For the second time, the scripture records how the Messiah would be betrayed in His first coming. In Psalm 41:9, He was betrayed by His close friend or disciple, while the prophet Zechariah gave details of how His disciple would betray Him. Both the Psalmist and Zechariah were referring to the same person. And these passages were given to the Old Testament believers that they might anticipate and know what would happen to the Messiah in His first coming.
What did the prophet Zechariah prophesy concerning the betrayal of the Messiah? He said, “And I said unto them, if ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver” (Zech. 11:12). This verse is talking about the value of the Messiah sold by his disciple to those who had been appointed by the Lord to fulfill what was recorded in the scriptures. The prophet Zechariah was chosen by God to be one of prophets to reveal the truth to the Old Testament believers concerning both the first and second coming of the Messiah.
The first coming of the Messiah was not to set up His kingdom but rather He was appointed to be a servant, who would bear the sufferings, and the sins of the world and redeem man by His death at the cross. His forth-coming crucifixion was very clearly proclaimed in His preachings before the multitudes and in particular among His disciples. In fact Jesus Christ said that one of the disciples would betray Him. This implied that the Lord Jesus Christ prepared the hearts of His disciples to accept what would happen to Him as recorded in the scriptures.
The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ would not be fulfilled except being preceded by the betrayal of His own disciples. Matthew recorded the account of how Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ. “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver” (Matt. 26:14, 15). Judas Iscariot went to the chief priest, the main enemies of Jesus, asking how much they would give him for betraying his own Master. What Judas Iscariot had done here is proof of his avarice, even selling His own Master for thirty pieces of silver. Lockyer said, “What an illustration of false values we have in this bargain Judas struck with those who wanted to murder his Master! What a measly sum to pay for Him Who declared that all the silver and the gold belonged to Him, and whose price is above rubies!”
Whatever reason Judas had for betraying his own Master, the scripture recorded that it was prophesied in the Old Testament that everything that had been written must be fulfilled for the glory of the Lord.
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