30 Shekels

In the days leading up to Christ’s crucifixion, Judas, one of Jesus’ trusted disciples, betrayed Jesus to the chief priests in exchange for 30 silver coins. Judas gave Jesus a kiss on the cheek in the crowd so the priests would know who to arrest. What’s interesting to me about this is that Judas didn’t demand a certain payment for his betrayal. In Matthew 26:15, he simply asks “… What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” The priests then decided to pay him the 30 coins, and he accepts that payment. No negotiation. No consideration of whether that was enough money. He just goes with it.
At the base of the painting, I’ve used imagery of coins falling into a pile as they would when poured on a scale for measurement when the priests weighed out the payment for Judas. Note the red tones symbolizing the coins as blood money.
While pondering the story, I couldn’t help but wonder how much 30 silver coins would be worth today in the currency most common to me, the US dollar. I did some research and discovered that the coins were likely Tyrian shekels, which are 95% pure silver. By multiplying the purity by the weight of Tyrian shekels found in archeological research, I could determine the weight of the pure silver and then translate that at the value per ounce in US dollars as of February 2020 when I was beginning the artwork. I did the math and discovered that 30 shekels were worth about $220.
That’s…not a lot of money. Upon discovering the modern value of the shekels, I realized that comparatively that’s really not a lot of cash. $220 might be a grocery trip for a small family, or a really nice dinner out for a family of four. It might pay for 2 concert tickets or maybe a couple theme park tickets. It’s less than what most people spend per month on car payments and Texas summer electric bills. In other words, it’s really easy to spend $220 in one go. So why would Judas betray Jesus Christ for such little payment?
Judas was human: that’s why it didn’t take much for his betrayal. It’s pretty common to point to Judas as a horrible treacherous person, but in reality, if we are honest with ourselves, we make small decisions every day that are displeasing to God. I can think of multiple small choices I make daily that Jesus would not agree with, and I’d bet you could do the same for yourself. That’s why we need Jesus.
Three circles are present in the imagery. These circles are surrounding by glimmering golden halos and represent the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are probably wondering, “So why are they surrounding the shekels? Aren’t they the symbol of the betrayal of Christ?” Yes, the shekels are, but Judas had to betray Jesus so that Christ would be crucified, resurrected and ultimately be our path to salvation. God was and is still in control.
In this painting, I’ve used gold as a color symbolic of God, but I’ve signed the painting in silver, the color of the coins. As a Christian, my goal is to be like Jesus as much as I can each and every day. I try, but fall short. I’m human, and not God and therefore will never be perfect. The reality is I am similar to Judas in my abject humanity. However, my humanity is the precise reason I need Jesus every single day. I have my hope in Him. He is our Savior.
One thing difficult to see in the photographs is the layer of haze present over everything except the coins and the thin gold line of the halos. The gel medium haze distorts and obscures the background in places giving the piece a waxy texture. Sometimes there is a haze in life that makes it hard to see God. Sometimes you can seek Him fervently, and He seems to be missing. Be assured that He is still there. Have faith and you will find Him. It just might not be on your desired timeline. Psalms 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.” Psalms 91:4 (one of my favorites!) says “He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.” Turn to Him and have faith.