First_Baptist

Pastor Lars Larson, PhD                                                                                             FBC Sermon #639
First Baptist Church, Leominster, MA                                                                          December 4, 2011
Words for children: Passover, twelve, Lord                                                                  Text: Matthew 26:17-25

The Gospel of Matthew (103)
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)

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Today we will give our attention to the Lord’s Passover meal with His disciples. Let us read Matthew 26:17-25.

        17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
        18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”
        19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
        20When it was evening, He reclined at table with the twelve. 21And as they were eating, He said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
        22And they were very sorrowful and began to say to Him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”
        23He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
        25Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?”
        He said to him, “You have said so.” (Mat 26:17-25)

The entire story of the Bible, from Genesis 1:1 and everything that follows, the centuries of time, the manifold events of history, all converge on the events in the hours recorded before us in these few chapters.

I. Preparation for the Passover meal (Matt. 26:17-19)

Verse 17 provides us the time setting in which the Passion of our Lord occurred, it was during the time of the Passover. This was the most important time of year for the Jews. It was one of the three feasts a year at which time Jews travelled to Jerusalem. Jews would come from all over the world, if possible, to keep the feats of Passover at Jerusalem.
Matthew mentioned both the “Passover” as well as “the Feast of Unleavened Bread.” What was the meaning and significance of these two expressions? They both commemorated the single great event of history for the nation, the Exodus from Egypt under Moses.

1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread

This was actually 7 days in duration. People would assemble on the first and the seventh day of this feast. During this time the women were to make their bread without leaven or yeast. The reason is for this is that when the children of Israel were anxiously preparing to leave their slavery from Egypt to enjoy freedom as a constituted nation under God, they were told to bake bread for the journey without leaven. God was telling them, “You will be leaving so soon you there won’t be time for the dough to rise.”
It became an annual feast kept by the nation. It would begin with a thorough inspection and cleansing of the houses by the Jewish women. Every speck of leaven was removed, and only unleavened bread was eaten throughout the week. Now, leaven in many contexts of Scripture is an emblem of sin. The people were to cleanse their houses and lives of its presence. I think it would be a good thing for Christians to have such a search of their households to remove any and all things which are not wholesome and pleasing to the Lord, including reading and viewing material that we would not want our Lord to discover if He were to come into our homes to perform a thorough inspection.

2. The Passover

The feast of Unleavened Bread was a period of 7 days. The Passover began the seven day celebration of Unleavened Bread. The Passover commemorated the single great event which resulted in Israel’s release from bandage--the death of Egypt’s first-born. Ten plagues were brought upon Egypt, but it was the last which broke Pharaoh’s resolve to hold Israel. In a single night, God sent an angel throughout all of Egypt and he killed the first-born child of every household. The Israelites escaped this judgment, however, for that evening each household took a lamb, one without blemish, and killed it in place of their own first-born. They put the blood of the lamb on the door posts of their houses, and as they ate the roasted lamb inside, the death angel passed over their houses, sparing the lives of their first-born. The annual Passover feast commemorated this event.
It is quite clear in our Gospel accounts that the association of the timing of Jesus’ death with the Passover is to show that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is a fulfillment that great prophetic event of the Old Testament. Christ is the lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world, in other words it was always in God’s plan, and because His death occurs in the place of His people, the wrath of God passes over them. God’s wrath is upon all who are outside of Christ, but those do escape His wrath who have in faith embraced Christ, applying His blood by faith on their own doorposts,.

        There is not as much detail in Matthew’s Gospel regarding the preparations for the Passover meal; there are more details in the other gospel accounts. Whereas the details here are rather simple and straightforward, the parallel accounts give stronger suggestions of a miraculous element in the planning of the meal. Here our Lord shows Himself as cautious, aware of the danger that threatened Him and His disciples. The details seem to suggest that the Lord had made previous arrangements for the Supper--secret arrangements so that He would not be discovered until He had completed His business. He knew that one of his disciples was betraying him, and, he knew who it was, even from the beginning “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. (John 6:64).
        But our Lord would choose the time and place when He would give Himself into their hands, and it would not be until after this final meal. He knew ahead of time it was Judas, and He knew ahead of time it would be on the Mount of Olives, at the time of the Passover, when He would be arrested, tried, and put to death.
        And so, our Lord made arrangements ahead of time apparently without any knowledge of any of His disciples, and only revealed to them the place at the last moment. But notice that He did not give them directions to the house; no address would be given. Perhaps Judas was present and He did not want him to hear.

In Luke’s Gospel we read that our Lord had given a sign would be provided them. What was the sign by which the disciples could find the ones with whom the Lord had arrangements? What kind of sign would they look for? Luke’s account reads this way:

        7Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”
        9So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”
        10And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”
        13So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. (Luke 22:7-13).

Our Lord told Peter and John that they would encounter a man in the city carrying a water pot. Men did not generally carry water pots; that was women’s work. He would be spotted easily. Note too, that Jesus sent His disciples to do this. Perhaps He thought that if He himself went into the city, it would result in His arrest.
We read verse 13 that they went into the city, found the man carrying the waterpot, followed him to a house, and then spoke to the owner, who was apparently a disciple himself. They were shown the room and there made the needful preparations. The whole idea being conveyed through these verses is that Jesus was in control of the situation. Events were not out of control so that He was being swept along in the midst it all. He was calling the shots.

II. The observance of the Passover meal (26:20-25)

        20When it was evening, He reclined at table with the twelve. 21And as they were eating, He said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
        22And they were very sorrowful and began to say to Him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”
        23He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with Me will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
        25Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?”
        He said to him, “You have said so.” (Matt. 26:20-25)

A. The Passover meal itself (20:14-18)

It should be noted that the popular renditions of the Last Supper in which the Lord and His twelve are sitting at a table decked out in Renaissance splendor are not true to what actually occurred. It was a low table and they reclined on their sides with their feet pointed away from the table. I included to illustrations below for your viewing.

In Matthew’s Gospel there are no details of the conversation of these men prior to our Lord addressing the matter of His betrayal. This is the major subject recorded. I do not think we can imagine what it must have been like for our Lord to be with them on this occasion knowing His fate in the coming hours.
Matthew’s account shows all the disciples to have been rather humble, each one self-doubting as to whether he was the one who was to betray Him. Verses 21f read, “And as they were eating, He said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful and began to say to Him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”

Luke’s Gospel, however, is not that flattering of the disciples. They showed themselves to be rather insensitive to our Lord and what was facing Him. We read in Luke 22:24-30.

24Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
28But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:24-30)

        In Matthew’s Gospel we have a tearful scene (Matt. 26:22), but not here, or so it would seem. The Lord just informed His disciples that His suffering and death would be imminent (Luke 22:15f). They would not be able to eat again together before the terrible events had transpired. But rather than them being described as tearful, we witness a dispute among these men. This is amazing. There is strife over which one of them is the greatest.
        There is much said about strife in the Scriptures. It would make a good study. The Word of God details for us the causes of strife and the way to settle it. Strife may be caused by an angry man. “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention” (Prov. 15:18). Or, strife may be caused by a scornful person, one who mocks, criticizes in a biting fashion. “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease” (Pro 22:10). Strife is caused by a talebearer: “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceases” (Prov. 26:20). But strife is also caused by pride, and that is what we have here in the disciples: “He that is of a proud heart stirs up strife” (Prov. 28:25). When a man is only concerned about himself, his stature, his well-being, and he uses others about him as standards of measurement, and you put him in a group of people, strife will result. And if you put as many as 11 men in a group who are all characterized by this way of thinking, indeed you will have disputing.
        Now notice verse 24 closely. As if to compound their foolishness, each one was not arguing the point, “I am the greatest” rather, they were arguing who the people thought was the greatest. Perhaps Peter said, “The people think I am the greatest disciple.” Maybe John responded: “No the people regard me as the greatest.” They were not only driven by their own estimation of themselves, but they were driven by what other people thought of them. This is amazing. And I imagine after the events of the following days, and with the giving of the Spirit which so transformed their lives, I imagine they looked back at this event with great shame and remorse.
        But we are fortunate in that this did occur among them, for it called for a response of our Lord in which He gave instruction that is very helpful. Our Lord speaks to the nature of authority of Christian leaders (22:25-27). Our Lord rebukes His disciples and gives them instruction on Christian authority.

First, we see the world’s view of authority (22:25). Essentially, authority as shaped by the world is viewed in two ways:

(1) The right to dominate. When people get into a position of power, and if they are governed by sinful nature, they tend to want to dominate others. They have been under someone else’s thumb, now it’s their turn. “I’m the boss here; do what I say.” Husband, as leader of your home, if your wife or kids perceive this to be your attitude, you can expect either strife or a brow-beat wife and kids.

(2) The right to be served. The world views authority as the right to be served by others. They are driven by selfishness. Again, “I am the boss and you are here to serve me.” Wife and mother, if your children perceive you are selfish, you will generate strife in your home.

When the Lord saw His disciples acting in this manner, He essentially said, “Cut it out; lost people act that way!” Note also the sarcasm which the Lord employs here in verse 25: the ones who like to dominate others through their power like to refer to themselves as “Benefactors.”

But then secondly, we see the Christian view of authority. Jesus said, “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves” (22:26). All authority which we have should be employed in serving others. Authority is never to be used to gain dominance or control over others--that is self-serving, self-exalting. We are to be servants, using the authority with which we have been entrusted to serve others, ministering to their practical needs as well as their spiritual: providing instruction, exhortation, encouragement, rebuke and correction, if needed.
If you are one of the “greatest”, that is, the one who has authority, you should use it as though you were the youngest, having no rights or claims for others to serve you, but only responsibility to serve others about you.

Thirdly, we see our Lord’s example of exercising authority. “For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (22:27). In contrast to the accepted notion that one with greater authority is regarded as expecting to be served by others, our Lord was serving others with the authority that had been given to Him. He never used His authority to manipulate or bring personal benefit to Himself. He was devoted to serving His Father, serving the poor and needy, serving His disciples, by healing and instructing in the Word of God.
The sign of maturity and greatness according to our Lord is the one who is characterized by the following:

        1. The one who does not ask, “what’s in it for me?”, but, “what may I give to others.”
        2. The one who does not say with indignance, “I’m not being fed”, but asks sincerely, “How might I feed others.”
        3. The one who is not saying angrily, “my needs are not being met”, but asks, “how might I meet the true needs of others.”

We see fourthly, that authority was promised to His apostles. Jesus said, “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (22:28-30). Here we see Jesus commending His apostles and He promises them authority.
Jesus speaks to the basis for their promised authority. Even as they were in their ignorance and contending with one another, we see our Lord had a heart filled with deep appreciation for the friendship they had provided Him. Now it is true that within an hour or two they would all play the coward and flee, but they had stood with Him throughout His ministry, and His devotion to them was strong because of it. “You are those who have stood by me in my trials.” They had been with Him, and had remained loyal to Him. Their faithful allegiance and forbearance assisted Him as He endured many things.

Here we may we see Christ at this most difficult time of His life.

1. Here we see the tempted/tested Christ. Here the Lord pulls back the veil a bit and we are able to appear somewhat into His heart. His ministry had been a series of trials. Do we see the Lord as having experienced these things? We may view Him as somewhat impassive, unaffected by the opposition, the obstacles of ignorance and prejudice with which He had to contend. His ministry was a difficult one. Our Lord’s life among us was one of great struggle through which He endured. He sought to His Father for strength. He resorted to the Scriptures for strength. He also received strength from those who stood with Him, although perhaps they had not known the measure of their helpfulness to Him at any given time.

        2. Here we see the lonely Christ. He had no place He could call home; he had no regular place where He could lay his head and rest. In a sense, there was no one more lonely than Christ. No one really understood Him.   His own half-brothers thought Him mad, and had not believed on Him. He was always sought after for help, but rarely offered (true) help. He was alone, though always in crowds.
        Our Lord Jesus never complained. He never spoke of it directly, but the gratitude which He expressed on this occasion suggests He was a solitary man. His words recorded in John’s Gospel are: “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone.” Yet thankfully, He could say, “and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32)
        Do you that feel yourself to be alone much of the time? You may take heart in knowing that your Saviour knew what it is to be alone. As the disciples argued over their own interests, Jesus sat there, I would think, feeling much alone. His hour had come upon Him and although He had made it known, none would stand with Him.

3. Here we see the grateful Christ. But they had remained with Him through so much, and He was grateful. He would share with them His glory, His authority in ruling the Kingdom of God. “I am going to make you kings.” They had but a little faith and certainly imperfect understanding. They had flaws, fears, and were subject to failures. But they had stood in faith in Him, and He would reward them graciously.

Our Lord reveals the nature of their promised authority. Jesus said, “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me” (22:29). When we look at this we might assume immediately that this has not occurred. But it has occurred and is currently being realized.

The Jewish leaders with its priests and parties had been the rulers of Israel, the people of God--here Israel is described in terms of the twelve tribes of Israel. But the authority of the Jewish leaders was taken from them by the Lord Jesus, Who was/is the promised King over God’s people. He pronounced judgment upon them and it indeed came upon them long ago. He replaced these leaders with His 12 apostles, 12 in number to correspond with the 12 tribes. In calling out His 12 disciples to be apostles the Lord Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah 23:1-5

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the LORD. 2Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the LORD. 3“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD. 5“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”

The 12 apostles would “judge” the 12 tribes of Israel, not in the sense of convicting guilty persons of crimes, but as in the sense of the judges of the Old Testament. They are leaders who arbitrate over disputes and render decisions regarding the will of God.
This is essentially what the Apostles did in the first century. In and from Jerusalem they ruled the people of God, teaching the people, arbitrating for them, bearing witness to the words and works of the Lord Jesus. And even today they, in a sense, govern us, by the writings which they have left behind for us. It is the apostle’s witness and doctrine which we have before us in our New Testament. Their words govern us, indirectly of course, as they bear witness to the Word of God. The church is indeed established. “Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:19ff). Here the Lord is telling His apostles of the responsible positions of authority which would be theirs, not many days hence.