What Price Would You Put on Christ? – Zech 11
“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” – Zechariah 11:12
I recently heard about a melon being sold for $15,000 in Japan! It is staggering to think of the price that someone would put on a piece of fruit. But the price of things varies greatly depending on supply and demand. In Zechariah 11, we read a prophecy about Christ’s betrayal. He was “sold” by Judas to the Jewish religious leaders for 30 pieces of silver!
30 pieces of silver were the same price as a slave in Exodus 21:32 and some think a piece of silver was equivalent to a day’s wage. So, all Jesus was worth to them was about 30 day’s wages!
This chapter talks about the sad state of Israel when they would be humbled for “abhorring me (Christ)” (v.8) and treating Him as not very valuable (v.12).
As a result, God’s covenant with them would be broken for a time (v.10-11), their glory would be spoiled (v.1-3), and they would be under a foolish shepherd (very likely the antichrist) (v.15-17).
The way Christ was treated and valued by the religious leaders is similar to most people today. Many would say that He is of some value as a teacher, an example, a rabbi, and a prophet. They like His moral values, but they reject His moral authority. They would not say He is totally worthless; they might give him about the same value as a few week’s wages.
I wonder what price we put on Christ? How valuable is He to us? Is He worth enough for us to listen to what He has to say, to believe on Him? Is He worth enough for us to risk our lives to tell others about Him? Is He worth enough for us to give significant portions of our time, income, and young people to promote His gospel? How much is Jesus worth to you?
Do you ascribe a certain value but then give Him up for 30 pieces of silver? Do you deny Him in the presence of certain individuals? Do you confine Him to certain areas of your life?
Or is He worth everything? Would you choose Him over the entire world? How much is Christ worth to you?