HE WILL BE BETRAYED BY A FRIEND
PROPHECY: “Even my familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”
Psalm 41:9
FULFILLMENT: “Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.” Matthew 10:4
Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve apostles who dined with Jesus, traveled with Jesus, and would later
betray Jesus. Jesus was not handed over to the Romans by an adversary but by one of His closet followers.
Skeptic Interjection: Because Jesus knew Judas would betray him, how could the verse in Psalms be
considered a Messianic prophecy with the statement in whom I trusted?
Answer: Jesus entrusted Judas with many things. It is believed Judas was the treasurer of the apostles, Jesus
entrusted Judas with His teachings, they traveled and preached together, they shared meals, etc. Just because
Jesus had foreknowledge of Judas' actions does not mean Judas was not entrusted with many responsibilities of
an apostle.
HE WILL BE BETRAYED FOR 30 PIECES OF SILVER
PROPHECY: “Then I said to them, ‘If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages. And if not, refrain.’ So they
weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.” Zechariah 11:12
FULFILLMENT: “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you? And they counted out thirty pieces of
silver.” Matthew 26:15
Thirty pieces of silver was the standard price of a slave in the Old Testament, making this amount particularly
insulting.
Skeptic Interjection: Isn't there a verse in Matthew that attributes this prophecy to Jeremiah instead of
Zechariah?
Answer: This reference is found in Matthew 27:9 (Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was
fulfilled...). If you notice throughout the Book of Matthew, Matthew frequently mentions the Old Testament
prophecies before he records the fulfillments by Jesus. Whereas Mark dedicates his Gospel to the Romans and
Luke focuses his attention towards the Gentiles, Matthew appeals to his fellow Jews, trying to convince them
Jesus alone fulfilled the prophecies. The Jews of antiquity realized the lesser-known verses in Jeremiah as being
Messianic which is why Matthew references them. Though the verses in Jeremiah (18:2, 19:2, and 32:6-9) seem
vague and far-fetched to us, Matthew summarizes and combines the prophetic symbolism of Zechariah and
Jeremiah into one reference, giving credit to the better-known prophet, Jeremiah, which was a frequent exegetic
method used in antiquity when referring to the prophets.
THE SILVER WILL BE THROWN INTO THE TEMPLE FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD
PROPHECY: “So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.”
Zechariah 11:13
FULFILLMENT: “Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed. And they consulted
together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.” Matthew 27:5,7
Skeptic Interjection: Does the Syriac Old Testament use the word treasury instead of potter? If so, does this
damage the credibility of Zechariah's prophecy being Messianic?
Answer: I do not have access to the Syriac texts but if the word treasury is used, it would make sense when we
read the following verse in Matthew: "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money."
Matthew 27:7
Judas took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the temple. But because the priests did not want to
accept the blood money used to condemn an innocent man, they used it to maintain the potter’s field. The verse
in Matthew implies Judas tried to return his money to the temple treasury but the priests would not accept it.
HE WILL BE DENIED BY HIS DISCIPLES
PROPHECY: “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Zechariah 13:7
FULFILLMENT: “Then they all forsook Him and fled.” Mark 14:50
Jesus is often referred to in Scripture as a Shepherd. When Jesus was arrested, His disciples were so afraid of
persecution, they deserted Him until after the resurrection.
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