Matthew 27.11-26

We have now set the stage for this passage. First, Peter has denied Jesus while Jesus was being tried before the chief priests and the elders. Then the whole Judas fiasco occurred during Jesus' trial before Pilate. And yesterday, we investigated into the highly intensified relationship between Pilate and the Jews. Now, with all that in mind, here comes the text for today:

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
   “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
 ¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
 ¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
 ¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
 ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
 ²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
   “Barabbas,” they answered.
 ²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.
   They all answered, “Crucify him!”
 ²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
   But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
 ²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
 ²⁵ All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
 ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.


There is a power struggle that is going on between Pilate and the Jewish leaders. If you remember, the score is 1-1. The power struggle between Pilate and the Jewish leaders is all tied up, and now comes the rubber match, the situation that decides who is going to come out on top. And in the midst of all this, is Jesus, the one who is truly in control. Let's take a look at this passage one shot at a time. 


¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

   “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.

 ¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

 ¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.


The Jews had given up Jesus, and instead of crucifying him right off the bat just to make them happy, but Pilate had something else in mind. He wanted the Jews to have to play along with his little game. So as was his custom to release a prisoner at the feast, he presented a failed revolutionary leader in Barabbas, against Jesus. And he asked the Jewish leaders to pick which one they wanted to be released. Each decision was someone who was trying to overthrow the established authority. Barabbas had a failed revolution to overthrow the Roman government, that is why he was arrested. And Jesus also claimed to be king of the Jews, something that only Caesar and Herod were able to do. Any other claim of kingship was seen as a threat against the established order. 


Pilate was putting the Jewish leaders in a pickle. Were they going to side with Barabbas, someone who actually raised arms against Rome, or some weird Jewish Rabbi who made dangerous claims. He has put them in a tough situation, putting himself in a position of power over them. This is what happens next:

¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

 ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

 ²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

   “Barabbas,” they answered.

 ²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.

   They all answered, “Crucify him!”

 ²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

   But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

Pilate thought he had them in a tough place that would force them to pick Jesus to be released over Barabbas. Yet, the Jewish leaders hated Jesus so much that they convinced the crowd to choose Barabbas over Jesus. Pilate wasn't expecting this, and he didn't want to crucify someone who hadn't raised up arms against Rome and release someone who had, this could put him in a tough spot with his superiors. Yet the Jews got more and more riled up. And this caused Pilate to be forced into a place he didn't want to be in. Look at what Matthew said:

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

 ²⁵ All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

 ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Jews got the position of power now. They got what they wanted and they didn't have to suck up to Pilate, The funny thing is, in the middle of all this power struggle, God's plan to rescue the world by Jesus' death on the cross is being carried out. God is the one who is in control, and the Jews and Pilate are just pawns in his big plan. 

And this reality is true for our life as well. 

The people who we think are in control, the powers of this world, the governments, kings and rulers are not in control. No matter who we elect as president, that is not going to save the world or change anything really. God is in control, and his plan is always being worked out to bring the world back to him. 

And no matter what is going on in our lives, we can rely on the fact that God is always working his plan through us. We just have to submit ourselves to his plan. So will you?

Pilate

In this part of Matthew, we are watching Jesus being led to the cross, and an interesting figure arises in the narrative, a man by the name of Pontius Pilate.

Not a lot is known about Pilate, but what we do know is that he did not have a good relationship with the Jews. The problem was, the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus shamed in the worst way, by crucifixion. And the only person who could make this happen...was Pilate.

So why this bad history with the Jews?

It started in AD 26, Pilate had just began his office in Judea, and one of his first acts was placing Romans standards in the temple, which contained carved images of the emperor on them. The problem with this is that the Jews were told not to worship any carved images at all, and the mere presence of these standards was a violation of the Jews religion.

The prefects before Pilate had been careful not to do anything this controversial to the Jews, but Pilate didn't care. Because of this, the Jews sent a delegation to Casesarea, where Pilate was stationed, to plead with him to take the standards down. They pleaded for five days straight.

After the five days, Pilate sent some of his troops out in the midst of the Jews with an pre-arranged order to draw their swords and kill the Jews. Pilate ask the Jews to go away and stop pleading for the removal of the standards. They didn't. So Pilate made the order and the soldiers drew their swords, and Pilate threatened them to leave or he would kill them. At this moment, Pilate thought he had the Jews beat by using brute force as a scare tactic.

It ended up biting him in the rear.

After Pilate threatened their death, the Jews all laid on the ground and exposed their necks, basically telling him to kill them, but they weren't going to stand for this disgrace of having carved images of Caesar in their temple.

Pilate lost, the Jews won. Pilate commanded his soldiers to step down, he removed the standards, and the Jews came away victorious.

This was the beginning of the animosity between the Jews and Pilate.

The second conflict between Pilate and the Jews that paved the way for the trial with Jesus had to do with the sacred treasury. Pilate seized funds from the treasury of the temple and used these funds to build an aqueduct. When Pilate visited Jerusalem sometime after this, the Jews besieged him with an uproar. Pilate, seeing the mob as a potential of an uprising, ordered his soldiers to dress up as civilians armed with hidden clubs and to mingle with the mob. When the protest got heated enough, Pilate made a pre-arranged signal and the soldiers drew the clubs from under their tunics and began beating the protestors, killing many of them.

Pilate won this conflict.

Now with the score tied, one to one, the Jewish leaders bring Jesus to Pilate, to have him crucified.

The question that is in everyone's mind is who will win this battle.

And tomorrow, we will dive in to Jesus' journey to the cross.

Matthew 27.1-10

Peter or Judas?

Both turned their backs on Jesus. One denied him, the other betrayed him.

Both felt an enormous amount of grief for what they had done. As we saw yesterday, Peter wept bitterly, but Matthew doesn't tell us what happens after that.

Does Peter repent, does he confess the name of Jesus, does he come back to Jesus, does he stand up for Jesus in the face of death? We find out that this is exactly what he does in the book of Acts.

But what about Judas?

And now we come to our text today:

¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. ²They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
 ³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
   “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
 ⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
 ⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me."


Remember what we talked about yesterday, how Peter's denials of Jesus happened during Jesus' trials before Caiaphas. Here, Judas' remorse occurs during Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin. 


Both Peter and Judas are contrasted with Jesus. 


And when Judas finds out what the verdict is about Jesus, look how he responds:


¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. ²They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

 ³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

Judas is devastated when he hears the news that Jesus was going to be put to death. He realizes what he has done. 

He turned his back on the savior of the world!!!!

Jesus hadn't done anything wrong, he didn't deserve this, yet Judas betrayed him, sinned against him. Because of this, he tries to give back the money, but the chief priests and elders wouldn't take it. 

So what does Judas do? 

  “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

 ⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever thought before...."I have too much baggage to be forgiven"; "I am too far gone now, there is no way I can go back"; "They can't forgive me, I hurt them too much"

Do you feel like there is no turning back, like you are at the end of your rope?

This is where Judas was, and look what he did.

He hung himself. 

He ended his life, because he thought there was nowhere else to turn. 

Yet...remember the story right before this one. 

Peter did the same type of thing. He turned his back on Jesus. But what happens to Peter after this?

He REPENTS!!!!

He changes his life, does the 180, and comes back to Jesus. 

And Jesus forgives him.

Judas...Judas runs off, by himself, and takes matters into his own hands. 

So who are you going to be?

When you find yourself at the end of your rope, turn to Jesus, run to Jesus. 

For the act of betrayal that Judas did to Jesus, is actually the very thing that provides forgiveness for all the acts of betrayal in the history of the universe!!!! Jesus died so you wouldn't have to. Jesus was hung on a tree so you don't have to. 

So who are you?

Judas.....or Peter?

Matthew 26.69-75

After Thursday night, things just keep going downhill for Jesus and the disciple. The first half of the week, Sunday through Thursday, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, wins in the public debates, condemns the Pharisees, prepares the disciples for his resurrection, and finally, eats the Lord's supper.

After this, Judas leaves to betray him, he prays in Gethsemane, is arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin...and now this. His right hand man, Peter, disowns him three times. This is how it goes:

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
 ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
 ⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
 ⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
 ⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.”
 ⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
   Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.


There are a couple of different ideas as to why Peter denied Jesus. Some said he was just trying to get close enough to the trial to free Jesus by force, so he was lying in order to get close. Others said it was out of fear for his life. Whichever option is true, the fact of the matter is that Peter, Jesus' right hand man, runs away from danger in the garden, lies about knowing Jesus, and weeps bitterly about it after. 


But to truly understand this scene, you have to realize that the trial of Jesus is going on at the exact same time as Peter's denials. Look how John portrays this scene in his gospel:


 ¹² Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him ¹³ and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

 ¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, ¹⁶ but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
 ¹⁷ “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter.
   He replied, “I am not.”
 ¹⁸ It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.


These are going on simultaneously. The next trial of Jesus begins with this word, "Meanwhile", showing that these two scenes are occurring at the same time. 


So at the same time, you have Jesus being tried unfairly, but being faithful and obedient to God even if it means going to a cross. On the other hand, you got Peter, who has attacked a soldier with a sword, abandoned Jesus, ran away sacred, and now has denied even KNOWING Jesus. 


When we are unfaithful, God is faithful. 


When Peter is making a mess of his life, denying knowing Jesus, Jesus is submitting to unjust punishment in order to die for the sins that Peter is committing. 


And that is true for our own lives. 


When we are unfaithful to God, he is still faithful to us. 


The question is, how will we respond?


Will we respond how Judas does in the very next passage? Or will we respond how Peter does in the book of Acts?


Who will you be, Judas or Peter?

Matthew 26.57-58

Read today’s passage, Matthew 26:57-68.  

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 

⁵⁹ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰ But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. 

Finally two came forward ⁶¹ and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ” 

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent. 

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 

⁶⁴ “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?” 

“He is worthy of death,” they answered. 

⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him ⁶⁸ and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”

Finally, the showdown we’ve all been waiting for.  The main event.  The high priest, Caiaphas, and the teachers of law and elders finally have Jesus.  He’s outsmarted all their questions, he’s won over the crowds, he’s stepped on their turf and indicted them, but now, they got him.  His band of followers has deserted him; well except for that sneaky Peter, but he’ll fall soon enough.  It was even one of these followers that handed him over anyway.  He’s all theirs.

So naturally it must have been frustrating to Caiaphas when his late night trial wasn’t going as planned, especially since a trial like this was probably illegal on multiple fronts.  For all that Jesus had said and done, for all the anger he had caused Caiaphas and the leadership, they were certain he’d done something deserving death.  The only problem was that despite their false witnesses, they couldn’t find anything worthy of death.  He’s all theirs, but it still seems like he’s winning.

Then finally, two witnesses (as the Law required) came up with something, something that Jesus never exactly said, but didn’t sound completely unlike him because in John 2:19 he had said that when they destroyed the temple, he would rebuild it, though he was talking of his body.  Caiaphas was probably thrilled but Jesus’ lack of response once again shows that he’s not playing their game by their rules, just like he did when he didn’t fight back when they arrested him and he won’t when they crucify him.  

Caiaphas had enough, so he just blurted it out:  “I charge you under oath by the living God:  Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”  This was what it was all about all along.  After all, if Jesus was the Christ, then he was a threat to Caiaphas and everything he knew.  Christ means “anointed one” and as high priest, Caiaphas was anointed.  Jesus has already made authoritative claims on the temple and if he was the Christ, these are only verified, possibly leaving Caiaphas out of a job.  This is a clash of power, the showdown that’s been coming for years.  How does Jesus respond?  He basically said, “If you say so.”  In an ironic twist, Jesus puts this powerful confession in the mouth of his opposition.  He’s all theirs, but it still seems like he’s winning.

Then Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he is, in fact, winning.  When Jesus resisted Satan in Gethsemane and accepted the cup of the Father’s will, he embraced the way of suffering.  But it is through this suffering that God will work out his vindication.  So when Jesus says, “In the future (more literally:  From now on) you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven,” he wasn’t making a crazy statement about his second coming.  No, he was saying that through his death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, God was vindicating him as the True Israel, as the embodiment of the people of the Most High (Daniel 7:13-14).  He was saying that God was going to make him ruler and seat him at his right hand (Psalm 110:1).  He was saying that he is the true leader of God’s people, not them.  He may be all theirs this night, but he will win.

Immediately Caiaphas gets it and screams the charge of blasphemy.  Finally they had what they were looking for.  With that, they pronounce the judgment out loud that they had long held in their hearts:  “He is worthy of death.”

Our journey through Matthew is still gloomy and full of darkness.  At times, it may not even seem like he’s going to win, like when they start punching him and slapping him in verses 67-68.  But we will see that there is hope and promise that the words of Jesus in this trial are true.

Your journey through life may be dark and gloomy right now.  Cling to this along the way:  Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One.  And no matter what happens, he wins.

Matthew 26.47-56

Let's start off today by reading the text:

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
 ⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.”^[a]
   Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
   ⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
 ⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.


God's ways are not our ways. 


Have you ever noticed this?


We tend to think the easy way out is the best. Just take away the cancer, just get the divorce, hold on to more money, that will make everything better. Yet Jesus tends to always work through the fire instead of rescue people out of the fire. And this is what happens here. 


Jesus is going to the cross to die for the sins of the world, and this makes no sense to his followers. Their Messiah can't DIE!!!! He has to overthrow Rome. 


But we have to remember this....God's ways our not our ways. 


That is why this situation looks hopeless. 


Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, betrays Jesus, Jesus doesn't seem to be putting up a fight, and it looks as if this revolution is going to be stamped out. This especially is true after one of Jesus' disciples tries to fight back. Look what happens:

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

   ⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Jesus tells him that this is not how his kingdom will come about. It's not with swords and clubs and overthrowing the kingdoms of this earth with brute force, but it is with a cross and a sacrifice, which overthrows all the evils in this world. 

God's ways our not our ways. 

So what does this look like for you.

How could God be working in your life in a way that wouldn't be your first choice, in a way that you wouldn't expect?

What is God calling you to do? Maybe it is something you would never think of, like serving the homeless or babysitting your neighbors kids so that they can have a night out. 

Just remember, God's ways our not our ways, and he is calling us to trust him. 

Will you?

Matthew 26.36-46

Here's today's text, Matthew 26:36-46:

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is week."

42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

The story of Jesus' prayer in agony is one of the most famous scenes in the gospels. We find Jesus agonizing in prayer while his disciples are unable to keep their heavy eyelids from falling shut. Jesus cries out to God that this cup would be taken from him. Luke's gospel is even more vivid, as it describes how his sweat was like blood falling to the ground. What takes place at Gethsemane is a powerful picture. All through the gospels, never see Jesus so troubled.

Have you thought much about what exactly is was that was bothering Jesus so much?

Of course, Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane takes place in the shadow of the cross. These are Jesus' last hours before he would be arrested, and the next morning he would be taken to Pontius Pilate and sentenced to crucifixion. With the crucifixion waiting for him, Jesus prays that if there is any other possible way, he be spared from having to go to the cross.

But why? Maybe the most common explanation is the surface-level one. Jesus is shrinking back from the physical agony of crucifixion. After all, who wouldn't? Crucifixion is one of the most torturous methods of execution ever created. It is, quite literally, excruciating. I get apprehensive just about going to the dentist, so it's hard for me to even imagine facing something like that. And so, many people think that in Gethsemane Jesus is praying to be spared from the physical pain of the cross.

But I think there's more to it than that. Certainly, very few people are anxious for painful deaths, but in history, we hear about martyrs who joyfully accept death, even painful ones. Do we really think that Jesus would be more apprehensive than these other people?

We need to remember that Jesus' death was unique. No one else has undergone what he did on the cross, because there was more to it than the physical pain. In the crucifixion, Jesus received the punishment that we all deserved for our sin. God's wrath was poured out on Jesus, and the one who knew no sin felt the weight of the world's guilt. Jesus prayed that the cup would be taken from him. Several times in the Old Testament, the metaphor of a cup is used to talk about the wrath of God (e.g., Isa. 51:17-23; Jer. 25:15; Ezek. 23:31:34). So the cup that Jesus had to drink included more than the nails and the thorns. It consisted of God's just punishment of sin.

Jesus was faced with this awful cup, and he chose to drink it. He knew full well what the cross meant, and he submitted to the plan. He had the power to save himself from the cross, but he chose to accept it. And that's absolutely incredible. We can't understand what the effect of the cross was on Jesus, because only he knows what it's like to be divine. Only he knows what it's like to be sinless. Only he knows what God's wrath really feels like. And even though he knew all of this going in, he still went to the cross out of his love for us. In John 10:18, Jesus says that no one takes his life from him, but that he lays it down of his own accord.

So how do we apply this passage. We'll often look at Jesus in Gethsemane and use it as a model for how we too should pray--in total submission to the will of God. I think that's a fair application. But today, as you think about Gethsemane, it would be good to simply allow yourself to be awed by the magnitude of Christ's love. He freely chose to go to the cross to pay the price for our sin. We don't deserve such a gift. We should have been the ones on the cross. We can't look at Jesus praying in the garden and fail to see perfect love. And if that doesn't bring some joy to your day, I'm not sure what will.

David Heffren

 

 

 

 

Matthew 26.26-35

After taking a break from Matthew yesterday, let's jump back into the book of Matthew. Here we go:


²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
 ²⁷ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
 ³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 ³¹ Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

   “‘I will strike the shepherd,
   and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’^[b]
   32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
 ³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
   ³⁴ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
 ³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.


There are two stories that occur, the Lord's Supper and the prediction of Peter's denial. Let's start off with the first one....the Lord's Supper. 


As I mentioned a couple of days ago, the Lord's supper actually occurred when the the Passover feast was supposed to take place. This requires for us to review what the passover feast was.


In the book of Exodus, the people of Israel are in slavery in Egypt, and God raises up a guy name Moses to rescue them out of Egypt. Moses asks Pharaoh to "let my people go" and Pharaoh says no. So...what happens? God sets a plague on the nation of Egypt. Yet...Pharaoh still wouldn't let the Israelites go. After this, another plague occurred, and then another, and another and another, and finally nine plagues later, Pharaoh still wouldn't let the Israelites go. 


This was the last straw. God told Moses that he was going to send one more plague on the Egyptians, and after this Pharaoh would definitely let the people go. The plague was the death angel. This angel was sent onto the nation of Egypt to kill all the firstborn sons of each household. The problem was that the Israelites were also living in the land, so God gave them a way to be protected from this death angel. What they were told to do was to kill a lamb, take the blood and spread it on the door frames of their houses. This sacrifice would serve as a replacement for their firstborn son, the lamb literally took their place. Because of this, the death angel "passed over" their house. That is where they get the word Passover. 


After this plague came on Egypt, Pharaoh set them free from their slavery and they were off to the promise land. God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Passover meal every year to remember how he rescued them from the land of Egypt.


This was the meal that the disciples sat down with Jesus to celebrate, yet Jesus stopped the meal right in the middle of it, and changed it permanently. This is what he said:

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

 ²⁷ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

 ³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus is saying, "I am now the lamb of God that is going to be sacrificed to rescue all people from the slavery of sin." He is showing the disciples that the cup represents his blood poured out for our sins and the bread represents his body which was offered for all mankind. Jesus is our lamb that takes our place so that when the death angel comes at the end of all time, he will pass over us because Jesus' blood has covered our sins. 

When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we are in a long line of people who have been rescued by God through a sacrifice. 

The second part of this passage, Jesus warns the disciples what will happen when he is arrested. This is what he says:

 ³¹ Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

   “‘I will strike the shepherd,
   and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

   ³² But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

 ³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

   ³⁴ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

 ³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Because Jesus has to be rejected and arrested for the salvation of the world, he wants to help prepare his disciples for what will happen. He tells them that they will fall away, but after they do, Jesus will raise up and meet them in Galilee. The problem is, instead of listening to what he is trying to teach them, the disciples immediately begin to argue with Jesus. 

Peter says that he won't fall away, and all the disciples follow suit. 

But this wasn't Jesus' point. He was trying to help prepare them for when they mess up, how to come back to him, that there will be grace. 

In both of these passages, we see Jesus offering himself as a sacrifice to cover the sins of the world, and we see him offering grace even when the disciples were going to fall away. 

This is so reassuring. 

Jesus not only covers our sins permanently with his sacrifice, but he also offers grace when we keep on messing up. But the key is, this is not freedom to sin or do whatever you want, but to live a gracious life in response to the grace has given us.  

The History of the Lord's Supper

In the Early church, the Lord's Supper was called "the Eucharist", which comes from the Greek word meaning to "give thanks." There seems to be a fog that hovers over exactly what the Eucharist is in the history of the church until we reach the Fourth Lateran Council in AD 1213, where the doctrine of transubstantiation is decreed, which basically says that the bread and the juice literally become the body of Jesus and his blood. But what was thought of the Eucharist up until that point? There are a number of things we know. 

The Didache, which was a Christian document from the second century, talks about the emphasis of the Eucharist of the unity of the believers. The bread is one body, and we are one body. Ignatius refers to this unity by emphasizing one bishop, one cup and one body. Ignatius also connects the idea of sacrifice to the celebration of the Eucharist, but that is as far as he goes. Pliny the Younger describes the meetings that the early church were having as possessing some type of “ordinary meal” at their meetings. This seems to present more of what is seen in the Gospel accounts than what is seen in most churches today. Yet we do not really know what the churches thought of the physical make up of the meal. Justin the Marty presents the Eucharist as the climax of the service, so we know that it is important. Yet, to define a doctrine of the Eucharist is not seen until the Fourth Lateran Council.

After the Edict of Milan in AD 313, the next decade or so Christianity came into a favored state with Rome. It was not only allowed, but was seen as the official religion of the Roman Nation. Because of this, official liturgies were formed to have a standard worship service throughout the empire. Basilicas were the common place that people met for worship, yet a number of developments occurred during this time to separate the laity from participating in the worship service. Instead of sitting at the Lord’s supper every week together, all partaking of the Lord’s supper, the altar was raised, a chancel screen set up, and the worship music became so complex that the laity became observers instead of participants in the Liturgical service. It was such a separation that the chancel screen covered up everything that occurred in the service except for the host being raised above the screen, the climax of the service. It was said that one time a man in the back of the church could not see the host and yelled in the middle of the service, “Higher!”. During this time it was rare for the laity to partake of the Eucharist at all, and the more privileged received it once or twice a year.

During the Fourth Lateran Council in the year AD 1213, there were a number of changes that occurred in the partaking of the Eucharist. The first is that the doctrine of transubstantiation was argued by Thomas Aquinas and was accepted at the council as the official doctrine of the Catholic church. Transubstantiation says that the bread and the wine, at the point of the service when the Eucharist is administered, turns into the actual physical body and blood of Jesus. Jesus’ physical body and blood is present at the mass and he is sacrificed again and again, each time the elements are served. Also, there was a push made for more participation with the laity in receiving the Eucharist, which was so important since it was the physical body and blood of Jesus. Finally, during this time, the Eucharist was only served as the bread, not the wine. This is called “in one kind”. Because of this, people felt like they were missing out on some of Jesus by only receiving one kind of the Eucharist. This produced the Doctrine of Concomitance which states that all of Christ is contained in any part of the Eucharist. Thus, the Eucharist was one of the seven sacraments of the holy Catholic Church

During the 16th century, humanism entered the scene through the Renaissance and brought about the emphasis of reason, bearing the Protestant Reformation. This was led by Martin Luther, who made some incredible changes to Christianity. One interesting thing about Luther is his interaction with the liturgy. Luther’s stance on the liturgy was to remove from worship only that what is clearly wrong, not to abandon 1500 years of history of worship. For instance, Luther served communion “in both kinds” yet he rejected transubstantiation but argued for the “real presence” of Christ during the Eucharist. Yet, Ulrich Zwingli took the reformation of worship a step further by abandoning all that is not clearly in the Bible. 

Zwingli saw the Eucharist simply as a remembrance of what Christ did for us. This was consistent with the extremes of humanism which state that the internal attitude and faith of the believer is the key thing in worship. He pointed out that sacrament simply means a “vow”, which refers to the Christian committing himself to God and to one another. Because of this, the Eucharist lost some of its importance in the service, so much so that in Geneva it was only being offered once a month. Calvin had some different views than Zwingli, believing that communion should be administered weekly and that it was, like Luther, the “real presence” of Christ, but not the physical presence of Christ. But because of the polarization between Catholicism and Protestantism, the extreme view of Zwingli won out, thus the Sacramental theology rejected, the Eucharist not served on a weekly basis, it only served as a symbol to remember Jesus’ death, and it was no longer the climax of the service. At the Council of Trent, there were some Catholics who wanted to follow suit with Luther and reform some of the medieval Catholic doctrines. Yet because of the environment, the Council produced a polarization between Catholics and Protestants, in which the Catholics reinforced the seven sacraments, specifically that of transubstantiation. 

This polarization of the Eucharist between Catholics and Protestants continues on, even to today. That is why in the Church of England, the Catholic and Protestant struggle produced some groups with some very extreme beliefs, like the Puritans, who left England and traveled to the new world, America. They, and others like them, practiced the Eucharist closer to once a year rather than every week, only administered it to the elect and saw it only as a symbol to remember our commitment to Jesus and what he has done for us. The once a year administration of the Eucharist turned into an emotional experience that was the beach head for the first and second Great Awakening. It is interesting that the practice of the Eucharist in Protestantism, which had lost importance in the actual climax of the service and the frequency in administration, is the same practice that sparked religious revival in America. 

Part of the Restoration movement was restoring the New Testament church, specifically that of administering the Eucharist every week. Yet, this Zwinglian view of seeing the Eucharist as just a symbol has remained intact in most of Restoration movement churches today. Also, because of the awareness of germs and men chewing tobacco which left residue in the cup that was being passed around, most churches administer the Eucharist with small chicklits of crackers and numerous small thimbles of grape juice, which was a result of the temperance movement. 

I think what the church can do to help build unity with one another is twofold. First, pay attention to the history of the church and see what caused the polarization between Protestants and Catholics. Catholics do a good job of this, in Vatican II, it seems that Catholics took a more middle approach in seeing the Eucharist as the “real presence” of Jesus, not necessarily transubstantiation. Yet Protestants, because of their ignorance of church history, do not seem to have taken any real steps to understanding why they believe what they believe about the Eucharist. Second, I think it is important that we as Protestants ask the question why we gather together every Sunday morning for worship. When we realize that it is not to attract seekers into our doors but to spur one another on towards love and good deeds by remembering what Jesus did by partaking of his Eucharist, then the importance of the Eucharist will hopefully be reinstated into Protestant churches today.