Zechariah 11:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

6:20, 1 Cor. 7:23), “not with corruptible things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Ultimately, we owe our very lives to Him, for “if one died for all, then all died” (2 Cor. 5:14). Therefore, we are called to live not for ourselves, but in accordance with the righteous word, for Him who died for us and was raised again (2 Cor. 5:15).

Thus, He instructs: “If it pleases you,” indicating the sacrament of the incarnation, if you are saved through Him and secure in your faith, having recognized Me as your Savior and Redeemer, who endured death for the salvation of all, then “give, having set apart, that is, having separated, My bounty, or deny Me.” Yet, the Gentile converts demonstrated wisdom, offering a reward—not equal, but corresponding in some measure to the blessings received from Him. Just as He laid down His life for us, we too have surrendered our souls out of our love for Him. We can affirm to the holy martyrs, “Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35). For nothing could diminish the resolve of the saints.

The resemblance of Christ to us is partly illustrated in the account of His thirty pieces of silver. Judas, the traitor—who was the most wretched and God-hating of men—accepted thirty pieces of silver, betraying Christ to His murderers and selling the essence of our salvation to the wicked. Yet, these thirty pieces of silver were offered by the Gentiles as a reward for Him, and were cast into the crucible by divine decree, undergoing a thorough test, just as Christ Himself was tempted on our behalf. For our faith cannot be exempt from trials by the all-knowing God, nor can our lives be devoid of temptations. As the blessed Paul reminds us, “Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13).

It is also stated concerning Christ, “The Lord will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver” (Malachi 3:1-3). The divine David also sings on behalf of all believers in Christ, desiring to lead an evangelical life: “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart” (Psalm 25:2). The prophet suggests that the crucible is located in the temple of God; for the Church of Christ scrutinizes the lives of all, examining the sincerity of their love for Him. Possessing the gift of discernment (1 Cor. 11:10), it knows precisely who speaks by the Holy Spirit, calling Jesus Lord, and who speaks through Beelzebub, pronouncing anathema against Him (1 Cor. 12:3); it distinguishes between true worshippers and those who come to us disguised as sheep but who are like wolves.

But if you refuse and deem my name’s worth insignificant, then openly reject it and act as you choose. Indeed, they answered Moses, stating, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. However, in the last days, despite being chosen from all nations and freed from bondage in Egypt, they offered thirty pieces of silver for My life, betraying the Messiah to Judas. The Lord, or the Savior Himself, bearing witness that the Father speaks to Him, commanded me to cast it into the crucible. Instead of the final word, the Hebrew interpretation recalls a potter, indicating that it should be thrown to the Creator and Craftsman of all things. He didn’t instruct to remove it but to cast it, so the worth of the Lord might be assessed by the Artisan Himself. The value of Divine majesty is mockingly denoted by the low price of thirty pieces of silver. It is a derisive evaluation: My people, once the poor flock I called My sons, have assessed Me based on a trivial price! As directed by the Lord, I performed His command, taking the thirty pieces of silver, which I threw into the house of the Lord to the potter. I caused the betrayer to return the funds to the priests and Pharisees, with him declaring, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. Because it was blood money, they refused to deposit it into the treasury but chose instead to purchase the potter's field for burying strangers. Indeed, all of us who were once outside the covenant and have been redeemed by His precious blood now find rest in the house of the Creator and Craftsman. I previously translated sculptor to denote the dual meaning of the term it encompasses, both sculptor and artist. The Jews, in an attempt to misinterpret this passage, equate the thirty pieces of silver with thirty commandments of the law, and additionally, the thirty-six prohibitions. It as if they are commanded to return the silver of the Lord's statutes to the Creator and Installer of all, yet their refusal led to their rejection. I only aimed to briefly outline their interpretation before progressing, as delving into their extensive reasoning would be tedious.

The Prophet declared that he had thrown the silver pieces into the house of God, which he aptly referred to as 'the crucible,' as it is within this place that those who seek repentance are transformed, shedding the toxicity of sin and becoming deserving of God's grace. Therefore, the Prophet proclaims:

The strict Jews, the leaders of that time, upon witnessing Judas's remorse when he confessed, "We have sinned by betraying innocent blood," responded, "What is that to us? You see to that" (Matthew 27:4). Are you not involved, you who crucify? He who was paid for the murder yet returned the payment will observe, but what about you who commit the act? They then conferred amongst themselves, "It is not fitting to place them into the treasury, for the price is blood" (Matthew 27:6). Your own words condemn you. If the payment is impure, then so too is the action; and if you act justly in the crucifixion of Christ, why do you refuse the payment? We must demonstrate that there is no contradiction between the Gospel's reference to "the potter's field" and the prophet's mention of "the crucible." Not only goldsmiths have crucibles, nor solely those working in metal, but also the miser has a limited crucible. To refine the essential and valuable components of the earth from the small stones, one must first saturate the clay in the crucible with water to facilitate the crafting of vessels without obstruction. What is surprising, then, if the Gospel explicitly refers to "the field of the miser," while the prophet speaks of fortunes, given that prophecy often involves predictions?

The Evangelist records the prophecy with some inaccuracies; he attributes these words not to Zechariah but to Jeremiah, likely because Zechariah possessed the spirit of Jeremiah, and the statements may have originally belonged to Jeremiah, although they do not appear in his writings. Additionally, Matthew includes the line as if spoken by Jeremiah: "And I gave to the village of the miser as the Lord commanded me." The Lord’s words were indeed fulfilled. The chief priests, having received the thirty pieces of silver from Judas, purchased the potter’s field to serve as a burial ground for those who wandered, meaning Jews arriving in Jerusalem from across the globe for the feasts, as well as proselytes. The cemetery established on the potter's land became known as Akeldama, translating to "field of blood." This designation, given by the people to the acquired land, resounds louder than a trumpet, highlighting the Jews' transgression and the innocent blood of the Redeemer that they shed.