The Weekend Word

Matthew 26:1-16

The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,

• We need to watch this closely. Who is the Jesus audience at various times? Here he has gone back to just speaking to the disciples.

² “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

• The Passover was a major calendar benchmark.
• The Son of Man language from Daniel 7:9 – this is the king who will have a kingdom forever.
• Who would write their story this way with your hero being killed? My story would have Jesus shooting gamma rays out of his eyes killing those who are crucifying him and those mocking him.

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

• The players – the chief priests – the elders of the people and the high priest.
• It’s like the senate, the house and the president gathering to discuss what to do about Jesus.

⁴ and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

• Well, I guess it is different than our government because they cannot agree on anything.
• And they plotted – here we have anti Christ at work.

⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

• They need to watch out as they do not want a revolt of the people – even anti Christ like to keep order.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper

• Well look who is hanging out with the leper, and we will see that the main character in this story is a woman.
• Jesus just keeps hanging out with the wrong people – not proper society.

⁷ a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.

• Bethany is also the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. In John’s telling of this account, the woman’s name is Mary – perhaps they were a wealthy family.

⁸ And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

• Matthew includes himself in this account when he says The Disciples.
• John’s account says it was Judas.

⁹ For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”

• Talk about bad manners. They are invited guests and they are complaining.

¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me.

• I don’t know if Jesus was embarrassed but he did rebuke his guys

¹¹ For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.

• A verse that has troubled people down through the ages. What, don’t worry about the poor?

¹² In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.

• Jesus doesn’t just drop hints – he is pretty clear … in hindsight. J

¹³ Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

• And how do we know that this is true? Because we just read it and mentioned it.
• Just think, we participated in fulfilling a saying of Jesus.

Judas to Betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

• What started as a stealth operation now gets some energy as Judas moves to the other side.
• This is Judas now playing anti Christ just as we saw Peter play the role earlier.
• Judas seems to have been the CFO of Jesus Christ Ministries Inc – and turns out to be a thief and betrayer. This stuff happens, even in the Church … with Jesus still here.

¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

• 30 pieces of silver – A famous Bible quote that is a part of our language today.
• What are other quotes? (there are about 50 Bible quotes we use in everyday conversation.)
• Judas here becomes the opposite of a disciple – when he was with Jesus he went out without pay – now he is being paid for is acts.
• This is another example of how Satan works against Jesus. Where is Satan at work? In the most unlikely place — in the Church.
• Here Satan uses an Apostle as his instrument to oppose Jesus. Satan continues to do so today.
• He uses professors, theologians who deny the basics of the faith – a John Shelby Spong.
• The current Episcopal bishop – Katherine Jefferts Schori
• The Bishop of the ELCA – Elizabeth Eaton
• What do they say? “We are a welcoming place – God accepts you as you are – we will never tell you ‘you are a sinner’ – we will never call you to repentance – we will never use Jesus in that way with you”
• Satan uses these people in the church to do his work – what they are saying is that Jesus never died for you a sinner — because you are not a sinner.
• Remember the guy in the parable who buried his talent – this is an example.
• We read the same scriptures – why do we do it differently? We teach from the scriptures the gospel as Jesus died & rose as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
• They have redefined the gospel. The gospel to them in not the atoning of sin – but is us doing something – following the example of Christ, establishing social justice in the world.
• This is why they will ordain women, ordain homosexuals etc – because it is not a sin issue – but a social justice issue.

¹⁶ And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

• We now see what Jesus spoke of in Ch 24 becoming real – happening right here. People’s faith is growing cold – and he is being handed over.
• The last days are right there – not waiting for 1948.