Matthew 27:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money."

NIV: The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money."

NASB: The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, 'It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.'

CSB: The chief priests took the silver and said, "It’s not permitted to put it into the temple treasury, since it is blood money."

NLT: The leading priests picked up the coins. 'It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,' they said, 'since it was payment for murder.'

KJV: And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.

NKJV: But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.”

The chief priests demonstrate once more that Jesus was exactly right in condemning them for hypocrisy. They were willing to pay "blood money" to capture Jesus. Now, it seems, they are once again interested in legalism. They insist on following the law about not putting blood money in the treasury. The law they seem to have in mind is from Deuteronomy 23:18, "You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog [male prostitute] into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God." A more general sense of the rule is that money made from immoral activity was not meant to be taken to the temple.

Hypocrisy aside, this incident reflects humanity's traditional view of traitors. Despite Judas' actions being exactly what the religious leaders always wanted (John 11:48–53), and those they actively encouraged (Matthew 26:14–16), they were still seen as noxious. Even those who benefitted from the betrayal, condemned the person who did it. Referring to this payment as "blood money" only highlights the shame of what Judas has done.

Matthew 27:3–10 reveals Judas' deep regret for betraying Jesus. He brings the 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders who paid him for his cooperation. They don't want the money back, and they're not interested in Judas' confession. Judas throws the money down in the temple and hangs himself. The priests use the money to buy a field for burying foreigners. They call it the Field of Blood. Matthew states that this fulfills prophesy and quotes from Zechariah. The book of Acts also recounts Judas' death (Acts 1:16–20).

When Judas learns Jesus has been condemned, he regrets betraying the Lord. He throws down his ill-gotten money and hangs himself. Jesus is taken to Pilate, who finds nothing to charge Him with. Given the choice, the people shout for the release of a convicted murderer and insist on Jesus' death. Jesus is mocked by a battalion of soldiers and then taken to be crucified. On the cross, He is mocked for not being able to save Himself. After three hours of darkness, Jesus dies. He is buried by a rich follower in a new tomb. This location is tightly guarded to prevent anyone from stealing the body.

Matthew 27 begins with an official meeting of the Jewish ruling council. They affirm Jesus' condemnation from the previous night, described in chapter 26. Judas confesses his betrayal and hangs himself. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but the mob shouts for Jesus to be crucified. Jesus is humiliated by Roman soldiers and marched to be executed. On the cross, He is mocked by Jewish religious leaders and others. He dies and is buried in a never-used tomb. Extensive efforts to secure His body from being stolen only serve to prove the miraculous nature of His resurrection, which is detailed in chapter 28.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.