Prayer: Ask God to open your heart to His Word as you read through these passages.

Read: Matthew 26:6-16 and Zechariah 11:12-13

I would venture to say that the woman anointing Jesus with oil and Judas’ betrayal of Jesus in Matthew 26 are two of the most well-known stories among Christians. The Gospel of Matthew is preached during the Easter season in churches around the world. Zechariah 11, on the other hand, is probably not as common to hear during the weeks leading up to Easter. At first glance, it seems to have nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus…or does it?

When reading these verses separately it may be difficult to see but when read together, it’s hard to miss the prophecy in Zechariah giving a glimpse of what would happen roughly 550 years later. If you dig deeper, you can see the following themes from Zechariah 11:12-13 directly correlate to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas in Matthew 26:

1.    Zechariah was portraying himself as a shepherd “of the flock doomed to slaughter”with the responsibility of rebuking the false shepherds who led the flock astray. For Jesus, we were the flock doomed to slaughter and the religious leaders of the time were the false shepherds.

2.    Zechariah and Jesus were both valued at 30 pieces of silver. 30 pieces of silver was the minimum amount allowed to be charged for a person during that time – the value attributed to a slave.

3.    Zechariah rejected and subsequently threw his 30 pieces of silver to the potter working in the house of the Lord. Later in Matthew 27, Judas is eventually overcome by guilt and tries to return his silver to the Pharisees who use it to buy a potter’s field.

So, what does this mean? Simply put, God is sovereign and in control of every single situation. The betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus were always His plan, right down to the 30 pieces of silver that would be paid for Jesus’ life - the price of a slave paid for the savior of the world. During this Easter season, reflect on God’s sovereignty and trust that whatever you are facing, He has a plan for you. He loves us enough that he sent His only Son, the king of the world, to live the life of a servant and suffer the death of a criminal. A burden that Jesus willingly shouldered for each and every person who places their face and trust in Him.

Reflection Questions: 

• Why is it important to constantly consider and meditate upon God’s sovereignty over our lives?  

• In what situations do we often question God’s plans? What can we do in those situations to realign ourselves?

• Does your perspective change when you realize that Jesus was valued at the price of a slave? Look at your life and consider how much you truly value Jesus.