Jesus the Sacrifice.

Matthew 26: 1 - 30

 

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 

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

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 

4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 

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

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

7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 

8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? 

9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." 

10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 

11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 

12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 

13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." 

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 

15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 

16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. 

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" 

18 And He 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." ' " 

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. 

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 

21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?" 

23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 

24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." 

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it." 

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." 

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 

28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." 

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives

 

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1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 

All Jesus teachings had now come to an end. It was now time for Jesus to be delivered up to be crucified.
This is what He came into the world for.

Matt 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
 

He had surprised the world with His words. (The Surprising Jesus).
He had prepared His disciples with His stories. (Jesus the Teacher).
He had showed them by example, how to overcome fear. (The Master over Fear).
He had challenged them with His words and deeds, (The Challenging Saviour).
He had convinced many to belief by showing He was (The Source of Power)
He had preached the gospel of the kingdom, (Jesus and the Rich man).
He had taught them how to serve, (The Servant Leader).
He taught them, even though His words were puzzling, (The Puzzling King).
He had prophesied of future events, (Jesus the Prophet).

It was now time for Him to become the Redeemer. (Jesus the Sacrifice).
The real reason, for Him coming into the world. To save sinners.
 

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

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 

4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 

 

These were religious men, leaders of the people but they were tricksters and murderers at heart.
They couldn’t even be up front about it. They had to do it in secret.
Here we see a fulfilment of a prophecy:

Psalm 31:13 For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.

 

Matt 26:5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people." 

 

This is not what they wanted, to crucify Him at Passover but they were not in control, God was.
This was Jesus time. In the fullness of time.
This was Passover, the fulfilment of the Old Testament type.
The Lamb slain, His blood shed, to daub on the lintels of men’s hearts.
It had to be Passover. The angel of death would once again pass over because of the blood of the Lamb.

Matt 26:6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 

7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 

We know from John 12, that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, who sat at the feet of Jesus, (Luke 10:39).

 

Matt 26:8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? 

9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." 

 

The text here says, His disciples but we from John’s record that it was Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray Him.

 

John 12:4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 

5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" 

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 

 

 

Matt 26:10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 

11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 

12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 

 

This was a good deed that would be recorded as an example for everyone that reads the scripture, just as the story of the widows mite. Two opposites but both great gifts.

 

Matt 26:13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." 

 

Whether it was this act that caused Judas to finally decide to inform the chief priests about Jesus, we don’t know but we do know from scripture that Judas had a love of money.

Matt 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests.

The next verse puts paid to anyone trying to say that Judas was trying to force Jesus hand into standing against the authorities. 

No, his motive was money.
 

Matt 26:15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 

 

This act fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah

 

Matt 27:3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 

4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!" 

5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. 

6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood." 

7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 

8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 

10 and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me." 

 

From this time, Judas sought an opportunity to betray Jesus.

 

Matt 26:16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. 
 

The Passover meal is when the Jews remember the delivery from bondage in Egypt. This a type of salvation, which is a delivery out of the world. Egypt represents the world and the bondage is sin.
Jesus wanted to spend this Passover meal with His disciples to remember what He was going to do at Calvary.
This was to be a new memorial meal when His followers would remember His broken body and His shed blood.

Matt 26:17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?" 

18 And He 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."

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. 

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 

21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 

 

This must have astounded the disciples. It was quite obvious that none of them suspected Judas. For they all said, “Lord, Is it I”.

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?" 

This must have been by divine revelation that Jesus knew who it was.

23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 

 

You can imagine the disciples making sure, they did not dip into the bowl.

 

Spurgeon quote:
This was a most unpleasant thought to bring to a feast, yet it was most appropriate to the Passover, for God’s commandment to Moses concerning the first pascal lamb was, “With bitter herbs they shall eat it”

End of quote.

Judas was referred to as “The Son of Perdition”.

John 17:12 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.

 

There is only two people in scripture to be described in this manner, Judas and the antichrist, the beast.

Anyone that thinks that Judas was a misled soul, who tried to force Jesus hand, needs to remember that the beast is to be cast into the Lake of Fire.
So is Judas. In that verse from John 17:12, we are told that Judas was lost. “and none of them is lost except the son of perdition”.

 

Jesus goes on to say:
 

24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." 

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it." 

The gall of it! Knowing that he had already promised to betray Jesus.
It reminds us of Peter’s words to Simon the Magician.

Acts 8:23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.

 

Then Jesus said to Judas: "You have said it." 

 

This was a normal Passover meal. On the table would have been all the normal food that was eaten at Passover. As they were eating, Jesus took bread and broke it, representing His body, that would be broken at Calvary.
 

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." 

Other texts add, “which is broken for you”.

 

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 

28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

 

An interesting observation here. Jesus blood is shed for many.
We really can rejoice at this statement. Jesus did not say it is shed for you, the eleven that was sat with Him.
His blood was shed for you and me, for the many that would believe through their word. The whosoever.

 

Another thought here, is the fact that the cup is not what is important but the content of the cup.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins.
It is the blood that cleanses for sin.

An interesting quote from Trapp:

The taking of the cup tells us something of the sometimes declined condition of the people of God and their leaders. Once there were wooden cups and golden priests, now there are golden cups and wooden priests.

 

One day, Jesus will return from His Fathers house and come to take us home. He is waiting until the last soul comes into the kingdom and then He will return and take us to the marriage supper of the Lamb and there He will drink the fruit of the vine once more.
 

29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." 

 

What a wonderful thought, Jesus sang, Jesus laughed and Jesus cried. He ate, He drank. One day we will sing with Him in worship and adoration of the Father in glory.

 

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives

 

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