** This response answers the question directly, makes good use of current site resources, and provides useful foundational information for understanding the Bible. The tone is genuinely caring. The answer also alludes to the message of the gospel and points the questioner to Jesus. **
Question: Did Judas or the priests purchase the field of blood with 30 pieces of silver? Why do Matthew 27:3-10 and Acts 1:15-20 give different stories? Is this a contradiction in scripture? How do we resolve it?
Profile: Male, North America, 26–35
Answered by: Eric Hoehn, who has been a volunteer with us since January, 2011.
Answer: Hi friend,
You ask fair questions. A contradiction occurs when we make two assertions that cannot be true at the same time, in the same relationship, and the same sense. For example, if I assert that I am a father and a son, this is not a contradiction as long as I am not asserting that I am a father and a son to the same person.
Given that definition, the different aspects of Judas’ demise and the disposition of the 30 pieces of silver he received for betraying Jesus that we read in Scripture are not contradictions. Here is a link to an article on our site that provides an excellent summary of possible ways those apparent tensions can be resolved.
Another fair question is why the writers of the gospels and Acts made the decision to include different details about certain events. The four gospels and the book of Acts are examples of ancient biographies. It was very common for writers of such biographies to include certain events and omit others and to arrange the material in such way as to support the point they were trying to make. Everything they wrote was true and accurate but they selected and arranged the material to lead the readers to a particular conclusion.
The clearest example in the Bible of this style of writing may be found in the Gospel of John. At the end of the gospel John tells us why he penned it and that he included some events and not others from Jesus’ life:
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31 CSB
John Included seven signs of the many that Jesus performed. He included seven “I am” statements that Jesus made. He arranged the material into a prologue, a Cana Cycle, a Feast Cycle, the Passion Cycle, and an epilogue. He omitted the birth of Jesus and the establishment of the last supper but included other things that the other gospel writers did not. All to lead us to the place of believing in Jesus.
I hope this helps
