What to Value Most

Based on Matthew 27-28

"Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." Matthew 27:9‭-‬10.

It is now the time where we come to Jesus' crucifixion, death & Resurrection. It is one of the hardest passages of Scripture to read & get through. You think of everything that has happened up until this point in Jesus' life and wonder, why this? Why so brutal? And it's all to show us what (more importantly, Who) to value most.

All of the teachings, works & miracles Jesus did all point to the fact that staying close to Jesus is essential to our earthly & eternal well-being. Judas drifted so far from Jesus and found this out all too late:

"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."
Matthew 27:3‭-‬5.

Judas found out that he valued the wrong things. 30 pieces of silver caused all this!? Judas did not appreciate Jesus alive and was now the one who delivered Him unto death. In turn, Judas delivered his own self up to death and committed suicide. We put ourselves in a dangerous physical, mental, emotional, behavioral & spiritual state when we remove ourselves from Jesus for so long!

Then came a crucial choice from the crowd of onlookers. The governor, Pilate, did not believe Jesus was worthy of death, but it was up to Pilate to release a prisoner which the crowd desired (or valued) most. The crowd ended up choosing a "notable prisoner (Matthew 27:16) named Barabbas instead of Jesus:

"When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." Matthew 27:24‭-‬25.

Jesus' Blood was certainly upon them. You think, how could they do that? Were they really THAT backwards? And the answer is yes. Sadly, the world today is quite the same. So many people don't value Jesus, and some value even evil things over Jesus! Many of us choose Barabbas on a daily basis, knowingly or unknowingly. But that's why it's is important to make a conscious effort to knowingly choose Jesus daily! Build that relationship and build the best life on earth & in eternity!

Today, we pray & plead the Blood of Jesus on people for healing, and also the Blood of Jesus washes us clean from our sin in the waters of baptism! Although it was a sad thing Jesus had to endure, His blood was meant to be upon us. So much power! So much strength! But first came the most humbling point in Jesus' life: the point of His death.

"And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots."
Matthew 27:35.

The soldiers cast lots right there at Jesus' feet, which means they were somewhat gambling for His garments. Imagine them, playing this game, staring at the ground, when the true Treasure hung above them slowly fading away. This was a terrible case of mis-placed value!

When Jesus died, many incredible and miraculous things happened:

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose," Matthew 27:51‭-‬52.

The veil was torn, graves were opened, but most importantly EYES were open to the fact that our greatest value should be Jesus Himself:

"Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." Matthew 27:54.

People were finally starting to realize what just happened. They were finally valuing Christ above this world, because the entire earth quaked and bowed before Him. Earthly things were the things which did not matter in the end, because earth itself was being shaken...and so was humanity's mis-placed value system!

Joseph of Arimathaea had the right idea. At the end of Matthew 27, he sacrificed his own burying place for Jesus:

"And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed." Matthew 27:60.

The beautiful thing is that Jesus does not stay in this tomb! He rises, comes back to His disciples & gives them the Great Commission:

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Matthew 28:18‭-‬20.

Jesus certainly does have power over heaven & earth! We must be baptized in THE NAME of the Father, Son & Holy Ghost: THAT NAME IS JESUS! We need to be washed by that Blood! We need to receive His Spirit! We need to have Him with us & value Him always.