Hound Dog Harmonies: 30 Pieces of Silver

We're back after an unintentionally long hiatus! I originally intended to post this for Holy Week, but it's still technically the Easter season, so I guess I'm not that far off.

Song: 30 Pieces of Silver

Artist: Theocracy

Genre: Christian Metal

Listening Suggestion: Car jam session that's willing to take an introspective turn.

Selected Lyrics

What’s the price you’ve named?
Well is it money, power, acceptance, or fame?

When all the world is asking you to sell your soul
And to deny the cross for silver and for gold
The kiss of Judas or the bended knee?
Vainglory or humility?
The ultimate goal

All the treasure in the world so blinding
30 pieces of silver shining
Tell me what’s the price you seek
To place the kiss of death upon His cheek?

You can find the whole song on YouTube if you're interested.

The Long

This is the song that made me fall in love with Theocracy. Like so many of their songs, it's a little heavy on the thrashiness at points, but it also has some better driving guitar lines. 

Most importantly, however, it has some lyrics that stopped me in my tracks and made me take a long, hard look at my soul in a way that Christian music rarely does.

So often during Holy Week, it's easy to point our fingers and scratch our heads at Judas. This guy walked with Jesus himself. Knew him. Ate with him. Was one of his closest friends. 

And then, he decides to out him for a measly price at the first chance he gets. And not just out him--but hand him over to be killed in one of the most brutal forms of execution ever invented. What was this guy thinking?

And then we stop, pause, and take a turn inward. If we were in Judas' shoes (or perhaps sandals, as it were), what would our price be? 

And, like Peter, we cry that we would never deny the Lord. That we would die for Him. 

Until we think about that unkind word we said to our coworker, or the places our thoughts strayed that they should never have gone, or the dark desires of our hearts that come along when we don't expect it. And then we remember every time we've not shared Christ's love, every time we've put our own desires before taking time for God, every time we've failed. 

Every time we've cashed in our 30 pieces of silver.