6 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.”
It is funny how the religious leaders were selective about what sins they would commit. They were willing to seek false witnesses in order to find grounds to kill Jesus, but they are not willing to take this money and put it in the treasury. This money was the silver given to Judas when he agreed to betray Jesus. I can see how they would consider this money dirty, unacceptable as a donation to the Temple. I wonder how many other people had been betrayed for a little silver? I guess this was the modern equivalent of Photo Shop. If a person wasn’t really doing anything wrong, but you wanted them out of the way, you just create some career ending evidence, and hand it to the press. Even if they are innocent, the damage has been done. Judas realizes that his betraying work is not getting him the reward he really wanted. When he realizes that Jesus is going to be killed for real, he wants out of the deal. This was not what he thought would happen. He was willing to sell Jesus out for some outcomes, but not others. The religious leaders are willing to give bribes, but not willing to put that money into the treasury. They are willing to have Jesus killed knowing that the evidence against Him is false, but they are not willing to receive the money thrown back at them from a repentant betrayer. What a funny set of standards. What are your funny standards? Are you willing to let some things slide while pushing hard against others?
The Arnold Journey 