A Lenten Word - Thirty Pieces of Silver

Homily for Wednesday in Holy Week

A Lenten Word – Thirty Pieces of Silver

Our Lenten journey is almost complete. The next time that we gather at this table of the Lord to share in the Eucharist, we will be celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Consequently, this will be the final mindfulness Lenten word. I have chosen “Thirty pieces of silver” as our mindfulness word for today. As we read in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Judas said:

“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver… (Matthew 26:15).

Thirty pieces of silver is a reference to an allegory in chapter eleven of the Book of the Prophet Zechariah. In that allegory, the shepherd breaks his staff which is an image of the breaking of the covenant of Mount Sinai by the people of Israel. The prophet asks for the payment of his wages, and he was given thirty pieces of silver. The service of the good shepherd is contemptuously valued at thirty pieces of silver, the legal indemnity for a gored slave (Ex 21:32). The prophet throws the money into the Temple treasury, showing how poorly God’s love is requited.

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we are told that Judas returns the pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders of Israel, saying: “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They responded, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” In St. Matthew’s narrative Judas then goes out and hangs himself. The chief priests and elders of Israel use the money to buy a potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. Through this allusion, St. Matthew states that Jesus’ death will save not only his own people but also the Gentiles (the foreigners).

As we go through our day, let us be mindful of the price for which Jesus is handed over to those who wish to kill him. As Zechariah had prophesied, the service of the good Shepherd is contemptuously valued, showing how poorly God’s love in the person of Jesus is requited.