, 'If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.' So they weighed out my wages—thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, 'Throw it to the potter, this magnificent price at which they valued me!' So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter" .

This passage is rich with symbolic meaning, as the thirty pieces of silver represent the value placed on the shepherd, which in the context of the New Testament, is applied to Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. The act of throwing the silver to the potter in the house of the LORD further deepens the prophetic imagery, foreshadowing the events surrounding Christ's betrayal and the subsequent use of the betrayal money.

New Testament Fulfillment

The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 26:14-16, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, agrees to betray Jesus to the chief priests for thirty pieces of 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 hand Him over to you?' And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver" .

The narrative continues in Matthew 27:3-10, where Judas, filled with remorse, returns the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, declaring, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." The chief priests, acknowledging the money as blood money, use it to buy the potter's field, thus fulfilling the prophecy: "Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 'They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me'" .

Theological Significance

The prophecy and its fulfillment underscore the foreknowledge and sovereignty of God in the redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. The specific amount of thirty pieces of silver, a relatively small sum, highlights the rejection and undervaluation of the Messiah by His own people. This transaction, though seemingly a mere detail, is imbued with profound theological implications, illustrating the fulfillment of Scripture and the predetermined plan of God for the salvation of humanity.

The use of the betrayal money to purchase the potter's field, a place for burying foreigners, further symbolizes the extension of God's grace beyond the boundaries of Israel, foreshadowing the inclusion of the Gentiles in the covenant community through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ.Zechariah 11:12
And I said to them, If you think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of ...
... definite and distinct were the Old Testament prophecies respecting the Birth of
Christ, that the ... call attention to one of the prophecies which declared ...
/.../the divine inspiration of the bible/chapter five the fulfilled prophecies.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
... raise an argument at this point respecting the believer's ... accurate and literal
fulfilment of these prophecies we have ... Just as the Jews of Christ's day despised ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter six the sovereignty of.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... sinners, I am to infer His wishes respecting ourselves ... and that penitent who had
lain with his father's wife ... Why had Joseph, representing Christ, a coat of many ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

part ii
... His handmaiden." [738] Likewise, all of us being of ourselves ... the Creator, having
recourse in everything to His mercy ... always ask the help of Christ, your Saviour ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

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