Judas the Shepherd

A gloss on my comments on Matthew 27 earlier today: Judas is indeed an ironic version shepherd of Zechariah 11.  He is hired by the merchant-shepherds for thirty pieces of silver (drawing again on Sweeney on Zechariah).  Judas delivers up a lamb, the Lamb, to the priests to slaughter.  He is the instrument of the oppressive priests in carrying out holy war against the flock, a mercenary shepherd, and not only the instrument but the exemplar: Judas makes explicit what the priests are generally doing, which is slaughtering the flock of Yahweh to enrich themselves.

He is also the shepherd of Zechariah 11 in renouncing his role.  He refuses to be shepherd leading the Lamb to slaughter, and throws his wages back into the temple treasury.