When Judas returns the thirty shekels of silver, the chief priests and elders tell him (in the NASB) “see to that yourself” (Matthew 27:4). Pilate says virtually the same thing to the Jews during the trial of Jesus: As he tries to wash off the stain of Jesus’ blood, he says “see to that yourselves” (27:24; NASB). The only difference is that Pilate speaks in the plural, and the chief priests in the singular.
What are they saying? ”Take care of it yourselves”? Yes, but there’s something more too. In both cases, the verb is the future of orao and could be translated as “you shall see.” That is, it is prospective; it is virtually a prophecy. You shall see what the blood-money brings, the chief priests say to Judas; you shall see the consequences of accepting the blood that I wash off my hands, says Pilate to the people. And they do, when all the righteous blood from Abel to Zechariah to Jesus and beyond is charged to “this generation.”
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
