Our Own Potter’s Field

Life is funny, predictable and unpredictable and “Good Friday, three crosses tell the story of Salvation.” sometimes all three.

Some people believe that one’s life is providential. Some believe that the curiosities of life are strictly coincidental. While some believe that everything in life is predestined. Some believe in all three. Me, I believe in a little of all of those conditions.

What I do believe is that while I am sharing this series on cemeteries with you, and the time frame of the series falls within the parameters of “Good Friday”, and that this column will be published on Friday, and the subject will be on the Biblical “Potter’s Field”, has to be something more than coincidental.

Before we get into it, a little background – my friend Keith, who I highly respect because he takes such good care of his ninety-five year old mother, mentioned that he was reading my column on the Potter’s Field. I had not heard of the Fort Bayard Memorial Cemetery being called “The Potter’s Field” and so I questioned him about it. He responded that he had thought about it and years ago someone had referred to it as “The Potter’s Field”.

“The Biblical Potter’s Field.”

Many of you may have already spent time in the scripture learning of the “Potter’s Field” and a lot will not have, but I have and here is what I find.

In the New Testament book of Matthew, chapter 27 beginning with verse 1, the story of the Potter’s Field doesn’t actually start there, but in a broader sense it does. That is where you should start your study.

As you may know, Jesus has just raised Lazarus from death. When the word of this miracle reached the Chief Priest of the Jews, his disdain for Jesus grew beyond bounds and he determined that the only solution to the challenge of Jesus against the Jewish Religious Hierarchy was for Jesus to be put to death. But laying their hands on him was a different matter as he had a large following.

This is where the story begins – The Chief Priest summoned Judas and made a deal where for the infamous price of thirty pieces of silver, ($400 to $600 in today's dollars. some say about the price of a slave), Judas would deliver Jesus to them with a kiss. To Judas’s credit, most agree that Judas was not aware that Jesus was going to be tried and nailed to a Roman cross. Upon the discovery of this fact, Judas went to the Temple to return the money to the Chief Priest, The Priest scoffed and was not interested in Judas’s remorse. At that Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver onto the Temple floor. The story goes on to say that Judas left the Temple and hung himself.

Now, to the predicament of the Priests. Declaring that the money was Blood Money, (all of a sudden, piety set in) and it was declared that dirty money could not be mixed in with the clean, they decided to buy a field called “The Potter’s Field” with it, a place where they could bury strangers, as predicted in the Old Testament.

Now, The Potter’s Field, and why was it called that?

Red clay showing the results of a high iron oxide content.

The Potter’s Field was a well-known area where the soil was deep red in color. The red clay gets its color from iron oxide. It is typically acidic because rainfall leaches calcium from the soil. Less calcium means even redder so that the potters of the area would come to the field and dig out large pits for the clay, which in turn produced brilliantly red pottery.

Removing these nutrients from the soil rendered the land barren, unusable for farming. It was better suited to serve as a graveyard. It is said that the Priests made good use of the field as the burial pits were already dug.

In some places you will read that the clay was densely red because the field was bought with “Blood Money”, but you and I know that it was the iron oxide that made it red.

The term “Potter’s Field” survives even today—also called “paupers’ grave,” “common grave,” et cetera. It is used to describe a cemetery reserved for the disposal of unclaimed corpses, as well as the remains of unidentified and/or poor people.

Read the following scriptural account. Matthew chapter 27 says: “[1] When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: [2] And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. [3] Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, [4] Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. [5] And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. “[6] And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for us to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. [7] And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. [8] Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. [9] Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; [10] And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.”

Another more graphic account of Judas’s death can be found in Acts, 1;18 – 19 – 20.

And That’s My Opinion.