Matthew 27:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

These foreigners are the more devout Christians, who have renounced the world, and have no possession in it, and so repose in Christ’s blood; for the burial of Christ is nothing but the repose of a Christian; for as the Apostle says, We are buried with him by baptism into death. (Rom. 6:4.) We are in this life then as foreigners.

The cost of blood signifies the anguish endured by Christ. With this price, Christ redeems the world, as mentioned in St. Hidarius of Pictavia: in Matthew 32:6. He came so that the world could find salvation through Him, as evidenced by John 3:17. He is both the Creator and the Lawgiver of the universe, coming to ensure eternal grace for all who are buried and resurrected with Him through baptism, as stated in Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12. However, there is not a burial place available everywhere or for everyone. Although the world can accommodate all things, it does not safeguard all. The space may be shared, but burial is rightful only for those who are now part of God’s family through faith, though they were once outsiders and foreigners under the law. As it is written, "Remember that you, who were once Gentiles in the flesh, were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise" (Ephesians 2:11-12). Yet now, they are no longer outsiders or strangers; by faith, they have attained the privilege of being fellow citizens with the saints.

The apostle writes, "But we all with open face, as in a mirror, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). We, having fallen apart due to our transgressions, are restored to life through the second birth, made possible by the tender mercy of this craftsman. Those of us who have been condemned because of Adam's sin are resurrected through the grace of our Saviour.

It is this craftsman about whom the blessed apostle inquires: "Will the workman say to him that made it, ‘Why hast thou made me so?’ - and also: 'Does not the potter have power over the clay, that out of the same mixture he may make one vessel for honourable use, and another for low use?'” (Rom. 9:20-21). From the same clay of our earthly form, God prepares some for the kingdom based on their merits, while others are destined for judgment.

Thus, the territory of this craftsman was redeemed by the blood of Christ for those who wander. These wanderers, who possess neither home nor land and are scattered as exiles throughout the world, find their rest through the blood of Christ, allowing those without earthly belongings to attain a resting place in Him. Who are these wanderers, if not faithful Christians who, having renounced worldly possessions, find solace in the blood of the Saviour? For the Christian who claims no stake in this world finds possession in their Saviour. The grave of Christ offers rest to the pilgrims, and those who abstain from worldly desires as wanderers and strangers will be honored with the eternal peace of Christ.

What signifies Christ’s grave, if not the resting place of a believer? As we are indeed strangers in this life, we exist here as visitors, as the apostle reminds us: "As we dwell in the body, we are removed from the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:6). Therefore, we acknowledge that we are strangers, and the place of rest has been won for us by the blood of the Saviour. We are indeed buried with Him, as the apostle states, "by baptism into death" (Rom. 6:4). Thus, baptism serves as our connection to Christ’s burial; in it, we die to sin, are buried from evil deeds, and rise to a renewed life, shedding the old self for the new creation.

The Evangelist does not cite these words from the prophet verbatim but rather from recollection. In this passage, the Lord reveals Himself to the prophet as the shepherd of Israel and laments Israel's lack of appreciation, asserting that they ought to honor His efforts with suitable compensation. The specified payment is thirty pieces of silver, which the Lord instructs the prophet to cast aside as a sign of ungratefulness to the potter. It is evident how precisely this prophecy was realized in the events surrounding Jesus, even through the actions of the chief priests.

Subsequently, God instructed the prophet to cast this derisive and degrading sum into the crucible, which is also translated by some as "for the potter." Thus, the prophet threw it into the house of the Lord, specifically into the receptacle used for melting down old coins.

The Evangelist sees in Zechariah's portrayal of Israel's attitude toward the prophet a prophetic foreshadowing of the events surrounding the betrayal of the Lord. While he does not quote the prophet's words verbatim from either the Hebrew text or the Septuagint, he offers a free interpretation, applying them to the narrative at hand. The parallels between the experiences of the prophet and those of Christ are significant: the prophet, in his role as a shepherd to God's people, serves as a foreshadowing of the Messiah; just as the people disrespected the prophet, they likewise show disdain for Christ. He is regarded in the same manner as a prophet, treated with scorn and undervalued. They appraised both the prophet and Christ at the price of a slave, thirty pieces of silver, which, in both instances, was subsequently put to a lowly purpose, ultimately coming into the possession of the potter—first, to be melted down, and in the latter case, to be exchanged for the potter's land.

Among these theories, the most plausible is that the reference indeed stems from Zechariah—even if not verbatim and retaining only the essence of the prophecy, which aligns with Matthew’s common approach (Matt. 4:15-16). It is likely that the mention of Jeremiah arose from a later scribe's error that became widespread in ancient manuscripts; originally, it may have indicated Zechariah, as seen in many early texts (refer to Tischendorf, Nov. Testam.). Such mistakes were common due to the abbreviated forms of names used in antiquity—for example, Ιερεμι'ου might have been written as Ιρι'ου, and Ζαχαρι'ου as Ζρι'ου—making it easy to confuse one name for another.

The phrase "Took thirty pieces of silver" reflects the meaning of the quotations drawn from Zechariah—the prophet is depicted as sent by God to guide the wayward sheep of Israel, acting as a representative of the Supreme Shepherd, who is God Himself. The Jewish people disregarded this prophet, as they had others, thereby neglecting the call of God. To illustrate the lack of value they placed on the prophet’s care—and thereby on God’s care—God instructed the prophet to inquire what compensation they would be willing to offer for his pastoral service. Their answer was thirty pieces of silver, a sum typically associated with the price of a slave (see note to Matthew 26:15). This demonstrates their devaluation of the prophet’s work, equating it, and by extension the work of God, to that of a servant. Consequently, God told the prophet to throw this "glorious" (in an ironic sense) sum, by which He is valued by them, to the potter. The prophet responded by taking thirty pieces of silver and casting them into the house of the Lord for the potter (Zech. 11:4, 11-12). This action was fulfilled through the betrayal of Jesus Christ, who appeared as the Messiah, the good shepherd. The Jewish people assessed His life at thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave—and with that amount, they purchased a field from the potter. The Evangelist highlights this prophetic fulfillment, though he does not quote the prophetic text in its exact wording.