* A Small Price to Pay *
Judas Iscariot was paid thirty pieces (shekels) of silver to betray Jesus to those who hated him (Matthew 26:14-15).
Thirty pieces of silver were the restitution price a person paid if their ox gored someone's slave. This payment was made to the slave owner (Exodus 21:32). Judas was paid, assuming a modern silver price of $30 per troy ounce, about $330 U.S. for the life of Jesus.
* A Miraculous Tearing *
At the moment Jesus died the huge veil which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of Jerusalem's temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). The Holy of Holies, at one time, contained the Ark of the Covenant, which only the High Priest viewed once a year (Leviticus 16).
The veil itself was at least 30 by 60 feet (9.1 by 18.2 meters) and had a thickness of between 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters)!
The veil was not torn from the bottom up as men would attempt to do, but from the top down. This showed that the tear was caused by God to show that access to Him was now available to all humans!
* Death Brings Life *
After the temple veil was torn, another amazing event took place!
". . . and the earth shook, and the rocks were split, so that the tombs were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had died were resurrected after His resurrection . . . and appeared to many." (Matthew 27:51-53).
Jesus' death cracked open some local tombs where righteous people were buried. After he was resurrected as the firstborn from among the dead (Colossians 1:18), these saints were miraculously resurrected and showed themselves alive to family and friends!
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