Field of Blood

Field of Blood (22×28 mixed media)

There are two accounts of the death of Judas, one in Matthew, telling of his hanging, and one by Luke in Acts, talking about him falling headlong, bursting open in the middle and his bowels gushing out. Since Luke was a doctor, it is fitting that he would focus on the latter. I didn’t want to paint the bowel gushing, so I painted the hanging with accompanying clues to how the latter occurs. The little black bird on the hanging rope will peck away at it until it breaks under the dead weight of Judas, causing him to fall headlong into the sharp rocks below him, bursting him in the middle so his bowels will gush out. I don’t really believe that a little bird caused it, more likely the dead weight of Judas’ body causing the rope or tree limb to break. The vultures are circling and waiting patiently for the latter to occur to make their meal easier. A fitting end to a man whose sins included worshipping the idol of his greed, sacrificing his Lord to his love for money, and causing the shed of innocent blood. But in the end, it needed to happen to fulfill prophesy and for God’s plan for salvation of man to come into play.

Matthew 27:1-10

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Acts 1:16-19

“Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. “For he was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood).”

E.J. Lefavour

www.hobbithousestudio.com