Judas betrayed Jesus for how much? Today’s prices

• Posted November 13, 2012

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Judas betrayed Jesus for just how much?

By exploring this topic, we can see that silver is currently undervalued. (yearly fluctuation listed at bottom of page)

Why silver?

The LORD abhors crooked money. ‘Just Weights and Measures’ are spoken of throughout Sacred Scripture. To NOT pay with an honest money, would be the same as theft. And the LORD went so far as to issue a Commandment against theft. The current paper money and credit scheme is about as unjust as you can get. Likewise, using coinage perceived to contain a set amount of precious metal, but being mixed with base metal instead, is also unjust. Therefore, silver and gold, with an agreed upon composition is the truest form of ‘just weights and measures.’

Matthew 26:14-16 – Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

Why thirty?

‘Jesus betrayed’ is not the first instance we see 30 pieces of silver used in biblical history. Zechariah and Jeremiah are both associated with “30 pieces of silver.”

In fact, the amount of thirty was paid to Judas for the very reason of being in accordance with Sacred Scripture.

Zechariah 11:12-13 – I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, let it go.” And they counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. But the LORD said to me, “Throw it in the treasury, the handsome price at which they valued me.” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the LORD.

30 pieces of silver was paid for the service of the good shepherd. But it was also the dismissal wage and even the payout to a rejected shepherd.

Matthew 27:9-10 – Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of a man with a price on his head, a price set by some of the Israelites, and they paid it out for the potter’s field just as the Lord had commanded me.”

Though the Matthew account of Jeremiah isn’t actually found in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 32:9, he did buy a field for seventeen shekels. This is of note because the thirty ‘Jesus betrayed’ silver pieces were eventually used to buy land as well, the potter’s field.

SLAVERY

We also see thirty shekels of silver as pertaining to slaves. In Exodus 21:32, thirty shekels of silver is the amount paid to one whose slave has been gored by an ox.

Though not thirty, Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver in Genesis 37:28. And Hosea bought back his adulteress/harlot wife, Gomer, for fifteen pieces of silver.

So we see numerous examples of life being sold for silver, but how can we put that in today’s terms?

THE MATH

It is not certain that ‘pieces’ ARE ‘shekels.’ But we will have to assume that they are to put a value on the amount to figure out for which Jesus was betrayed.
A shekel was equal to about .4-.5 of a weighted ounce. Multiplying .4-.5 by 30, we come up with roughly 12-15 ounces to have Jesus betrayed. The current spot price for silver is $32.20. Multiplying $32.20 by 12-15, we end up with $386.40 – $483. <–This is how much Jesus’ betrayal cost using the manipulated silver spot price in US dollars as of Nov 13, 2012.

shekel ounce equivalent x amount of shekels = total ounces to have Jesus betrayed

.4 ounce x 30 pieces/shekels =12 ounces
.5 ounce x 30 pieces/shekels =15 ounces

ounces for betrayal x price per ounce = today’s dollar equivalent to have Jesus betrayed
12 ounces x 32.20 current price per ounce= 386.40
15 ounces x 32.20 current price per ounce = 483.00

So in today’s UNjust weights and measures, we are to believe Jesus was betrayed for only somewhere around $400? To further illustrate the extent to which silver is currently undervalued, let’s look at Jeremiah’s field. At seventeen shekels, using the same formula, he would have paid between 218.96 and 273.70 for his field.

If the current situation in silver was legitimate, we would be able to buy real estate today for somewhere between $200-$500. But that definitively is not so, even in Detroit. So taking a trip to Jerusalem, which will be more accurate for the potter’s field analogy, how much would a 200 sq meter (c.100ft x 20ft) city plot of land cost?…$750,000? Doing a reverse of our formula, $750,000 / 15 ounces = $50,000 an ounce of silver

Is $50,000 per ounce of silver a stretch?

Silver Price Based on Wages

Let’s take one more look at the current status of silver. Wikipedia states that thirty pieces of silver was about equal to four months’ wages for a skilled laborer at the time. Using a carpenter’s yearly wage from salary.com, we start with $45,000.

salary / 3 (4 months is one third of a year) = salary for 4 months
$45,000 / 3 = $15,000

salary for 4 months / ounces for betrayal = today’s dollar equivalent price per ounce of silver
$15,000 / 15 ounces = $1,000 an ounce of silver

So for just how much was Jesus betrayed? The exact amount can’t be known due to the fluctuation of economies, populations, and money supplies. But we can look at these calculations do see just how badly silver is manipulated and how undervalued it really is.

Which seems more realistic to you?
Judas betrayed Jesus betrayed for    $400?    $15,000?    $750,000?
Does a plot of land in the city cost    $400?    $15,000?    $750,000?
Is an ounce of silver worth    $32.20?    $1,000?    $50,000?

As we stand today, the economic fundamentals aren’t changing. Abominable, unjust weights and measures rule the day, and fractional reserve banking continues. The Federal Reserve keeps enacting policies to devalue the currency and further steal from us. For as long as these things continue, $1,000 – $50,000 for an ounce of silver will not only be a possibility, it will be a reality.

Using Palm Sunday (when this page gets it’s most visits), here is for how much Judas betrayed Jesus….

• March 20, 2005  - $7.38/oz  -   $88.56 – $110.70
• April 9, 2006  - $12.10/oz      -   $145.20 – $181.50
• April 1, 2007  - $13.38/oz      -   $160.56 – $200.70
• March 16, 2008  - $20.68       –    $248.16 – $310.20
• April 5, 2009  - $12.78/oz      -   $153.36 – $191.70
• March 28, 2010  - $16.90/oz –   $202.80 – $253.50
• April 17, 2011  - $43.04/oz    -   $516.48 – $645.60
• April 1, 2012  - $32.27/oz       –   $387.24 – $484.05
• March 24, 2013  - $28.71/oz  -   $344.52 – $430.65
• April 13, 2014  - $19.97/oz     –   $239.64 – $299.55
• March 29, 2015  - $16.22/oz  -   $194.64 – $243.30
• March 20, 2016  -   $15.79/ oz – $189.48 – $236.85