The price of blood.
The day, whose dawn brought repentance to Peter, found the Jewish rulers still plotting how they might effect the murder of Jesus. They had in the night infamously condemned him as a blasphemer, thereby exposing him to the penalty of death by stoning. Almost a hundred years before this Judaea was conquered by Pompey, and made tributary to the Romans, yet it was not until about two years before this that it was made part of the province of Syria. Then the power of capital punishment was taken from the Jews. Surely the sceptre had now departed, and Shiloh must have come (see Genesis 49:10). Doubting whether the Roman governor would put Jesus to death for an alleged offence in religion, the Sanhedrin resolve to accuse him of treason against the Romans on the ground of his having allowed himself to be saluted as King of the Jews (cf. verse 11; Luke 23:2; John 18:31). This decision brought Judas again upon the scene (verse 3, etc.).
I. WHAT COULD THIRTY SHEKELS DO?
1. They could sell Christ into the hands of murderers. The prophecy in Zechariah sets forth:
2. They could purchase "the potter's field, to bury strangers in." This field was thenceforth called "The field of blood," and thereby became:
II. WHAT COULD THE SHEKELS NOT DO?
1. They could not redeem Christ from death.
2. They could not purchase the repentance of the rulers.
3. They could not redeem Judas from perdition.