Home

Our Pastor

Sermons Online

Church Covenant

Statement of Faith

Our Mission

Our Ministries

Searching for a
reformed church in
New England? See the New England
Reformed Fellowship

 

 

Pastor Lars Larson, PhD                                                                                         FBC Sermon #638
First Baptist Church, Leominster, MA                                                                      November 27, 2011
Words for children: Passover, Judas, satan                                                               Text: Matthew 26:1-16

The Gospel of Matthew (102)
Preparing for Jesus’ Death (cont.)

Our current progress through Matthew:

  I.  Prologue (chs. 1, 2)
 II.  The Kingdom Comes (chs. 3-7)
III.  The Works of the Kingdom (chs. 8-10)
IV.  The Nature of the Kingdom (chs. 11-13)
 V.  The Authority of the Kingdom (chs. 14-18)
VI.  Kingdom Blessings and Kingdom Judgments (chs. 19-25)
VII.  Passion and Resurrection (Chs. 26-28)
        A.  Betrayal and Arrest (26:1-56)
                1.  Preparing for Jesus’ Death (26:1-16)
                2.  Last Supper and Gethsemane (26:17-56)

*****************

                Last Lord’s day we gave an introduction to this passion narrative of Matthew’s Gospel.  Matthew 26:1-16 address “Preparing for Jesus’ Death.”  In the first five verses we read of…

        I.  The plot to kill Jesus (Matt. 26:1-5)

        We have already addressed the opening verses of this chapter.  We first read of…

                A.  Our Lord’s death and the observance of the Jewish Passover. (26:1f)

        1When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

        Jesus is shown to be the true Passover lamb that would be sacrificed in order to gain the release of His people from their sin.  Secondly, we see that…

                B.  Our Lord’s death was a result of corrupt and unjust Jewish leadership. (26:3-5)

        3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.  5But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

                The religious leaders of Judaism saw the death of Jesus as a matter of political necessity.  Our Lord was a threat to their power and popularity.  He had turned the people so that they favored Him rather than them.  Also, the leaders’ position of semi-independent rule at the tacit approval of their Roman overlords would be threatened by the upheaval that the presence and teaching of Jesus was bringing into Jerusalem. The Jewish leadership would do what it needed to do to maintain its power and authority over the professing people of God.  One described their attitude toward Jesus and their resolve to discredit Him or destroy Him.

He has challenged their power, he’s captured the crowds’ imagination, and he can’t be allowed to get away with it.  They don’t suppose for a minute he might be a true prophet, let alone Israel’s Messiah.  Their naked political goals, unadorned with any desire for true justice, are a constant feature of the story.[1]

        Those few who knew of Jesus’ true identity at the promised Christ, were very uninformed about the true nature of His mission.  His disciples would be of little encouragement and assistance to Him.  The Lord would tread this part of His life alone, for no one was there to support Him or encourage Him, except for the woman described in the incident that we have before us in Matthew 26:6ff.

        II.  Our Lord was prepared for His death by the ointment the woman brought to Him (26:6-13)

        Let us read these verses.

        6Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a 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.  8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?  9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
        10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a beautiful thing to Me.  11For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me.  12In pouring this ointment on My body, she has done it to prepare Me for burial.  13Truly, 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.”

        The time of this event is not set forth in this account of Matthew’s Gospel.  Matthew describes the event as having taken place in the house of Simon the leper, but Matthew does not indicate when this meal occurred.  We should recognize that not all events in the Gospels are recorded chronologically.  It was in Matthew’s purpose not to order his account chronologically, but he chose to tell of this event at this place in his account to show the reader the central focus of the passage or the direction of the plot, which is centered in death of the Lord Jesus.  Although Matthew did not place this event in its chronological order, John did so in his Gospel.  John recounts this event to have taken place on the Saturday evening before Palm Sunday.[1]  In et us read John’s account in John 12:1-8.

        1Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  2So they gave a dinner for Him there.  Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at table.  3Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair.  The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  4But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (he who was about to betray Him), said, 5“Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  6He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.  7Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.  8For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.”

        When we compare these two accounts we see each Gospel provides details that the other does not include.  John provides the more detailed description of what transpired.  First, John provides the time frame in which this occurred, it happened “six days before the Passover.”  The Passover fell on the Friday of Passion week.  Six days before the Passover would have been Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday and the triumphant entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem.  Matthew provides the specific location of the meal where this event occurred; it took place in the house of one named “Simon the leper.”  There is little reason to doubt this was a former leper, whom the Lord had healed of His leprosy.  John identifies the hosts of the dinner—the two sisters, Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus.  John also provides the identity of the woman that anointed Him with the alabaster: it was Mary, who performed this act of honoring her Savior and her friend.  Matthew wrote that woman poured the expensive ointment on Jesus’ head; John said that the woman poured the spikenard on His feet and then wiped His feet with her hair.  Which was it?  I would say both.  Actually, although in Matthew 26:7 it is recorded that the woman poured the ointment on the “head” of Jesus, in Matthew 26:11 he said that she had anointed His “body.”
        Matthew records that the ointment was very expensive.  Matthew suggests that all of the disciples had reservations about the use of this costly ointment.  John tells us that it was Judas Iscariot who objected to what he regarded as a waste of much money.  Judas had calculated that it could be sold for 300 denarii, which was the equivalent of 300 days wage of a common laborer.  Apparently this type of ointment was derived from pure nard, which is an aromatic herb that only grew in the high pasture land of the Himalaya Mountains, between what is now Tibet and India.[2]  This was the cause of its costliness-- its rarity and the expense of transporting it from the East.  The weight of the ointment was one pound, and it was contained in a sealed alabaster box, which would have been white in color and made of fine-grained gypsum.[3]  In order to open the container, for it was sealed, it would need to be broken.
        We read in John’s Gospel that Judas Iscariot was a thief (John 12:6).  The other disciples did not know this at the time; they discovered his treachery later, perhaps after Judas had died, that he had not been faithful as the keeper of the money bag for Jesus and His disciples.  Judas Iscariot was a thief, as well as a traitor and a treacherous man. 
        Our Lord justified the woman’s (Mary’s) deed.  Matthew 26:10 reads, “But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a beautiful thing to Me.’”  This woman showed her love and devotion by her willingness to expend this expensive gift upon our Lord.  It was not the expensive nature of the gift that rendered it such an honorable deed; it was the fact that its expense meant nothing to her; she would honor Jesus with what she had regardless of its rarity and cost.
        It is interesting to me how some interpreters have sought to allegorize the act that this woman performed.  I have read things like this:  “Every Christian is like this alabaster box.  Inside is the hidden loveliness and beautiful life of Christ Himself, for Christ is in you.  But we resist displaying that hidden life of Christ because we have a hard shell about us, generally characterized as pride.  Therefore, in order for God to cause the fragrance of Christ to emanate from your life, God must do to you as this woman did to this alabaster box.  The Lord must break you of your pride through the trials and difficulties that He brings into your life.  Only after you are broken of your pride and self-will, will then the fragrance of the life of Christ in you ‘fill the room.’  The lesson, therefore, is to humble yourself under the hand of God and be “broken” before Him.”  Now I believe that is indeed a spiritual principle that is found in the Scriptures, and we could even say that this incident might be legitimately used as an analogy to illustrate this truth, but one should avoid allegorizing details of this passage to teach that doctrine.  The Holy Spirit did not intend to teach that truth here.  The point of the account is to point to Jesus’ impending death, not the believer’s sanctification through God humbling him through trials.[4]         Our Lord gave another reason that the woman should not have been rebuked for what she had done.  Jesus said, “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me” (Matt. 26:11).  Our Lord was in no way diminishing the need or responsibility to provide for the genuine poor who are “with” us.  The Scriptures tell us that we should be seeking to assist others in need.  The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us our responsibility to our “neighbor”, one who is in need.  And then Scripture speaks directly to the matter.  Paul was recounting to the churches of Galatia how he had gone to Jerusalem to be examined by the apostles lest he had run into error respecting his ministry.  He declared that they had not found any fault with his message, but that they had encouraged him in certain efforts, including caring for the poor.  We read of Paul’s thoughts on the matter: “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do” (Gal 2:10).  Also James would later write in his epistle that to care for poor Christians is evidence that one has salvation.  We read in James 2:25ff.

        If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

        No, when our Lord told His disciples in Matthew 26:11, “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me”, He was not being dismissive of caring for the poor, He was simply emphasizing the fact that His physical presence among them would now only be of brief duration, for He would soon die.  Our Lord was saying that there would always be opportunity to help the poor, but that there would not be another opportunity for this woman to show her regard for Him.  He was implying that His death was near.  Then our Lord specifically declared, “In pouring this ointment on My body, she has done it to prepare Me for burial.” 
        Lastly, our Lord declared that her act would be memorialized and recounted wherever the gospel would be proclaimed in the whole world.  Here our Lord intimated a world-wide mission and extension of the gospel.  He seemed to also intimate that the record of her deed would be recorded in what would become the New Testament Scriptures.

        Allow me to draw a few conclusions from the episode before us.  First, Mary must have been one of the most attentive and informed of all of Jesus’ followers.  Our Lord said that she had done it in what she did in preparation for His burial.  His death was imminent, and she seemed to know it.  She was perhaps one of our Lord’s best listeners, for we read elsewhere that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him.  Her choice to do so was the better decision than that of her sister, Martha, who was busy serving (cf. Luke 10:38-42).
        Second, it is a good thing to honor the dead in their burial.  Much money was expended in the cost of this ointment.  Some believe that funeral expenses should be at a bare minimum.  Well, we need to be good stewards in all that we do.  But on the other hand, it s not wrong to show honor to someone in their death, when we so appreciated them in life. 
        Similarly, we may also assert that the body of departed ones should be treated with respect and dignity in their burial.  It is to have regard for a person in life that his body is cared for properly and appropriately in death.

        III.  The betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot (26:14-16)

        15Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?”  And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.  16And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Matt. 26:14-16)

        The Jewish leadership had desired to destroy Jesus, and now one of His own disciples came to them, who could assist them in achieving their desires.  While the people were preparing for the killing of their Passover lambs, the wicked Jewish leaders were busy arranging for the killing of our Passover Lamb.  These were the priests and the scribes, the ones who should have embraced Jesus as their Messiah wholly, but rather they were intent on destroying Him.  They no doubt thought they were in service to God to rid their country of this fellow.  The only reason they were not open and forthright was their fear of the people. But here we see on our Lord’s own, one of his friends betray Him.  Indeed, it would have been better for him never to have been born than to have done this deed. 
        Actually, a number of persons were involved.  Let us consider them, the devil, the Jewish leaders, and then Judas Iscariot.

                1.  Satan’s role in the affair

                This is not stated here, but it is in Luke’s Gospel.  Let us look at the accounts of the Synoptic Gospels side by side:

Matthew 26:14-16. 15Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.  16And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Mark 14:10f.    10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

Luke 22:3-6.   3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.  4He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.  5And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  6So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

        Luke alone records satan’s involvement at this point.  “Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve” (Luke 22:3).  Here we see satan “entering” Judas.  He put it into Judas’ heart to betray the Lord, and Judas was compliant with this.  Satan did not make him do something against his will.  Satan assisted him in doing what he wanted to do.
        Satan is a fallen angel, who is finite in his understanding of things.  He is not omniscient, that is, all-knowing; God alone is ominiscient.  I do not believe that he knows the future outside of what is recorded in Scripture.  However, he can have one of his own “predict” the future and then shape events so that it appears the future had been predicted accurately beforehand.  I do not believe he can read our thoughts, but I do think he can lead us to think certain things, putting things into our minds.  Have you ever been in prayer or reading your Bible and your mind has been flooded with impure or blasphemous thoughts?  Everything that comes into our minds may not be of our own or divine origin.  This is one good reason we need to bring every thought into subordination and conformity with the Word of God.   Satan is able to place a thought into your mind and it may seem at the moment to be quite a good thing to do!
        And so, although satan may be “wise”, but he is not all-wise.  He was better at his game when he had tempted Jesus to bypass the cross when they had met in the wilderness of temptation.  The devil then tempted Jesus to assume power by worshipping him, and it would seem, that this was presented as a substitute course to the cross that lie ahead of Him.

        8Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  9And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”  10Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Matt. 4:8-10)

        But here, the devil would not have Jesus bypass the cross, rather, the devil would do what he could do to send Jesus to his cross.  This reveals both the wisdom of God and the foolishness of the devil.  Had the devil known what the lord would accomplish through His death on the cross, He would have done everything he could have done to cause Jesus to die some other way.  Of course, he did not have the ability to do so, and besides, he did not have the wits about him to do so.  We read later Paul’s assessment of this:

        6However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Cor. 2:6-8)

Now Paul was probably speaking of the political leaders, both Jewish and Roman, in his reference to “the rulers of this age.”[5]  But it follows that the devil did not know either, or he would not have put it into Judas’s heart to betray Jesus to the Jewish leadership.

        Let us consider a little further…

                2.  Judas’ role in the affair

        In these verses we see how Judas Iscariot in this act has become history’s archetype figure for disloyalty and treachery.  Yet, it is interesting to me that there are some modern efforts in both print and film to portray Judas not as a culprit, but as a misguided zealot.  You may see film re-enactments in which Judas is portrayed as a well-meaning but ignorant Jewish zealot who tried to force Jesus to take some action in overthrowing the Romans.  This is error and reflects some of the fanciful reformulating of higher critics who play loosely with the biblical record.  These efforts discount John’s record as accurate.  Judas was a thief (John 12:3-7).  Judas was a traitor.  He was moved by an absence of love for Jesus and a love for money to betray him m into the hands of wicked men.  It is clear from the gospel accounts that Judas was a traitor.  His act of betraying Jesus became the supreme example in history of what it is to betray one’s former family or associates.  To the end, Jesus regarded Judas as a “friend.”  Later we will read in Matthew’s account of Judas identifying Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “But Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, why have you come?’  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him” (Matt. 26:50).
        The Lord Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray Him.  When our Lord was washing the feet of the disciples the night that Judas betrayed him, we read of Jesus’ words to Peter:

        Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”  11For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.” (John 13:10f)

        In John 17 we read that Judas was ordained by God to be doomed.  Our Lord was praying to His Father, but praying out loud so His disciples could hear Him and learn from what He was praying.  Jesus prayed, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12).  The Scripture to which He referred were perhaps three in number:

Psalm 41:9. “Even My own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate My bread, Has lifted up his heel against Me.”

Psalm 60:25.  “Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents.”

Psalm 109:8.  “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.”

        Why these?  Psalm 41:9 is quoted and applied to Jesus in John 13:18.  The other two passages are quoted by Peter in Acts 1 when they sought to replace the empty office of apostle due to Judas’ defection and death.
        The crime of Judas was foreshadowed, even predicted in Zechariah 11:12f.

12Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.”  So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.  13And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”-- that princely price they set on me.  So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.”

        The reference to 30 pieces of silver is found only in Matthew’s account (26:15).  I had an old friend in California who had born in Mississippi, Leland Davidson, who was a member of our church.  He could not attend frequently, perhaps once or twice a month due to his poor health.  But I could count on him to be in church every Palm Sunday.  Every year he would go to the bank and obtain 30 solid silver dollars (they were commonly used and available in the early 80’s).  He would make a point of throwing them into the offering plate singly and loudly.  He said he did it annually just to spite the devil. 
        Now I do not know what the weight of these silver coins were that for which Judas sold our Lord; they were probably rather small.  But if they were “silver dollars” weighing about an ounce of silver each, in today’s value the 30 pieces of silver would be worth about $930.  In the day that Judas was paid off, the value would be the equivalent of about $7500 in today’s value, or the amount of money a day laborer would be paid for about 3 months labor.  In the law of Moses 30 pieces of silver was the fine levied on the owner of a bull which killed his neighbor’s slave.

“If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” (Exod. 21:32)

This is why it is common to say that our Lord was betrayed for the cost of purchasing a slave.  To think of the value in other terms, it was about one fourth of the value of the perfume of which Mary had anointed Jesus.

        And so, to return to the Matthean account, we read of satan entering his heart, satan was perhaps giving Judas the idea and maybe even the boldness to carry it out.  And yet we would affirm that Judas was responsible for his own actions.  I like the way the King James Version renders verse 4: “And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.”  The Greek text does simply say that he went to the chief priests and captains.  I think what is reflected in the KJV is the desire of the translators to show Judas’ responsibility for his action.  He was culpable.  On the day of judgment he will not be able to blame satan and he will not be able to blame God’s sovereignty, “You made me do it.”  No, Judas was guilty for the action which he himself took.  You and I may be tempted by the devil or tempted by friends (so called), but we are responsible for our actions.  You will not be able to pass off your actions on somebody or something else.  You will not be able to blame society or your mother, you will answer to God for your deeds.

        One more point here:  Satan works in people by enabling them to go their own way.  If you are looking out primarily for your interests above the interests of others, if you are willing to sacrifice the well-being of others to your own advancement, you are doing the bidding of Satan.  Satan would have us serve ourselves.  The serpent said to Eve, “eat the fruit.”  The devil said to Jesus, “Turn these stones to bread.”  He would have you serve your own “needs” first above all other concerns, even the will of God (cf. Acts 5:3).

                3.  The Jewish Leaders’ role in the affair

        These are the real culprits of the story.  All along in the Synoptic Gospels we read of their desire to at first, to discredit Him and then later, to destroy Him.  Now we read that they had their chance.  I do not doubt all along they sincerely thought they were serving God in all their dealings.  The Lord told His disciples on one occasion, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service”(John 16:2).  I suspect they thought they were serving God in doing this thing.  They probably saw Judas coming to them as an act of God’s providence to enable them to rid themselves of this bothersome fellow.
        In Luke’s account, we read that when Judas came to them, “they were glad” (Luke 22:5; Mark 14:11).  Here was a way they could get Jesus without incurring the wrath of the people.  They were delighted.  I do not doubt that they perceived God’s hand in this.  It was the providence of God!   I can imagine they had prayed about this.  “God, this fellow is deceiving your people and we need to find a way to remove him.”  And no sooner the “amen” than Judas knocked at the door.  Of course I do not know if that is what happened, but I would not be surprised if it did happen that way.

        I have heard things as strange.  Ungodly relationships are entered.  Legitimate relationships are ended.  Business arrangements are made.  Career decisions are made.  “Pastor, I prayed about it, and then the circumstances just fell into line.  I know it is of God that I do this thing.”  Even though I could show them Scripture which clearly tells them otherwise.  “But pastor, if you only knew the circumstances, you would agree that this is of God.”  The bottom line is that circumstances are no clear determiner for the will of God, especially when they involve the miraculous.  The Old Testament warns against false prophets who are able to do miraculous things (Deut. 13:1-3).  God allows Satan to control circumstances.  The Scriptures are our only infallible guide.

        Allow me to make one more application to us before we close.  There are some among the Lord’s followers who have a deep desire to enter into close fellowship with the Lord Jesus.  I can’t say that is the desire of all His followers, but with some it is.  They ask God to reveal to them what the Lord Jesus is like and they ask God to enable them to really know intimately the Lord Jesus and enter into close communion with Him.  I believe in God’s providence and sovereignty that He takes these ones through experiences that closely parallel His Son’s experiences, so that they may understand and feel a measure of what He encountered and endured, indeed what God Himself now encounters and endures as He interacts with fallen people.  Have you known what it is to have someone close to you, who feigned allegiance and loyalty, defect, and not only depart, but seek to do you harm?  Then you can sympathize what was occurring here as the Lord was seeking to observe the Passover with His disciples, one of them, one of his closest, was in secret plotting his ruin.  Spurgeon said he preferred to be assaulted by wolves than attacked by sheep.

        Well, we see that the Jewish leaders are happy, Judas is happy, everybody is happy.  They go their ways.

Conclusion:

        How may we know that we are not being led astray being deceived in a similar fashion thinking that what we are doing to of God when it is not?  I think that if the following principles are in accord with your decision you are safe:

(1)  You do not have to violate or compromise the teaching of Scripture in order to proceed with your plans.

(2)  If your decisions are made out of genuine concern for God’s glory and the furtherance of Christ’s Kingdom (or your decisions will not adversely affect these)

(3)  If your decisions/actions are made so as to bring benefit to others (church, family, etc.).

(4)  If your chief concern in the decision-making process was not based on serving your interests alone to the detriment of another’s.  “I’m going to do what is best for me” is the sure way to destruction and misery.

*********************

Footnotes: