Matthew 26:1-2
This closes out the Olivet disourse; remember this is Jesus speaking to Peter, James, John and Andrew. We could look back and remember that Jesus wept over the destruction of the temple. As Jesus and His disciples left the temple and went to the Mt of Olives they looked across the temple mount and saw the this amazing and famous sight of the temple. Jerusalem was God's city, the center of the universe as far as the Jews were concerned; and the temple was the center of life for one seeking after God.
Jesus went on to tell them the temple would come down. Astonishing!! How could it be say? This had to be the response of any right thinking person who herd this in that day. The disciples wanted to know when Jesus was coming back and what the sign would be. I'm not convinced they were fully understood where he was going. But they seemed to undestand that when He returned that He would sit on the throne and rule in righteousness.
Jesus answered their questioned and gave them parables of what a faitful servant would look like in this time of waiting and preparation. It would be easy for them to be overzealous in hearing Jesus coming in glory and the judgment to come and forget that He first had to suffer. It appears as a strange twist in a normal conversation to discuss coming in glory and ruling from the throne but crucifixion must happen first.
Matthew 26:3-5
Rome depsed Anna as high priest in 15 AD and replaced him with Ciaphas. Since the Old Testament said the High Priest was only replaced after his death, this idea of Rome interfereing and selecting High Priest didn't go over well. Rome sought after someone who could control the Jews and keep them quiet and obedient.
Ciaphas ruled until 36 AD; over twenty years. In the time from 37 BC to 67AD there were twenty-eight different High Priest. This wasn't because they appointed priests in their final days of life but because they sought someone who would be as much a part of Roman rule and order as they would a priest to the people. Ciaphas & Pilate were both deposed a couple years after the crucifixion of Jesus. One historical source said Ciaphas was not able to deal with the disgrace of bring removed, but also was overcome with guilt over crucifying Jesus; this source said Ciaphas committed suicide.
It's somewhat fascinating that we know these three verses. How could Matthew know that they had previously met and plotted the demise of Jesus? This is an insider meeting by the core group of the religous leaders of that day; chief priests, scribes and elders. It is likely that Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea or another that was that later became a Christian.
These relibious folks, set aside their duties of ministering to the people and minstering to the Lord; they made time for a meeting to plot to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. This just seems absolutely incredible that there wasn't a voice of reason (or two) that spoke up and said stop the insanity. Yet, this was all to be; and in spite of their determination that this not happen during passover when there were a few million zealous and religious Jews around, it in fact did happen because Jesus was always in control of the timing. He was the Passover lamb for all men and these evil men plotting in the backroom could not stop that.
Matthew 26:6-9
Bethany was just a short distance away. We see the same account of this in Mark and John. Luke records a similar event but this seems to be another time and in Nazareth among the gentiles. The gospel of John reveals that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Jesus had been invited to supper; and why not, this former leper had much to celebrate. he certainly could not have been having dinner parties previously. But now, washed clean and free from leprousy, he wanted to share his table with Jesus. And now one would have been surpsised that Lazarus was there having been raised from the dead just a short time before. There was much to celebrate.
An alabaster flask was a long necked container we might picture looking like a vase, but it was sealed at the top. To access the perfume, the neck was broken off. The Jewish ladies loved their perfume and often who a small flask around their neck. Mary took a bottle of very expensive perfume and annointed Jesus with it. John said she annointed His feet also and wiped them with her hair. A womans hair was her glory and she used that the feet of Jesus in a time when feet were considered the most offensive and fithly.
Matthew is being kind in say the disciples were indignant; for it was primarily Judas who saw this as a waste. It may be that others were in agreement, but for different reasons. They considered this a waste of money. How can anything given to Jesus be a waste? It was suggensted that they could have sold the proceeds given to the poor. John wasn't so kind, he said it was Judas saying these things. Judas said it could have been sold for 300 denarii. At the feeding of the five thousand - more like ten to twelve thousand with woman and children included - they said they could have bought bread for people for 200 denarii. That gives us some idea of just how costly this perfume was.
Is it the cost that honors Jesus? No, its the disregard for worldly value that honors Him. Can the poor honor him? The widow with 2 mites did so, she gave all she had to God. The value of this was viewed as nothing in the world but it was all she had. We saw this in the parable of talents also. It wasn't the return on investment by percentage of value, but the revealing of the heart in doing according to their ability.
Mary is fully invested in Jesus; worshiping Him while she can in any way she can regardless of what the world thinks. She isn't worshping by design or by established rules. She doesn't care a whit about any traditions. She gives her all, sits at his feet recognizing Him as the Lord of life.
Matthew 26:10-13
Jesus heard what was being said corrected them for troubling Mary. Jesus had fed the 5000 with nothing. For these guys to feel limited by money seems strange. Serving others is a matter of the heart, not a matter of money. While they wanted to annoint him as king and see Him come to power and while He could have been annointed as High Priest, it was Mary who annointed Him for death. She probably wasn't aware of it she had annointed Jesus for Burial.
Matthew 26:14-16
In studying you can find various ideas of how to relate this sum of thirty pieces of silver to our day and age. This 'thirty pieces' was the base price for a slave (Exodus 21:31); so we can know the king of kings and Lord of Lords was sold as a slave. And why not? What greater humility? What greater way to show his love and service to all mankind than to identify with the lowest? Some say this was equal to $25 in our economy, others say its six months' wages. Irregardless, it was bargain of all bargains; nothing so great was ever acquired for so little. Yet, before we destroy the character of Judas with our lesson, let's consider what Spurgeon said:
"Yet many have sold Jesus for a less price than Judas received; a smile or a sneer has been sufficient to induce them to betray their Lord."
We should all be awaare we've betrayed Jesus for much less: in our denials, in our silence, in our words and deeds.
Why did Judas do this awful thing? We can't know his heart, so no real conclusion can be drawn. Yet, we can look at the actons and find several possibilities:
- Greed is one of the most likely and the possibility most would believe. Matthew and Mark both make mention that Judas had his eye on the money and his hand in the till. Mathew seems to suggest that this incident with the perfume was the last straw for Judas. It's not hard to imagine this man following Jesus for a season, waiting patiently for this man to rise to power so they could all reap the rewards. It may well be Judas had his eyes on the financial windfall of being at the right hand of the king. How is this kind of heart possible when one had walked with the Lord and seen so much? There doesn't seem to be any limit to the evil and darkness that can flow from an unrepentant heart. We don't have to look very far to see some who have walked in the presence of the Lord and then fallen away by greed.
- It may be that Judas had developed a bitter hatred toward Jesus born out of disillusionment. The disciples had heard much talk and Judas may have grown impatient. Judas may have at one time believed that Jesus was the messiah and he would come to power and sit on the throne ruling over Israel. But it was taking so long. And now Jesus had presented Himself, riding a donkey, his followers waving palm branches rather than weapons. It may be that this was all too much for Judas. There was a party of nationalists at the time who wanted to see the Romans removed and Jews once again rule themselves. They had no problem with assassinating anyone that stood in the way of this. It may be that Judas was one of them. Judas may have been driven by the fact that Jesus wasn't turning out to be the messiah he wanted him to be.
- It's possible Judas never really intended for Jesus to die. It may be that he was trying to force something to happen. It's not hard to imagine that Judas saw Jesus as a little to meek and mild. What Jesus really needed was someone with courage and vision to 'make something happen'. None of thee disciples could deny Jesus had power and and authority they had never seen before. Judas may have simply been trying to force Jesus' hand; to make him rise to the occasion. Judas may have been trying to make Jesus what he wanted him to be.
In the end we find the possibilites sound very familiar:
- Jesus was sold out for something more appealing.
- Jesus isn't who we thought he was.
- Jesus doesn't confrom to our expectations.
The betrayal of Jesus hasn't changed all that much over the years.
- Many people take on Jesus as an accessory to life, unless of course something more appealing comes along. They'll try Jesus to see how it goes for them, as if they were test driving a new card to see how it rides.
- Sometimes we hear this as, "I used to go to church but I just didn't get anything out of it." Or, "I tried Jesus for a while" and now they try other things. Or even "I read the bible" as if they had taken on that knowledge and moved on to something greater.
- Many follow Jesus for a time and find out He isn't who they thought He was. He isn't a genie in a bottle to grant your every wish. He isn't a mystical sidekick to follow you through life and get you out of trouble when you mess up.
- Some become disillusioned because there was never a heart change. They live life their way, lording over their life until they hit a wall. Then they prayed, and nothing happened. They thought Jesus was there to fix all their problems and He didn't do it.
- We can see all three of these thoughts tie very closely together. Some follow Jesus with a set of expectations. They want to conform Jesus to their own understanding. Their understanding may be from their own mind, poor teaching or some book they read. It doesn't matter to them what the bible says or what 'truth' really is. They have their 'truth' they are seeking.
- We can hear and see this today in a postmodern world; we can all have our own truth and our own understanding according to modern thinking. We can hear things like, "My Jesus" wouldn't do this or that. "I know what others believe, but I believe……"
We might be able to think of other betrayals or thoughts of why Judas did what he did. But these are some of the more prevalent. It's worth noting that at the core of each of these betrayals is 'self' or 'me' or 'I'. But we should know that this man did nothing that was inconsisten to reason Jesus came. Judas stands as a representative to mankind. Judas has the model 'dark heart' that Jesus came to save. Judas did what Adam did and what every man and woman since has done; we play out in our life the sinful nature that is self serving.
Judas went to the priest and bargained with them to deliver Jesus. This doesn't sound like the first meeting or the first conversation about betrayal. It sounds like the followup conversation after the decission had been made. Judas asked, "How much will you give me?" Then Judas put out his hand. And we might see that it was that hand that led us to the cross. But in fact, that was your hand and my hand; it was our sin, our fallenness. It was our actions as God's children created in his likeness having run away. Jesus went to the cross for our sin. Judas stands as a final picture of a sin leading to the cross. But each of us must know, it was also our sin, just as black and just as ugly and noteworthy that led Jesus to the cross.
Matthew 26:17-22
What a shock this must have been. The disciples together, feasting with the Lord behind closed doors. How could this be? Jesus had just finished washing the feet of the disciples in a display of humility and showing them the heart of a servant. Each man there knew he was capable of betrayal. Each man had to ask it if it was him. No man can could honestly say, "I would never do such a thing." Shortly we see Peter make an attempt and denying his nature.
Matthew 26:23-24
All the twelve had dipped their hands with Jesus. The betrayer was from among them; was one of them. Psalm 41:9 says this:
Matthew 26:25
In a bold act of hypocrisy Judas asks if it was him when he knew well that it was. The money had exchanged hands; he was looking for an opportune time. But the Pharisees and chief priests didn't want this deed to happen during the passover. There were too many people, it was too complicated and things could turn against them.
We can only imagine the moment when Jesus looked at Judas and said, "You have said it." They had been together for some time. Jesus knew of his sin and is giving Judas an opportunity for repentance. but Judas passed on it and chose to deny sin. It's worth noting that Judas doesn't call Jesus his Lord, but calls him Rabbi.
John tells us Judas went out into the night. This seems very symbolic; each man guilty of sin but Judas stands in denial of sin in the presence of the light; and chooses to depart into the darkness.
Matthew 26:26-29
By tradition, the explanation of the Passover meal was part of the meal. It was the remembrance of what God had done for them to release them from their bondage; to lead them out through a baptism of sorts in the Red Sea, by way of the wilderness to the Promised Land.
Jesus applies a new meaning to this. He took the bread and said it stands as a reminder of the body of Jesus. This couldn't have fully understood until after the cross what it meant for Jesus to give His body. His body was pierced, beaten, bruised and broken (though no bone was broken) for us.
Likewise, He took the cup and asked them to drink of it. This cup stood as a reminder of the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of sins. That blood was from a sinless sacrifice offered as a substitution for the sinful.
We are to eat this and drink this regularly to remember these things until He comes again at which time we will feast together at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the Father's kingdom.
Matthew 26:30
Psalms 116-118 were the Hallel hymns that were sung at Passover. I would have loved to hear Jesus sing this day. I'm sure we will get to hear it some day.
Matthew 26:31-32
This is important information that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. How strange this must have sounded. Their minds must have been reeling at all that was being said and done. Yet, it was just starting.
Jesus didn't speak of this stumbling in an accusatory way. Their stumbling wasn't equated to Judas betrayal. This was going to be a tough night in which things happened they couldn't possibly understand. Yet, these things were ordained and must happen, to attempt to interfere or stand in false bravado against what Jesus proclaimed would be a mistake.
Matthew 26:33
In the vein that there is always one in the crowd, Peter steps up to prove that this false bravado won't work. If we are honest, we are glad Peter is like this. In him, we see our selves. In him we find hope that God can do something amazing with so little.
Matthew 26:34-38
The garden of Gethsemane was on the mount of Olives. It was a short walk across the kidron valley. This was a place of retreat and prayer for Jesus. A Gethsemane was press used to crush olives to retrieve the oil. What a fitting place for prayer and Jesus begins to feel the crushing weight of all our sin.
Jesus needed to spend time with the father and he wanted his friends to be with him. He was alone though. Can we even imagine what he was feeling?
Matthew 26:39
Jesus asks God if there is any other way. Jesus had never been out of perfect fellowship with the Father. Taking on the sins of the world would break that fellowship for a time. Jesus faced a physical horror that was just hours away; but even greater was the spiritual horror of taking on the sin of mankind.
If there was any other way for sins to be forgive, then Jesus died in vane. The world offers many ways; Oprah speaks of many paths; the enemy offers many substitutes but they are all just false religion. They are ways to hide out nature or hide behind some religious act for a time. But in the end, all sin must be paid. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Acts 4:12 says:
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Matthew 26:40-41
Our flesh leads us astray; it is weak and a weakness. We might briefly reflect back on Judas and the attitudes born of a dark heart. The battle against these attitudes is fought in prayer. Jesus sought the prayer and fellowship of His friends. Yet, His friends fell asleep and failed in prayer and didn't stand with Him.
I can't help but think of all the times Jesus wanted to stand with me and I fell asleep in prayer or was lulled into a spiritual sleep by the things of this life and this world. Jesus stands as a faithful friend interceding on our behalf, never sleeping or slumbering, always there for us in our time of need.
Matthew 26:42-46
Jesus essentially prayed the same prayer 3 times. When Judas betrayed him he didn't call him Lord. Peter reacts to protect the Lord and draws his sword. Jesus affirms this all had to happen to fulfill the scriptures and that he didn't need his sword. If he needed help he could call 12 legions of angels. See Isaiah 53.
Matthew 26:47-50a
Judas came with a great multitude of men to arrest one man in the presence of ten others. It may be they came with so many because of the respect they had for the power of Jesus. But did they think they could overpower Jesus with men and clubs and swords. Apparently so!
Yet, Jesus had never warred with anyone; His power and authority wasn't used to destroy. Yet He did say this in Matthew 10 to all the disciples.
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Jesus didn't come for the sole purpose of peace; nor did he come to make war. He came for the salvation of men. While this would mean peace to some it was an offense to many because mankind loves the darkness and holds tight to its sin. Paul captures this thought in 2 Corinthians 2:16:
16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
And why did Judas come along with this mob? It surely wasn't necessary that Judas show them who Jesus was. They had to have known Jesus by sight. He had been to the temple many times; overturned tables and preached. He had stood before the Pharisees and done miracles. It's this very thing that leads some to believe that Judas was trying to force Jesus' hand. Was the kiss sincere? Although he greeted Him as Rabbi and not Lord. Was Judas attempting to push Jesus to stand against the authorities?
Its recorded as "I am He" bu the 'he' was added. What Jesus said was "I AM". This is the voice of the burning bush; the name of God, the self existent one. At that those words the soldiers fell to the ground. Everyone there knew who was in control of this situation.
Judas disappears from the scene right after the kiss. He doesn't show up as a witness in the trials; nor does he even show up to see what is happening. He simply vanishes from the scene until his suicide. Is this an indication that in Judas' eyes this entire thing had gone horribly wrong? The scriptures say Satan entered Judas and he went into the dark night. With this evil deed completed, Judas is left void and spiritually dry. The things that seem like 'good ideas' that come from the enemy will always leave us barren and distanced from the Lord.
Matthew 26:50b-54
Peter must have been emboldened by the show of strength and made the mistake of thinking they would fight their way out of this. But Peter had been sleeping instead of praying. Peter hadn't been paying attention. Peter responds in the flesh and attackes with the sword cutting off the ear of the High Priest's servant. John tells us his name is Malchus. Luke tells us Jesus touches his ear and heals him.
Jesus spoke and knocked these men to the ground; Peter drew his sword and all he accomplished was a damaged ear. It is only by Jesus' healing hand that Malchus might hear. And maybe there is a lesson here for all of us (if not many); the response of the flesh only restricts the work of Jesus. While we long for someone to hear the word of Jesus and see His power, the work of our flesh keeps them from hearing. Jesus can restore that hearing. It is by prayer this work is done. It is by staying awake and being prepared for what is coming.
Can we stop the action for a moment and look at this man Malchus? This man was a servant of the High Priest. We know virtually nothing about him but what we all have in common; he is sinful by nature and in need of salvation, even though he wasn't aware of it. Malchus got up that morning and went to work like any other day. He probably had no idea he would be going out with this mob to aprehend soemone. He certainly didn't know he would stand before the Son of God. What was going through the mind of Malchus? He had just been knocked to the ground by the word of Jesus. Then before he could go any further in his analysis of Jesus, Peter brings a distraction with the sword. Whatever work may have been going on in the head of Malchus was destroyed by the sword and the response of the flesh. Yet, Jesus restores Malchus, ends the pain and brings his heart and mind to bear on the Son of God.
Jesus takes control of His arrest. Peter was to put away the sword; if Jesus wanted to war he would have called the twelve legions that were at his beckon call. A legion of soldiers was about six thousand men. If a legion is the same in heaven, then that's about seventy-two thousand angels. This is quite impressive when you consider a single angel wiped out one hundred and eighty-five thousand in one night. They exist to serve and so we can know that somewhere in the heavenlies the angels were leaning forward in anticipation, hoping and waiting for that call to come and serve the Lord. But the call didn't come, it couldn't come. Jesus affirms this all had to happen to fulfill the scriptures.
See Isaiah 53.
Matthew 26:55-56
All the disciples said they would never leave Him, but now they fled. They had all agreed with Peter that they would follow Jesus to His death. But now they ran. What was going through their mind as they ran? Was there a parting glance when their eyes met the eyes of Jesus?
Matthew 26:57-68
John reports that Jesus first went before Annas the High Priest (John 18). Jesus frustrated Annas who sent Him on to Ciaphas, who was the authority behind Annas. Rome had taken it upon themselves to apppoint the high priests where the law said they served for life. Ciaphas was replaced with Annas; but for all intents and purposes, Ciaphas was still High Priest.
The scribes and elders were assembed along with Ciaphas. This has the look of a meeting of the Sanhedrin for the purpose of trial. Where all these men in on this betrayal of Jesus? Were they all in agreement to kill Jesus?
This trial was illegal for several reasons:
- by the laws of the Sanhedrin a trial couldn't be held at night.
- They could only hold trial in the official meeting place - not Ciaphas's home
- They weren't to hold criminal trials during Passover
- They could not deliver a guilty verdict with waiting til the next day to let emotions settle and allow for mercy
- The evidence had to be confirmed by two witnesses, separately questioned, who had not talked prior
- False witnesses were punishable by death - nothing was done.
- A trial always started with the defense so a case could be made for innocence before any evidence to the contrary was presented.
This trial wasn't the opportune time the Jewish leaders sought. They wanted to wait till after Passover and do this on their time. They apparently had no time to line up their witnesses and so now they struggled to find any. Finally, one person stepped forward with the twisted accusation that Jesus would detroy the temple. John 2 records the words in verse 19; Jesus didsn't say He would destroy the temple. Verse 21 makes it clear Jesus was speaking of His body. Here these men stood ready to do just that thing. How ironic that the false testimony given would be the very prophecy that if they destoryed His body it would be raised again in three days.
The High Priest expected a long argument in defense of the accusations made, but Jesus remained silent. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7:
Ciaphas was getting nowhere with this trial, they couldn't even get two witnesses to agree on a false accusation. Ciaphas asks Jesus if He is indeed the messiah and invokes an oath to force an answer. Ciaphas wasn't looking for truth though, this quesiton was probably delivered in sarcasm; as in here Jesus stood bound and standing in judgment before Ciaphas. Jesus finally answered the High Priest; and it was more like He answered the office than the man. The High Priest was picture of Jesus, ministering to God and to the people. I believe Jesus was obedient to answer out of respect for the office, not because this man deserved an answer. His answer wasn't a defense but only a confession of who He was. Jesus spoke the truth, it was just as Ciaphas had said, He was the messiah. But then Jesus went on, as a warning to him, Ciaphas may stand in judgment this day but there was a day coming when Jesus would Judge. He would be sitting at the right of the Power. The word 'Power' is capitalized because it was a word used to mean God. Jesus said He not only was the messiah but that He would be sitting at the right hand of God in judgment.
Ciaphas must have blanched at this testimony that He was the messiah; he probably wasn't expecting that. He probably expected Jesus to cower before him as others did. Ciaphas wanted to embarrass Jesus so all the people would see the real religios authority in town was the High Priest. Justice and a fair trial was thrown out; no second witness was needed. Ciaphas almost certainly held sway over this governing body. It was as if he declared the rules don't apply in such an egregious case. This was blasphemy as far as they were concerned. Their mind had no room for any possbile understanding that this man could be the messiah. In their mind the messiah would look different, act different and certainly wouldn't be standing under arrest and on trial before them. These men had created an idol and couldn't see the truth that stood right before them.
All were blinded by their idol and by their hatred for Jesus. All agreed He should die for this blasphemy. Then, this council of leaders, the governing body of Israel, the elders of the people and those who commanded respect, began to spit on the Son of God and beat Him. This is just an incredible thing. They feel justified in breaking their own laws and treating another human this way because He offended their understanding of the messiah.
This is Romans 2 played out; a display of the hatred of men for God. It is the offense of our sinful flesh that desires to be God, to lord over our own life. It is the shaking of the fist from mankind who loves their sin against a God who is Holy and Righteous. This is simply the picture of the unrepentent acting like the unrepentent.
Matthew 26:69-70
As Jesus was questioned and faced this ruling body; Peter was also questioned. But Peter didn't face near the scrutiny or pressure, he simply faced a servant girl. This girl obviously held no authority of any kind. Yet, Peter felled compelled to distance himself from Jesus. Peter sinned in his denial of Jesus.
Matthew 26:71-72
Another girl states the truth that Peter was with Jesus. This time Peter sins in his denial by an oath.
Matthew 26:73-74
Bystanders then spoke the truth of Peter's association with Jesus. They knew he was a Galilean because of the way he talked. This time Peter curses and swears like a Galilean fisherman so they know he doesn't sound like a man that followed Jesus.
Matthew 26:74b-75
Luke records that the rooster crowed and Jesus met the eyes of Peter. What a moment of stark realization. Peter was adrift in the dark of the night; he was confused and unclear of what was happening and how it would end. The boldness of earlier in the evening was gone. He was now shaking in fear; lying, denying by oath and cursing to show his disassociation with Jesus.
Peter had walked with Jesus some time now. There was no lesson along the way that would lead them to believe that separating themselves from Him would ever resolve a problem. Jesus said they would be scattered and this scattering would keep them safe. And while we can quickly find fault with Peter for the denials we might ask where the others are. It was Peter's love for Jesus that kept him near; near enough for others to link him to Jesus.
Peter had messed up and he wept bitterly. He had done the thing he was sure he could never do. He had failed Jesus, he had failed himself. He certainly had to feel as if all hope was lost. But it was for this that Jesus was going to the cross.
©2016 Doug Ford
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