Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 -- John Karmelich

1. Chapter 26 through the end of Matthew (Chapter 28) is the actual story of the death and resurrection of Christ.

a) It is the essential message of the Gospel story and of Christianity.

b) Back when I gave my introduction to Matthew, I stated it was important as Christians, every now and then to go over the fundamentals.

i) Much in the same away a trained athlete always practices the fundamentals, it is important for us as Christians to keep our eyes, ears and minds focused on the fundamental message of the cross.

c) Chapter 26 focuses on the events leading up to the cross.

d) Chapter 27 focuses on the Roman trials and crucifixion.

e) Chapter 28 focuses on the events of the resurrection and thereafter.

i) Remember Matthew didn’t put in the chapter breaks, they are added much later.

ii) This is just “our” way of dividing up the chapters.

2. I like to call Chapter 26, “reality check”.

a) Jesus just spent the last two chapters focusing on the events of His second coming.

i) Those previous chapters were all future-focused.

ii) A few of those predictions are already, literally fulfilled, but most of theme are some future date to us as well as the original disciples.

b) Chapter 26 gets back to the reality of the present moment.

c) It was important that Jesus gave that two-chapter speech to give the disciples some hope given the horrors they are about to face.

d) Chapter 26 reminds us that there are times in our life when the “world is falling apart” and there does not seem to be any hope of the disaster-of-the-moment.

i) Despite Jesus’ assurance to the disciples that all will be better day, they still run in fear for their lives and see all that they have hoped for shattered.

ii) One of the reasons we read all through the bible is so our lives are not “stuck on Chapters 26 and 27” but we see the “happy ending of Chapter 28”. J

a) We get to share in that glorious resurrection. That needs to be kept in focus as we read through the difficult passages of these two chapters.

3. Another thing to notice in this chapter is that Jesus is always in charge.

a) As one studies the details of these events, notice Jesus is always in control of the situation.

b) Others are putting Jesus on trial, but it is really those others who are being judged.

c) We will read of Judas betrayal, but also be aware that Jesus knew in advance of his plans.

d) The religious Jewish leaders did not want Jesus killed at the time of the Passover (Verse 5), yet Jesus himself controls when the events are going to occur.

e) Painful events are always more bearable if you know there is an end.

i) I am convinced the most painful part for Jesus was not the crucifixion, but the fact he had to be separated from God the Father for the payment of sin.

ii) In this chapter, Jesus prays three times that “if there is any other way, let it be done”. Notice that Jesus accepts the Father’s will, as there is no other way.

f) Well, I have 75 verses to cover in 12 pages. Let’s start running! J

4. Verse 1: When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² "As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

a) “Finished saying all of these things” refers to the two-chapter speech about the second coming of Jesus in Chapters 24 and 25.

b) The disciples at this point may have been thinking about their eternal rewards and how glorious that event will be. Jesus now gets them back to the reality of the cross.

c) Notice Jesus says, “(He) will be (future) handed over to be crucified” in Verse 2.

i) Jesus was well aware of the timing of all the events in advance.

d) The “Passover” holiday is discussed a number of times in the bible as a requirement for all Jews to celebrate. The methodology is discussed in Exodus Chapter 12.

i) Through the centuries, various traditions were added to this holiday.

ii) If you read Exodus 12, it never says “and this holiday is symbolic of how the Messiah will be crucified”.

iii) The Bible often reads in word-pictures. For example, if you read the Passover section in Exodus 12, you can see how every verse is symbolic of Jesus death as payment for our sins.

a) For example, the whole lamb must be consumed (See Verse 3-4)

(1) This means you must accept Jesus as full payment for sin.

b) The lamb must be a “year old (i.e., in the prime of its life) without blemish (which refers to defects). Jesus had no sin (See 1^st Corinthians 5:21).

c) The lamb must be slaughtered.

d) None of the bones may be broken. We will read in Chapter 27 that a Roman soldier disobeyed the order to break Jesus’ legs to hasten death.
In a strange way, this satisfies this prophecy of “no broken bones”.

iv) In the Passover, the blood on the door spared the life of those in the house, who trusted in that blood saving their life. Just as we trust that the shed blood spares for eternity our life.

v) One realizes why Jesus “insisted” upon the crucifixion happening on Passover.

5. Verse 3: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴ and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. ⁵ "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."

a) Why would the “chief priests and the elders” want to kill Jesus?

i) In John’s Gospel, we learn “Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.” (John 18:14, NIV)

ii) My free-translation: “The religious Jews feared losing the status quo”.

b) The Romans conquered Israel, but let the Jews practice their religion.

i) History records that Caiaphas was a corrupt high priest appointed by the Romans. His father in law Annas was the “power behind the throne”.

ii) John’s Gospel records that Jesus first trial was before Annas, and then Jesus was brought to the home of Caiaphas.

iii) History further records that both Annas and Caiphas were corrupt and financially profited off of the animal sacrifices in the Temple.

a) We get clues of this by the two times that Jesus “overturned the tables” (See John 2:15 for #1; Matthew 21:12 or Mark 11:15 for #2).

iv) Therefore, Jesus posed a threat to their status quo with his growing popularity.

v) The High Priest feared losing his job, his livelihood, his power, etc. if Jesus was allowed to continue. Therefore, he recommended the death of Jesus.

c) The last thing to notice is that they didn’t want Jesus arrested during the (Passover) Feast, as they didn’t want a riot.

i) The Passover is part of an 8-day long feast called the “Feast of Unleavened Bread”.

a) The population of Jerusalem swelled from a small city into hundreds of thousands or a million-plus during this feast at this time.

b) The historian Josephus records that 250,000 lambs were killed for this feast. If you figure say 1 lamb for 4-5 people, you get an idea of population.

ii) Getting back to the Romans, the Roman’s primary rule was “no riots”. They allowed limited freedom, but people would be killed if you rioted against Rome. This was the fear of the Jewish leadership by killing Jesus during this time period.

6. Verse 6: While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

a) Bethany was a “suburb” of Jerusalem, a short walking distance away.

b) We don’t know much, if anything about “Simon the Leper”. I personally suspect it was just someone Jesus had cured sometime during his ministry.

c) From Verse 7-14 we have this story of the woman pouring perfume on Jesus’ head.

i) In John’s account we learn this was Mary of “Mary and Martha and Lazarus” fame. We also learn that she wiped it on Jesus head with her hair. (See John 11:2).

a) I may be getting a little weird here, but I think it is “arousing” for a woman to be wiping my head with perfume. I have heard a sermon or two on this topic. It has to do with wanting to please our Lord and Master.

ii) I see this as a beautiful visual picture of “adoration” of our Lord.

a) Not that God wants us to perfume our hair and go to church. J

b) It is about giving our all for Jesus’ sake.

d) One has to remember that there were no “savings accounts” in those days.

i) If people wanted saved money, they had to keep it in their house.

ii) They often looked for small expensive items to trade for, such as this perfume.

e) I suspect that Mary just “didn’t happen to have” this in the corner of her house.

i) I suspect she bartered and traded up for it, as she understood the purpose.

7. Verse 8: When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. ⁹ "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." ¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

a) When you read this whole story, you get the impression that Mary was the only person in the room who “got it” about Jesus death and resurrection.

i) The other disciples somehow understood that Jesus was “going away”.
If they did not, they would not have asked Jesus about the events of his return.

ii) I don’t think anyone but Mary understood at this point Jesus crucifixion & death.

iii) In Verse 12, Jesus says she did this “for my burial”.

b) Getting back to Verse 8, I believe the point is nothing is ever wasted spent on Jesus.

i) This does not mean we to “bathe” Jesus with all that we own.

ii) Following Jesus does mean that all we have now belongs to Him. He may choose to take it all away, but in most cases, he turns and takes what resources you do have and wants you to use them for his Glory. That still means planning, saving for you family, etc. It is very much an individual calling what God wants us to do with the resources he has given to us.

iii) In the cases like this, where someone gives all they have to Jesus, I do believe Jesus rewards this person greatly.

a) Although I can’t prove it from the text, I don’t believe Mary starved to death because she gave all she had to put this perfume on Jesus’ head. When you fully put your trust in Jesus, He turns around and takes care of you and provides for all of your needs. (Reference: Jer. 5:7, Phil. 4:19).

c) Let’s look at Verse 11: “The poor you will always have with you”

i) Jesus is making a prediction that there will always be poor around.

ii) It does mean to ignore the poor, just to keep this in perspective.

iii) Remember that Jesus healed many of the poor, so he does care for them.

d) Jesus then says in Verse 11: “but you will not always have me”.

i) Jesus was referring to himself in the flesh.

ii) Spiritually speaking, Jesus is with us always.

iii) The last verse of Matthew’s Gospel says, “I am with you always” (28:20, NIV).

e) Verse 13 says, “What she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

i) Reading through Matthew, you get the impression the disciples were obsessed with their own rewards and stature for eternity.

a) John and James asked Jesus to sit at his right hand (Matthew 20:21).

b) I believe a big part of the reason the disciples asked about Jesus Second Coming is they wanted to be part of the power of millennial kingdom.

ii) Here was this same group criticizing Mary for “wasting” the perfume on Jesus.

iii) The lesson for you and I is nothing is ever wasted for Jesus sake.

a) Jesus said “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42 NIV)

b) All we do for Jesus is remembered for eternity.

c) This woman (Mary) took a very expensive item and used it for Jesus.

d) For 2,000 years and counting, Mary has been remembered through history for this event. Remember that the Gospels were not written for about 20-30 years (John’s Gospel is a little older) after this event.

8. Verse 14: Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

a) One of the great questions of history is why did Judas do this?

i) The “most logical” explanation is that he saw Jesus’ miracles and thought, “I want to be part of this. Jesus is the Messiah, he is going to overthrow Rome, and set up a new government. I want in on some of that action.”

a) When Judas figured out that Jesus’ kingdom was spiritual and not one of immediate power and glory, he looked for an opportunity to betray him.

ii) Notice Judas was “religious”. He believed in the Messiah, but was not saved.

iii) In the end, Judas was more interested in “saving his skin” than following Jesus.

iv) It goes back when Jesus said, “and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38, NIV)

v) If you are not willing to follow Jesus all the way to the cross, you are not a Christian and you are not a disciple of Jesus.

a) Most of us are not asked to die a martyr’s death. In a sense, we have a tougher assignment in that we have to live for Jesus!

vi) Judas was never “saved” in the first place.

a) It was Judas’ failure to fully trust Jesus that made him do what he did.

b) In Chapter 27, we will read how Judas’ betrayal for 30 pieces of silver was predicted centuries earlier. We’ll discuss that further in the next lesson.

9. Verse 17: On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

a) Remember the Passover holiday coincided with the 8-day Feast of Unleavened Bread.

b) Notice Jesus the disciples did not forget the Jewish laws. Jesus didn’t say, “These customs don’t matter any more, because I’m starting a new religion.”

c) I personally take the view that Jewish-Christians are still to honor the Jewish holidays in remembrance of God’s relationship with the Nation of Israel.

i) These holidays are for Israel to remember God’s promises to them as well as prophetic about Jesus. Many good scholars disagree with this view, but so be it. J

ii) Gentile believers are not required to keep these holidays (See Acts Chapter 15).

10. Verse 18: He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, `The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' "
¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

a) Mark and Luke’s Gospel give more details. They both mention that they will recognize this man because he is carrying a jug of water. In that time era, carrying a jug of water was “woman’s work” and therefore they would recognize him in a crowd.

b) It is interesting to think that Jesus had “contacts” outside of the disciples.

i) Maybe Jesus somehow knew this guy directly or maybe an angel told this guy to carry the jug and watch out for Jesus’ disciples. We don’t know the answer.

c) Give the disciples credit for following Jesus orders. Remember that their own lives were at risk. Remember, “Where God leads, God provides”.

11. Verse 20: When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. ²¹ And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." ²² They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"

a) This part had to be hard for the disciples to accept.

b) They all spent three years of their lives, giving up all they had to follow Jesus.

c) It was a shock to them that anyone in their group would betray Jesus.

d) It is hard for me to understand why anyone would turn away from following Jesus.

i) Once you comprehend the eternal joy of salvation, one you have that peace in your heart that all of your sins are forgiven, it is difficult to comprehend why anyone would want to turn from that?

ii) Yes, I understand the role of Judas in history and this person was “never saved in the first place”. But these verses remind us that not everyone sitting in the church pews around us are willing to pay that price.

iii) Many give Jesus “lip service” or they come to church because their spouse makes them come, or they want to be good examples for their children, or a thousand other excuses. Going to church does not make you a Christian just as going in the garage does not make you an automobile! J

e) Notice that every disciple stopped and asked “is it I?”

i) Jesus does that to us. Even though we are not guilty in the eternal-sense of turning our back on God, the fact that we are not perfect makes us examine our lives and see if somehow, we are doing things that are not pleasing to God.

12. Verse 23: Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." ²⁵ Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

a) Judas, knowing he was guilty repeated the same line as everyone else so that he wouldn’t be suspected as the guilt party.

b) Notice how you “can’t pull the wool over Jesus’ eyes”. Jesus is well aware of who betrayed him. Notice Jesus is in control of the events.

c) Notice that the other disciples said, “Surely not I, Lord” in Verse 22.

i) Judas says “Surely not I, Rabbi (teacher)” in Verse 25.

ii) One gets in trouble when Jesus “just” becomes your teacher and not your Lord!

d) What you have to understand is that the Jewish leaders didn’t want Jesus betrayed during the Passover season when all of the big crowds were around.

i) By Jesus telling Judas “I know what you are doing”, Judas then has to betray him quickly before the other disciples kill him.

ii) We read in John’s account that Judas left the room right after this (John 13:30).

e) Jesus says in Verse 24 of Judas, “It is better for him if he had not been born.”

i) God is perfect. A perfect God knows all things and knows them in advance.

ii) Before the world was created God the Father knew of Judas betrayal.

iii) Yet, somehow, we have the free-will to decide to follow Jesus or not.

iv) At the same time, God the Father knows in advance the decisions we will make.

v) My point is Judas cannot stand on judgment day & say, “It wasn’t my fault, and I was pre-destined to fulfill this role in history. I played my part, so I’m not guilty”.

a) God holds us accountable for actions even though he knows the results ahead of time. We may not be able to fully reconcile that fact, but it’s true.

f) Jesus answer is Verse 25 of “Yes, it is you” is a paraphrase.

i) The literal translation is more like “You have said it”. The idea is the same and even though it is a paraphrase, it gets the right idea across.

13. Verse 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."

a) This set of scriptures, and a handful of others is the basis of Christian “communion”.

b) Notice that Jesus commands us to “eat his body and drink his blood”.

c) It is a classical debate in Christianity over how literal to take these verses.

i) The Roman Catholics believe that when you take communion, it literally (miraculously) becomes the body and blood of Christ. This is called “transubstantiation”. Their argument is Jesus said, “This is my body/blood”.

ii) Even Martin Luther, when he started the Protestant Reformation, believed this.

iii) Evangelical Christians take this verse spiritually and not literally.

a) Their argument is, “Jesus was holding up bread when he said this, not grabbing the skin off his forearm.” Further Jesus also said, “I am the door” (John 10:7, 10:9) or “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). Jesus is not a door, nor a plant vine. Some things Jesus say are meant to be taken symbolically.

b) My rule is, “If the plain text makes perfect sense seek no other sense”

c) Further, “If the plain text makes does not perfect sense seek some other sense”, which means look for some other explanation.