Matthew 26, Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Plot
Plot
We are still looking at Wednesday, the middle of the week. Two days before Christ’s crucifixion. Everything is rapidly building; Jesus is intensely preparing His disciples for His death, and the religious leaders were behind closed doors plotting His death.
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus death was tied to the Passover, the day the sacrificial lamb would be killed - tying His death to the sacrifice of the lamb. As John the Baptist had proclaimed earlier, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29, 36).
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
Jesus WAS the Passover Lamb for the nation of Israel and for us today. Jesus’ death was explained to His disciples. In just two days, He was to be crucified. The disciples had to be strengthened for the hour of trial lest their dreams become dashed upon the rocks of despair and they loose faith. Remember, their thoughts were focused on the Messiah’s restoring the kingdom of David to Israel. They were thinking that He, the Messiah, was going to deliver Israel from Roman bondage. The Messiah would free the nation and establish it as the greatest nation on earth under the rule of God Himself. There was the very live possibility that the apostles could lose faith when they saw His being put to death by the hands of mere men. It could appear as though He were being forsaken by God! Christ had to do everything He could to prepare them.
He tells them of the exact day He would be killed, the exact same day as the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. He continues tying His death to the sacrifice of the lamb. He continues to refer to Himself as the Son of Man - meaning he perfectly identified with man in human flesh, but that He was the Ideal Man, what God had intended from the beginning, Perfect and Righteous. While He knows our trials and hurts, pain and suffering, He did not sin so that He could be the perfect sacrifice, the lamb, so that WE could have eternal life. He stood for our righteousness and took away death for the believer.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
You see, when we need a good shepherd, someone to find us and rescue us from the grip of Sin, He is the one we must look for.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
But the death of Christ would be caused by betrayal. Judas will step into the role, not as disciple, but as betrayer. When the chief priests and the elders gathered with Caiaphas, the were set on arresting Jesus and putting Him to death. Why? What had Jesus ever done to them EXCEPT try to point them to salvation?
But notice they were concerned over the timing, they couldn’t do it during the “feast” because of the followers of Jesus - they might revolt!
Nevertheless, Jesus would be crucified two days later. Betrayed by one of His own, but for all of us.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Prepared & Anointed
Prepared & Anointed
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Mark and John also record this anointing of Jesus. John says it actually took place six days before the Passover (Jn. 12:1). Matthew, as pointed out before, arranges events by subjects. He is discussing the death of Christ, so He places it here. John also identifies the woman as Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Matthew says that they were in the house of Simon the leper, and John says Martha served (Jn. 12:2). Apparently Simon the leper was the husband of Martha (although others feel that he could be her father or father-in-law) (Mt. 26:6; see Jn. 12:2). What happened was this: the multitudes were flowing into the city for the Passover, and the excitement of the Passover was filling the air. There was a sense that something significant was about to happen. Of course, Mary had no idea of the events that were to take place in the last week of Jesus’ life, events which were to begin the very next morning with the triumphal entry. But Mary, along with everyone else, sensed that the time for the kingdom to be established was at hand. Mary, who was always sitting at Jesus’ feet, sat there again, gazing into His eyes. As she gazed, she sensed two things. She sensed the need to repent of her recent criticism of Jesus (see Jn. 12:3; see note—Jn. 12:3), and she sensed a foreboding of trouble surrounding Him. She saw within His eyes a weight so heavy that she was drawn to express the most profound faith and appreciation in Him possible. She took the most precious thing she had, an invaluable bottle of perfume, and anointed Him as the Messiah, the anointed One of her life. Mary’s act was one of the most loving and precious acts ever shown to Jesus, if not the most loving and precious act. It was an act of supreme love and adoration. What Jesus had to say about it shows this (vv.10–13). Just how loving an act it was can be seen by picturing all that was going on throughout the city at this time and all that was yet to happen: the plotting, the intrigue, the hostility, the attacks, the planned murder, the crowds streaming into the city by the teeming thousands—crowds who created a worldly, carnival atmosphere. Even Simon’s own household had an enormous crowd in it with all the disciples present. Just imagine the noise from the conversation alone. Yet there sat Mary at Jesus’ feet, once again soaking up all He said, loving and adoring Him. He had done so much for their family. Simon the leper was apparently her brother-in-law (husband to Martha). He had probably been healed by her Lord. Her brother, Lazarus, had been raised from the dead. They had all been saved by Him. How she loved Him! How she wished to express her love and faith in Him! He seemed so tired, so weary, so foreboding; there was something in His eyes that expressed His concern and preoccupation as she gazed into them. She wanted to help and encourage Him, to show Him that she cared for and loved Him, so she arose and went to get the most precious thing she had to give Him. And she gave it in the most precious way she knew: she anointed her Lord, even as David and all the kings of Israel had been anointed in the past. She anointed Him, not from any official position, but from her heart. It is for this reason that she lives in the memory of all as a memorial. In the behalf of all, she anointed the Lord to be the One who was to experience death for all. In behalf of all, she anointed Him as the Lord and Savior, the true Messiah of all hearts and lives who worship and serve Him as the anointed One of God.
The anointing was an act of love and faith in the Lord Jesus. Very simply put, Mary anointed Jesus to show Him how deeply she loved Him and believed Him to be the true Messiah, “the anointed One of God” (see notes—Mt. 26:6–13; see Mt. 1:18). He was her Savior, Lord, and King. He had done so much for her and her family. She wanted Him to know how much she appreciated, loved, and believed Him.
Something else needs to be noted as well. Mary sensed something within Jesus: a foreboding, a preoccupation of mind, a heaviness of heart, a weight of tremendous pressure. Her heart reached out to Him and wanted to encourage and help Him. Being a young woman in the presence of so many men, she was not allowed to vocally express herself that much. Such a privilege was not allowed women of that day, so she did all that she could: she acted. She arose and went for the most precious gift she could think of—a most costly bottle of perfume. And she gave it to Him in such a way that He would know that at least one person truly loved Him and believed Him to be the Messiah. Her hope was that such faith and love would boost His spirit.
the anointing was a sacrificial gift, a commitment beyond common sense.
a. The anointing was sacrificial. It was worth 300 denarii. A denarius was a small silver coin worth a laborer’s daily wage (Mt. 20:2), so the perfume was costly, valued at approximately a year’s wage (based on a six-day working week).
There is another fact to note about the sacrificial gift. Perfume was a precious item to Eastern women. Mary was taking a most precious possession and giving it to her Lord.
b. The anointing was a commitment beyond common sense. Imagine the scene: a bottle of perfume worth a whole year’s wage being broken and poured upon the head of Christ. Common sense would say to the genuine Christian, “Sell it. Use the money for the poor, the hungry, and the homeless.” This is just what the disciples did; in fact, they were indignant and vexed about it. They questioned the act; they considered it a waste. After all, if she wished to anoint Christ, she could have used a less expensive perfume. But the disciples failed to see two points.
1) Mary was driven to express her faith in her Lord and her love for Him personally. The most meaningful way she could do this was to anoint Him as her Lord with the most expensive perfume she possessed.
2) The most significant person in Mary’s life was the Lord. He was the Messiah, the Savior and Lord of her life and family. She wished to show Him that He was deserving of all she was and had.
The point is this: the disciples questioned what Mary did, just as most people would. In the eyes of the world, they would be right. A cheaper perfume could have been used, and not just a few, but a multitude of poor could have been helped with so much money. But what they and the world fail to see is that true love has to be expressed in a personal way. Love is never known unless it is experienced and shared by the believer.
The anointing was a grasping of opportunity. The disciples censored Mary and condemned her act, but Christ defended her. He gave two reasons why Mary’s act was justified.
a. Mary’s anointing was a good work, a work poured out upon Him personally; that is, it was a personal gift. Yes, it was an extravagant gift, but it was a gift to Christ Himself. It was not a gift to an idea or program of His. This fact, that it was done to Him personally, makes the difference.
b. Mary’s opportunity to show her love for Christ would not always be present. Christ was soon to be gone and ascended to the Father. Bodily, He would not be present for Mary to show her love. The poor would always be present to whom Mary could minister, but not Jesus. He would be gone. If she were ever going to demonstrate her love and faith, she had to do it now. The opportunity had to be grasped now; it would soon be gone.
(1) Opportunities do pass. In fact, they pass ever so rapidly. If we do not act and act immediately, we miss the chance forever. The privilege of witnessing, helping, growing, advancing, improving, and discovering—on and on the opportunities arise. If we fail to act, the opportunities pass on never to return, and we lose the chance to ever reach out and help and improve. (2) The great tragedy of most lives can be summed up in two simple words: missed opportunity. (3) What others think, even their condemnation and censorship, should never keep us from showing our love and faith in the Lord Jesus. Our witness should always be strong for Christ, just as strong as Mary’s was: strong in grace and kindness, in courage and unashamedness. (4) Our works and gifts should first of all be given to Christ personally. Our thoughts should be upon Him, concentrating and not wandering as we serve and give. They should be performed and given as though they were being laid at His feet.
The anointing pointed toward the burial of Jesus, that is, His death. This is exactly what Christ said: “She did it for my burial.” Some commentators think that Mary knew what she was doing, that she understood what Christ had been predicting, that He was to die soon. They feel Mary grasped the fact when others did not, but this is unlikely. The atmosphere surrounding the Lord’s followers was that the kingdom was about to be set up. However, whether she knew what she was doing or not, Christ took her act and applied it to His death. He said that her love and faith and the anointing of His body pointed toward His death. In simple terms, Mary’s love and faith, gift and anointing was a witness of anticipation. She was witnessing to the Lord’s death by looking ahead to it. Today, the believer’s love and faith, gift and anointing are a witness of fact. The believer is to witness to the Lord’s death by looking back to it.
The anointing was an eternal memorial. Christ honored Mary because she had so greatly honored Him.
Several things about Mary stand as an ideal for all: her deep love and faith in Christ, her sacrificial gift, her courage in proclaiming her strong love and faith by anointing Jesus before a room full of men. Such devotion and love could not be allowed to fade from history. Christ memorialized it. He will memorialize the faith and love of any believer who so sacrifices for Him—throughout all of eternity.
Betrayed
Betrayed
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.