Armageddon

Only one more chapter until Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on the earth. Matthew is writing about how the kingdom of heaven came. We saw Jesus claim that from this moment on, the people would see Him at the right hand of Power and coming in the clouds. Peter denied Him, fulfilling prophecy leading up to the establishing of His kingdom. Judas is about to fulfill more prophecy that was to lead up to the establishing of the Messiah’s kingdom on the earth. Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me” (Matthew 27:1-10). Like Peter, Judas witnessed the illegal trial before Pilate. While Peter denied Jesus, Judas felt remorse and returned the blood money given to him for his betrayal. I find these facts interesting. Peter, who denied Jesus, will be forgiven and restored. Judas, who acts on his remorse in the heat of the trial and apologizing of his previous sin, will never be forgiven. He is destined to perish as an adversary of Christ so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled (cf. John 6:70; 17:12). This is great evidence that nothing we do can merit us either damnation or salvation. For, we are all condemned in our sin until, by grace alone, Christ chooses to save us. Merely feeling sorry about or apologizing for our sin is not enough to save us, lest salvation depend on our works. Salvation is always accompanied by something more, something called repentance—a turning from our own works and to Christ and His, something Judas never does. Of his own works, Judas returns the blood money. That blood money, since it is dirty, is used by purchase a potter’s field—fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy according to Matthew. The prophecy is actually found in Zechariah 11:12ff. There are a few reasons Matthew’s Gospel may attribute the prophecy to Jeremiah. Matthew was most likely referring to the collection of prophecies in the scroll of Jeremiah, which would have included Zechariah. Zechariah prophesied 500 years before these events. Zechariah wrote, I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord (Zechariah 11:12-13). Zechariah was prophesying against Israel. When Israel realized that he was truly speaking the word of Yahweh, Zechariah asked for his own just wages. The people paid him 30 shekels of silver. Some people will make a big deal out of exactly how much this is worth in today’s tender, but it’s not important. It is important that the people considered a fair wage for one speaking the word of God to be thirty shekels of silver. Now, I ask you. How much do you believe the words of God are worth? Would you even dare put a monetary value on something so precious? Their payment does not impress God. God instructs Zechariah to throw their money at the potter’s feet in the house of the Lord. If they only think God is worth that much, they can keep their money. Notice, this is how much the Chief Priest and Elders paid for Jesus to be betrayed. Like their ancestors, they did not think God was really worth much. This hardly seems like a prophecy that could be fulfilled, though. How do we know that there is actually a fulfillment, here, and not just parallels that Matthew is trying to appropriate to defend his own argument? We read further in Zechariah. Zechariah condemns the worthless shepherds that try to lead Israel but fail to care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing (cf. Zechariah 11:16). Jerusalem will become a stumbling block, and every nation will gather against it (cf. Zechariah 12:3ff). I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn (Zechariah 12:10). Zechariah’s prophecy gives the people a chronology of events leading up to God’s action against the worthless shepherds: The shepherds are proven worthless because they do not value God. God is not impressed by what they have to offer Him. Jerusalem will become a stumbling block and a burden on other nations. All nations will turn against Jerusalem, akin to the Battle of Armageddon (meaning city of Megiddo) we read about Revelation (cf. Zechariah 12:11; Revelation 16:16)—which I believe to be a battle that took place at the cross in the First Century partly because of Matthew’s treatment of Zechariah’s prophecy. God will claim final victory over the nations by means of grace through the piercing of Himself—saving those who are His and justly judging those who are not. Judas weeps and mourns as He sees Jesus being pierced in Pilot’s presence. The whole world will mourn when Jesus is pierced at the cross. The result of His piercing, according to Zechariah, is the establishment of His kingdom by grace, the salvation of His people by grace, and the just judgment of the whole world as God Himself reigns in the line of David (cf. Zechariah 12:7). Matthew claims that this prophecy is fulfilled. The battle of Armageddon, according to Zechariah, was won at the cross, and Jesus’s kingdom is established on the earth. He sits as judge over the nations and is saving His people by grace despite their sin (cf. Zechariah 11:1ff). I know that many people read read into this commentary a position that I am not necessarily referring to. I am making no claim about any events that may take place in our future (e.g. a final battle or 1,000 year reign). All I wish to do is comment on Matthew’s use of prophecy as He persuades Jews that their Messiah and His kingdom have come according to their own prophecy. Jesus is currently king. He is currently judging the nations. He is currently saving His people by grace through faith—just as was foretold in Zechariah 500 years prior to Jesus’s incarnation. What good news!