Matthew 26:1-30 --- Mark 14:1-26 --- Luke 21:37-22:30 --- John 12:44-13:35

Matthew 26:1-30

The Plot to Kill Jesus  (Mk 14.1—2; Lk 22.1—2; Jn 11.45—53)

Matthew 26:1       When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
       3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany  (Mk 14.3—9; Jn 12.1—8)

       6 Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? 9 For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus  (Mk 14.10—11; Lk 22.3—6)

       14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples  (Mk 14.12—21; Lk 22.7—13)

       17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; 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 meal.
       20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21 and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Lately I have heard teachings that Judas was the closest to Jesus and that he and Jesus devised this plan together. (The Gospel of Judas) Why do we do this? Jesus says it would be better if the betrayer had not been born. Does that sound like they were working together? 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper  (Mk 14.22—26; Lk 22.14—23; 1 Cor 11.23—26)

       26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
       30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

       This seems like a good time to reflect on Jesus observing the Passover. In Seminary I was taught the more something is mentioned in Scripture the more important it is. Our Lord’s observance of the Passover is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. More people than ever are emphasizing that Jesus was a Jew. It is important not to forget that. Jesus observed Jewish practices. The New Testament does not include everything in the Passover, but it does include much. Last year I wrote, "You might consider reading Mat 26:1-5, 17-30, Mark 14:1-2, 12-26, Luke 22:1-2, 7-20 and John 13:1-30 all in one sitting." That is one of the reasons why I changed to this Bible Reading Schedule.
       This night was the fulfillment of Jewish children’s, “What is special about this night.” The text tells us that Jesus made preparations in advance. Those who wanted him dead were not ignorant of the Scriptures. Did they understood the 'possible' connection between Jesus and the Passover and what this might symbolize to the people? Is that one of the reasons they did not want him killed on the Passover? Jesus often said, "The Scriptures must be fulfilled."
       God makes sure the Word is not spoken in vain. Why do you think this is? Is it for our benefit? God continually speaks to our hearts in ways our minds cannot get a hold of. Our western way of thinking linearly has its drawbacks. As Dr. Del Tackett would ask, "What do you do with stuff outside of the box?"
       Lily and I have been married for almost twenty eight years. At least a couple of times every year she asks me why I love her. Sometimes I write her poems, sometimes I try, but fail to adequately explain it. These mental gymnastics just aren't successful.
        It is better just to show her, to look for every day little things that I can do to demonstrate my love. Is it any different with God? Job just could not get his mind around God’s ways. God finally asked Job just who Job thought he was to even try.
       We cannot understand the ways of God, but we can put ourselves in a position to be aware of God’s presence ... by pondering God’s goodness, beauty, by being still, reading our Bibles and being more deliberate, more conscious, more intentional about our environment, what we think, say and do.
       I do not believe any Christian discipline, any works righteousness program can earn salvation, but, when I met Lily I knew where she worked and the only way to meet her was for me to go there. We must become more aware of the why’s of our choices. God is talking to us, but we have to listen. I did not want to write so much, but having started down this path I either delete everything I have written so far or continue. So I will finish writing about the Passover.
       Next in this Passover, with regards to Jewish observance, is the matter of the sanctification of the Passover. If you read Luke 22:14-18 you will see that Jesus says a blessing over the Passover and then they drink the first cup. (Kiddush)
        According to Jewish practice next comes the washing of the hands. (Urchatz) Go to John 13:1-11. What is most interesting, but not surprising when we think of the nature of Jesus, is that He reverses the roles. No servant or the woman of the house comes in to wash their hands. Instead Jesus takes a towel and water and washes their feet. Instead of watching "House" on television I should make a decision to do a study on washing feet opposed to washing hands.
        In Mat 26:20-25 and Mark 14:17-21 the text talks about the betrayal of Jesus. This is the ceremony of Carpas, or the dipping. Most likely He dipped parsley into a bowl of salt water. In John 13:21-30 we see what is called Coreich or the making of a sandwich. Everyone would take two pieces of matzah and make a sandwich of bitter herbs (horseradish) and charoseth. According to the Passover Seder Jesus would then have said, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God! King of the universe, who has sanctified us with your grace, and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.” Then they would eat the sandwich, dipping it into the bowl of salt water first.
       In Mat 26:26, Mark 14:22 and Luke 22:19 is the Yachatz. This is very important. I remember being at a Jewish Passover with a Jewish friend and at this part of the Seder he was visibly touched when I talked about Jesus and how Jesus said, “This is my body.” The middle loaf was broken. This is called the afikomen. At the Passover I went to, after supper, the master of the house, took the broken part of the middle matzah, which he had hidden under a pillow for the afikomen, and gave each of us a piece of it.
        In Mat 26:27-29, Mark 14:22-25, and Luke 22:20 they take the third cup. We know it was the third cup, or the third filling of the cup, because the author of Luke said the cup after supper. This is the cup of redemption and represents the redemption that came because of the shedding of the blood of the lambs in Egypt. For those who call upon the name of Jesus, it is the symbol of our redemption which comes as a result of the willing sacrifice of Jesus.
        Mat 26:30 and Mark 14:26 now mention the Hallel. They sang the Psalms from 115-118. I find Psalm 118 especially appropriate. Then they went out to the Mount of Olives.
       I like what Lily wrote about Passover.

 

Luke 21:37-22:30

Luke 21:37       Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. 38 And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.

The Plot to Kill Jesus  (Mt 26.1—5, 14—16; Mk 14.1—2, 10—11; Jn 11.45—53)

Luke 22:1       Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.
        3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; 4 he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. 5 They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

The Preparation of the Passover  (Mt 26.17—19; Mk 14.12—16)

       7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.” 9 They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?” 10 “Listen,” he said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.” 13 So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper  (Mt 26.20—30; Mk 14.17—26; Jn 13.21—30)

       14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” 23 Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.

The Dispute about Greatness

       24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
       28 “You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29 and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

John 12:44-13:35

Summary of Jesus’ Teaching

John 12:44       Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.”

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1       Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, How I love that statement! Knowing who sent me, who sustains me, and who will ultimately reward me should revitalize my heart, quicken my spirit and feel me with hope. My faith should be like a shield in my left hand with which I can withstand every fiery arrow from my own fleshly desires, from the doctrines of this world and from the Devil. 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. 20 Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

Jesus Foretells His Betrayal  (Mt 26.21—25; Mk 14.18—19; Lk 22.21—23)

       21 After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. 23 One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

The New Commandment

                      

     31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What Jesus says is conditional. Perfect love casts out fear. The ancients looked into the brass laver and studied their face before they entered the sanctuary of God. We look on the nature of Jesus and who of us can say we are better than someone else?