“So after consultation they bought with them [the pieces of silver] the potter’s field [as a place] in which to bury strangers.” – Matthew 27:7 (AMPC)
When Judas, remorseful, returned the thirty
pieces of silver which he’d received for his betrayal of Jesus, to the chief
priests, they purchased a potter’s field. Why a potter’s field?
Because those thirty silver coins were now
nothing more than the price of blood – formerly offered for the payment of
murder, it became blood money not worthy to be placed in the treasury.
In those days, when clay was extracted from
certain fields for the production of pottery, so exhaustive was that extraction
that what was left of the field rendered it useful only as a ground for burial.
Burial of unknown and indigent people.
Judas allowed his selfishness, his greed
and his utter love of money to betray a man he knew was innocent. The value of
his reward for betraying loyalty, friendship, and love was a field of desolation,
despair, and death.
The Bible tells us that Judas, in a show of
repentance, confessed his sin. But to whom? The answer can be found in Matthew
27:3, 4 (AMP),
“…to the chief
priests and the elders. Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They
replied, What is that to us? See to that yourself.”
Judas confessed to the chief priests and
the elders, but they showed him neither mercy nor compassion. They were
incapable of doing so, for they’d already received from him what they wanted, he
was of no use to them now – to them he must have been as good as dead.
So, they left Judas on his own, unable,
because of their own spiritually desolate state of being, to even offer him a
single word of encouragement towards genuine repentance.
Judas was just like that potter’s field in
the eyes of the chief priests and the elders – a desolate, despairing man that
was as good as dead to them. Ironically, so were they.
To whom have you been confessing your sins?
And in what condition have they left you?
1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins to
God because God, Who is faithful and true to His own nature and promises will
forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 32:5 (TLB) says,
“until I
finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to
myself, I will confess them to the Lord. And You forgave me! All my guilt is
gone.”
And Proverbs 28:13 (CEV),
“…God will be
merciful if you confess your sins and give them up.”
God’s Word is quite clear, confess your
sins to God. God will not point out your sins, He does not condemn you and
reject you, He does not treat you as your sin deserves. Instead, God is
compassionate, gracious, patient, kind, abounding in love (see Psalm 103), and
always ready to forgive (Psalm 86:5). He longs for you to come to Him, to pour
out your heart to Him (Isaiah 30:18; Psalm 62:8).
“this is the
LORD's declaration-- turn to Me with all your heart” – Joel 2:12 (HCSB)
The potter’s field was Judas’ reward, and a
reflection of his state of being; he became united with it (Acts 1:18) but it
does not have to be yours.
Jesus Christ died so that you don’t have to
suffer that fate. He opened the way to God through His blood, the forgiveness
of sin (Ephesians 1:7).
Beloved, if you are filled with despair, remorse
and guilt over sin, know that there’s a way out…
“tear your hearts and
not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful
and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.” – Joel 2:13 (CEB)
Amen†
Shelley Johnson “The Potter’s Field” © 2016
revisited August 18, 2025
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