Zechariah 11:12-13

 In this passage God had Zechariah portray a Good shepherd and He asked for His peoples evaluation of His worth.   They valued him at 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32).  He then placed His own valuation on the valuation He had received calling it ‘goodly’ and then casting it down as the insult that it was to His Great Worth and everything He had done for His people.  All of this foreshadowed the ultimate valuation that they would place on His Son and on His Love for them at the time of Christ.  Judas and the Jewish leaders agreed on the value they felt He was worth when they agreed on a price to betray Him.  When Judas was later filled with remorse and tried to return the price he’d been paid, it was refused so he cast it down as well.  The Jewish leaders took the money and bought the potter’s field as a place for the poor to be buried.

One other interesting facet to this is that 30 pieces of silver was also the price to liberate a slave, also called a ransom.  Jesus came to earth to be the ransom for us, the slaves of sin, only he paid the ransom with something much more valuable than mere money.

Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

John 8:34-36

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

After Zechariah’s portrayal of the Good shepherd and his subsequent poor evaluation and dismissal, God asked him to portray a foolish shepherd, symbolizing the antichrist to come. This shepherd we know will be accepted yet he will ‘eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces.’  It is a terrible time, but thank God the end of Zechariah predicts Christ’s return and establishment of the worlds first and only truly Just and Equitable and sinless Kingdom.  

Zechariah 14:9

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth:

in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.