Matthew 26
Matthew 26:11And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, (Matthew 26:1). As the great prophet, foretold by Moses (Deut. 18:15-1915The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15‑19)), the Lord has now finished His discourses. We enter now on the last circumstances of His life, and that led on to His death. He knows what is before Him, and said to His disciples: Verse 2. “Ye know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.” No excitement appears, but the calm, quiet spirit of one doing the Father’s will.
Matthew 26:3-53Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. (Matthew 26:3‑5). It was decided by Israel’s leaders to put Him to death, and the high priest’s palace is their meeting place. They mean to murder the Son of God. It is their intention to do it with subtlety, and not on the feast day, for they feared the people. But that was the very day decreed of God. The Lord has announced it to His disciples. Man’s wickedness is seen, but God overrules; it was the will of God that Jesus should suffer at that very time.
Matthew 26:6-136Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. (Matthew 26:6‑13). What a comfort to the Lord’s spirit the act of this woman must have been. It is at Bethany – the house of dates – in the house of Simon the leper. There she pours the precious ointment on His head; there she anoints His body for its burial. Did she not discern the storm clouds gathering over His head? Did she not see the looks, and hear the words of spite and hatred uttered against Him? And did she not hear His own words, “The Son of Man is delivered to be crucified”? One soul at least is feeling sympathy with Him.
But the disciples, seeing it, had indignation; first Judas Iscariot (John 12:44Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, (John 12:4)), then the disciples join in saying, “To what purpose is this waste? for this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.” The world and worldly-minded Christians count waste what is expended on Jesus only; and good men fall under the influence of one altogether bad. Man’s good is man’s highest object. Christ is the Father’s object of delight; the world has self in some form as its object. Judas Iscariot posed as a philanthropist, but he was actually a thief, a covetous man, yet the disciples fell in with his thoughts; they were earthly-minded.
King David appreciated the devoted love of those three men (2 Sam. 23:13-1713And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. 14And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! 16And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord. 17And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:13‑17)) who risked their lives to fetch him the drink of water he longed for, but he would not drink it; it was so precious in his sight, he poured it out before the Lord. How much more precious is this woman’s act to the Lord! He is her anointed King, although rejected by men. He defends her and rebukes them, “Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you, but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” What a cheer to her this was. The Lord knew her love for Him, and appreciated it; gave her His “well done,” and rebuked the faultfinders. He declared it a good work, let others say what they please. The sense of His approval, “I know thy works” (Rev. 3:88I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)), may be ours, should be ours, also.
She was thinking of His sufferings and of His death. She was in communion with Him, and this was a special time that they did not notice. It is good to help the poor, but to confess the Lord, to be with Him in the time of His rejection, is a privilege we will not have in heaven. She was ahead of all the rest. Joseph of Arimathea, Cornelius, and the other women, all showed their love and did their part, but this woman anticipated His death, and her Lord understood her. What matters then the frown of the world or of men, since He is pleased and refreshed?
And what honorable mention is given this deed? “Verily, I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.” How well worth repeating this story is! It is not doing good to man, nor is it quantity of work. It is what is done for and in communion with Christ that gains His “well done.” It needs no gift; it is not too high for a child to reach. We can refresh His heart, but it commences with sitting at His feet; it is the outcome of being in His company and of hearing His words. May our souls know more of this.
Matthew 26:14-1614Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26:14‑16). Judas Iscariot’s covetousness now leads him to offer his services in the work of Satan, and these so-called leaders of Israel accept his services, and the Lord of glory is sold for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a common slave. From that time Judas watches his opportunity to deliver Him up. The love of money is a root from which every evil springs. No teaching of Jesus entered his heart to hinder his downward course. It had been good for that man if he had not been born. How great his privileges! How terrible his judgment!
Matthew 26:17-2517Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. (Matthew 26:17‑25). The first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples ask Him, “Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the passover? And He said, Go into the city to such a man and say unto him, The Master saith My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with My disciples.” Here was another He counted on to own His claim. In Mark and Luke it is a man bearing a pitcher of water (the figure of the word for his path) that guides them to the place. There they made ready the passover. “When the evening was come, He sat down with the twelve, and as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and began everyone of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? And He answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. The Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.”
Matthew 26:2626And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. (Matthew 26:26). “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood of the new testament (covenant), which was shed for many for the remission of sins.”
This is the memorial supper of the true passover, for Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:77Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: (1 Corinthians 5:7)). It is a Savior who died for us that is to be remembered. It is not the remembrance of Israel brought out of Egyptian bondage, but of the Lord, the true Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for many for the remission of sins – the blood on which the new covenant with Israel will be founded. “Shed for many” tells of others besides Israel, and takes us in, though by nature Gentile dogs. It was not like the blood of Exodus 24, to ratify their promise of obedience. It was because they were sinners, and was for the remission of sins. In Luke it is added, “Was shed for you” (Luke 22:2020Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:20)).
In the supper, we remember the Lord in His death; the bread and wine, His body and His blood are separate, bringing Him before us in death. He is now glorified at the Father’s right hand. They are to expect to be with Him there, for He says, “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new (in a new way) with you in My Father’s Kingdom.” And having sung an hymn, they went out, into the Mount of Olives. Does this not bear witness that the joys of redemption rise over all the sorrows and trials of this present life?
(To be Continued).