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Explanation for:
Matthew
27
:
8
For this cause the field was called Haceldama, that is, The field of blood, even to this day.
13
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"This serves as the witness to their wrongdoing and the condemnation of their betrayal. The designation of this location acts as a clarion call, revealing their vile act of killing to everyone."},{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"They were apprehensive about the words of Scripture and sought to obstruct their realization. However, the silver, as soon as it entered into the temple, was already consecrated by that very act. ‘And that they purchased with it a burial site,’ it was a commendable action, motivated by a desire for the prophecy of Scripture to come to pass, for a profound mystery lay within it. If they were to give this silver from the sacred treasury, why was it not allowed to be returned to the same treasury? Why could this money not be reunited with its original source? If it were not given from there, it could have been stated explicitly. Was this silver considered more defiled than other silver? Was it any more impure than the sword of Goliath, which, wrapped in linen, rested beside the altar (1 Sam. 21:9), or the gold of the Egyptians (Ex. 11:2), or the gold that David took from all the nations and dedicated to the Lord (2 Sam. 8:11), or the crown of jewels that he placed upon his head and praised in the Spirit (2 Sam. 12:30, Ps. 20:4), or the offerings made by the Philistines, which were placed there permanently? (1 Sam. 6:11) Did not Nebuchadnezzar also seize all the sacred vessels and place them in the temple of his gods? (4 Sam. 25) Furthermore, the ark of the covenant was brought by the Philistines into the house of Dagon (1 Sam. 5:2). Who has the authority to make unclean things holy and consecrated? And if, by that reason, they acquired the field with this silver because He proclaimed Himself as God, it would have been fitting to cover the altar with it. Yet this was not the true intention behind their actions; rather, they sought to thwart the fulfillment of the prophecy."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Their intentions were rooted in a different purpose, aiming to create a lasting testament to their evil by acquiring that land. However, we, who once stood outside the law and the prophets, have embraced their malevolent action as a means of salvation, finding peace in the sacrifice of His blood. This piece of land is referred to as the potter's field, for Christ is our potter."},{"author-name":"Ambrose of Milan","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88871ceef8c96e0998cd0_Ambrose%20of%20Milan.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The Jewish leaders chose not to return the payment for the blood to the treasury; instead, they used the money that facilitated Christ's betrayal to purchase a potter's field intended for the burial of travelers. This action fulfilled prophetic words, as recorded in Zechariah 11:12, unveiling the mystery surrounding the forthcoming Church. The field symbolizes the world, as indicated in Matthew 13:38. The potter represents the Creator, who fashioned humanity from the dust of the earth, as noted in the Scriptures: \\"And God created man from the dust of the earth\\" (Genesis 2:7). He possesses the authority to create us by nature and to renew us by grace through His divine providence. Though we stumble through our own transgressions, His mercy revives us by instilling a righteous spirit within us, as highlighted in Jeremiah 18:7-8.\\n\\nThe cost of blood signifies the depth of Christ's agony. Through this suffering, Christ redeems the world, affirming His mission that the world might achieve salvation through Him (John 3:17). As both Creator and Lawgiver, He seeks to preserve all who have died and been buried with Christ in the waters of baptism, as seen in Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12. However, a burial place is not guaranteed for everyone; even though the world can accommodate all creation, it does not retain everything. While the earthly realm is shared, true burial is reserved for those who have become part of God’s family through faith, even if previously they lived as wanderers and outsiders under the law. As it is written, \\"Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise\\" (Ephesians 2:11-12). Yet now, they are no longer outsiders, but have, through faith, obtained the privilege of being fellow citizens among the saints."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Even today, he notes, that area is referred to as the field of blood, serving as a reminder to all that they put the Lord to death. It is also significant to mention that the Jews showed concern for those from outside their community, as they acquired a specific field to serve as a burial place for strangers. We ought to reflect on our own shortcomings, for we who regard ourselves as exemplars of the highest virtue often overlook the needs of those who are journeying."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"It would have been much wiser for them to place the silver coins in the corvina, as this act might have gone unnoticed by many. Instead, they purchased the land, a title that proclaims their wicked crime more loudly than a trumpet, thereby revealing their atrocious act of murder. They did not stop at this; they formed a gathering, continually assembling so that no one can remain blameless. The book of Acts (Acts 1:19) tells us that this land was named Akeldama, which translates to the field of blood. Thus, it refers to the very same land mentioned in the book of Acts."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The term “the field of blood” (Akeldama - Acts 1:19) “to this day” serves as a stark reminder of the heinous act of murder, echoing its gravity more powerfully than a trumpet for all to hear. Had they concealed the pieces of silver, the act might have remained less known; however, by acquiring the land, they brought the deed into the open for all future generations to witness."},{"author-name":"Philaret (Gumilevski)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c896f4b6fd32caa244b5d7_Philaret%20(Gumilevski).png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Sanhedrin sought to conceal Judas' testimony regarding Jesus from the public; they rejected his offering in the temple and with silver coins obtained from a potter purchased a burial site for the unusual man. However, their efforts proved futile. The truth emerged quickly, and rather than being referred to as the cemetery of the unusual, the people named it the field of blood, Akeldama. This designation, recorded by St. Matthew, persisted eternally, having been established fifty days after the Savior’s resurrection (Acts 1:19)."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The collective voice of the people, through which God's voice frequently resounds, quickly designated this burial site with a fitting title: ‘The Field of Blood,’ known in Hebrew as Akeldama (Acts 1:19), a name still recognized today. St. Chrysostom remarks that ‘the name of the place’ proclaims more loudly than a trumpet, revealing to everyone the grave crime committed. If they had deposited the money into the treasury, their actions might have remained concealed; by purchasing the land, they made their sin evident for generations to come."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Despite the circumstances, the high priests collected the discarded silver coins and later deliberated on how to utilize them. They chose to acquire a piece of land from a potter, using the money that Judas had cast aside. In their moral corruption, they felt it was unthinkable to dedicate this tainted currency to the temple, as it represented the price of innocent blood. Consequently, they purchased a burial ground for those without a home. For many years, this area became known as the field of blood."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"With the money he squandered, a field for potters was purchased outside the city, which became a burial ground for travelers and was named Akeldama, meaning field of blood, thus standing as a grim reminder of the tragic event. This is how the wretched traitor met his end. Yet the judgment of God did not delay in revealing itself upon the other instigators of this dreadful crime. Caiaphas, the Roman-appointed chief orchestrator of the atrocious act of killing God, was removed from his position the following year. Herod met his demise in dishonor and exile. Pilate, shortly thereafter, lost his governorship due to the very charge he sought to evade through a heinous compromise; driven by misfortune, he ultimately took his own life in exile, leaving behind only a cursed legacy. A generation later, the house of Annas was destroyed by an enraged mob, which dragged his son through the streets, mercilessly beating him all the way to the site of the murder. Many who witnessed the horrific events of that day, along with countless descendants, became witnesses and victims of the horrific siege of Jerusalem—an unprecedented display of brutality in history. The Jewish people cried, \\"We have no king but Caesar!\\" and indeed, they had no ruler but Caesar. For a time, leaving behind only the ghostly shadow of a local, contemptible governance, the Caesars mocked, plundered, and oppressed them in succession, until finally they violently rebelled against the very Caesar they had wished to recognize as their king. In return, Caesar drowned their brave defenders in blood amid the ruins and ashes of their desecrated temple. They forced the Romans to crucify their Christ, deeming it the most dreadful of punishments, yet they themselves and their children were subjected to crucifixion by the thousands outside the gates of their city, leaving no room or wood for the bodies, as the soldiers devised ever-more cruel methods of execution. They paid thirty pieces of silver for the blood of their Savior and sold themselves by the thousands for even less. They chose Barabbas over their Messiah, and thereafter there was no more Messiah for them. They took upon themselves the guilt of this blood, and the final chapters of their history are steeped in rivers of their own blood, which has continually been poured out with relentless cruelty through the ages. Since that time, Jerusalem and its surroundings have become like a vast cemetery, Akeldama, a field of blood, a potter's field for the burial of wanderers."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The funds that Judas had accumulated brought significant shame to the chief priests. The thirty pieces of silver, which they had used to betray their Lord, were recognized upon further reflection as tainted earnings, a type of income forbidden by scripture from being placed in the Lord's house (Deuteronomy 23:18). The self-righteous champions of the temple's holiness confided in one another, “It is disgraceful to deposit them in the treasury, for the price of blood is blood.” In a show of collective guilt, as noted by St. John Chrysostom, they resolved to ensure that no one would escape responsibility for this wrongdoing. It was determined to utilize the funds from the betrayal to acquire, from a nearby potter, a burial site for the dispossessed—those Jewish pilgrims and converts who had succumbed in the midst of fulfilling sacred promises in Jerusalem. The meticulous keepers of the people's traditions found it unacceptable to mingle the remains of those with questionable beliefs with those of faithful Jews, even after death. Consequently, this new burial ground became recognized as the field of blood—Akeldama (Acts 1:19). Thus, in the demise of the traitor, as interpreted by the holy Apostle Peter (Acts 1:20), the ancient prophecy of the Psalms was realized: “Let his habitation be desolate, and let no one dwell in it” (Psalm 68:26), and “Let another take his office” (Psalm 108:8)."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The chief priests, after collecting the pieces of silver, likely recalling the decree from Deuteronomy 23:18, declared, ‘It is unlawful to place them in the treasury of the temple, for it is blood money.’ In their attempt to comply with this law, they simultaneously rendered judgment upon themselves by deciding the purpose of their expenditure. Following their deliberation, they purchased the potter's field, a tract of land that was mainly fit for bricks or pottery and held minimal value. They designated it as a burial place for foreign travelers among the Jews, thus choosing to acquire a resting place for the dead at the cost of blood. Consequently, this land is now referred to not simply as the potter's field, but as the field of blood."}]}
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