December 27

OT -- Zechariah 10:1-11:17
More allusion from Matthew. Vs. 10-12:
Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord. I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.

Thirty pieces of silver! Judas, indeed!.
And that brings the question up, was 30 pieces of silver what people paid ANYONE does a detestable service or were the High Priests and scribes making a point with Judas? This part of the crucifixion story with the price of the betrayal and Judas' hanging only appears in Matthew although Judas is mentioned as the betrayer in Mark and Luke as well.
But still -- 30 pieces of silver. Something to ponder over. Clearly Matthew knew his Zechariah.

NT -- Revelation 18:1-24
The city of Babylon mentioned in these scripture is a pseudonym for Rome. Replace the names and re-read the scripture.

So, what does that tell you about how John feels about Rome? That he considers all the buying, selling, the trading and the merchandising to be one of Rome's greatest flaws? I think so. I think that John was probably an early proponent of 'buy local'. But we also have to remember that all the colonies existed to feed the whims and fancies of Rome. Up to 75% of goods, services, raw materials and foods went to Rome, much to the beggarment of the colonies. Romans NEVER went hungry, as a matter of fact, in their homes, they had rooms just to vomit in so that they could stuff themselves on more. Disgusting, but true. Meanwhile, common folks scrimped and starved.
Go careful here, now. There is so much temptation to extrapolate this forward to our times and while the message is still true, the predictions are not aimed at Americans. They are aimed at Rome.