Zechariah 11:13
And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
The verse sets the worth of the rejected shepherd at thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave, a contemptibly small and paltry sum ironically called a goodly price, which was the value placed upon the Lord of life and glory by those who rejected Him. Its casting to the potter in the house of the Lord belongs to the breaking of the covenant through the failure of Israel's rulers to shepherd the people, and is fulfilled when Judas cast the betrayal money down before the priests. Seen in prophetic vision looking down the ages to the trial of God's dear Son, it foretold His rejection and betrayal for thirty pieces of silver, after which the priests used the money to buy the potter's field for a burial place for strangers. Judas fulfilled it by cherishing selfishness and covetousness until he contracted with the priests and rulers to hand over his Master and Lord and deliver Him to death for thirty pieces of silver. That direct fulfillment, with Judas's confession, testifies to and proves the innocence of Jesus and bears witness to His divine character, while the selling of the Lord of glory for such a price stands as a warning example of the ruinous result of one wrong act of sin.
Price and Prophetic Fulfillment
The verse sets the value of the rejected shepherd at thirty pieces of silver, a contemptuously small and paltry price which is ironically called a goodly price. It was the paltry sum set upon the Lord of life and glory by those who rejected Him when He was betrayed for that amount. That sum of thirty pieces was the price of a slave. The casting of the silver to the potter in the house of the Lord belongs to the breaking of the covenant and is bound up with the failure of Israel's rulers to care for the people as shepherds should.
The verse was seen in prophetic vision looking down the ages to the trial of God's dear Son. In that vision it foretells the rejection and betrayal of God's Son for thirty pieces of silver, describing the act of Judas and the price paid for Jesus as the value set upon Him by them. The casting to the potter in the house of the Lord is Judas casting down the betrayal money before the priests in the temple. After he threw the money down before them, the priests took the silver and used it to buy the potter's field as a burial place for strangers, completing the disposition of the money to a burial ground.
Betrayal, Testimony, and Warning
Judas fulfilled the prophecy by contracting with the priests and rulers to hand Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver, a paltry price for the Lord of life and glory. He sold his Master and Lord and delivered Him to death for that sum, betraying Him who had been valued as a rejected shepherd. The thirty pieces he received was the price of a slave, showing the contemptuous valuation placed upon Christ in His betrayal. His selfishness and covetousness had been cherished until at last he sold his Lord.
The direct fulfillment of the casting to the potter in the house of the Lord was Judas casting down the betrayal money before the priests. After confessing the innocence of Jesus he cast the silver down, and the priests afterward used it to buy the potter's field as a burial place for strangers and burial ground. This fulfillment, joined with the confession of Judas, gives testimony proving the innocence of Jesus. His betrayal for the thirty pieces paid and cast to the potter bore witness to the divine character of Christ.
The selling of the Lord of glory for thirty pieces of silver stands as an example of one wrong act whose consequences serve as a warning against sin. It shows the ruinous result of a wrong act.