December 10th

Daily Reading

Zechariah 11:12-13

And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.

Matthew 27:9-10

This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,

“They took the thirty pieces of silver—
    the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
 and purchased the potter’s field,
    as the Lord directed.”

Psalm 35:11

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.

Mark 14:57-58

Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’”

(Readings taken from Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/ New Living Translation)

The guilty walk free

Each of us harbors a deep longing to see justice. When wrongs are incurred we cling to the belief that the guilty ought to be tried and convicted; held to account for the actions which have caused grievous damage. Our need to witness judgment and compensation for wrong is a universal urge.

Equally, when punishment is served unjustly, our sense of unfairness is provoked. To see an innocent person punished, accused falsely, strikes at our very core.

It is the wrestle of this prophecy.

“Malicious witnesses testify against me.
They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.”

Jesus is an innocent man, convicted: it is unjust!

That Jesus’ innocence is necessary for our restitution: unfathomable!

The relationship between mercy and justice is complicated and confusing.

I want to see justice served and see penalties issued for heinous crimes.  I want to know that evil does not go unnoticed or unpunished.

And yet, equally, I want to be forgiven for the pain, cruelty, and unkindness that I have been responsible for.

Rivers of justice.

Oceans of mercy.

I need both.

So Jesus steps in. For a bag of silver, his innocent life is offered up. My mercy comes at the expense of his willingness to serve a sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.  It is another mind-bending revelation that God Divine, chose to wrap himself in humanity and stand before the court of popular opinion. A Sovereign God slaughtered by salacious lies. All that he might reconcile us. The illegitimacy of Jesus’ trial and the verdict is wholly unfair, but a sign of his unconditional love.

It is, the scandal of grace.