CONTEXT:
Jesus Entered Jerusalem In What Is Called The Triumphal Entry.
Jesus Was Questioned By Religious Leaders That Tried To Trap Him.
Jesus Pronounced Judgment On The Pharisees For Their Hypocrisy.
Jesus Expressed A Longing For Jerusalem To Change.
Jesus Promised To Return To Render Final Judgment.
ONE POSSIBLE OUTLINE:
1. THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGEDY.
THE PLOT.
The Beginning Of The End Of This Event (Matt. 26:1-5).
THE ANOINTING.
Love's Extravagance (Matt. 26:6-13).
2. THE LAST HOURS IN THE LIFE OF THE TRAITOR.
THE BETRAYAL.
The Traitor's Bargain (Matt. 26:14-16).
THE PASSOVER SUPPER.
The
Ancestral Feast (Matt. 26:17-19).
Love's Last Appeal (Matt.
26:20-25).
3. THE LAST SUPPER.
His Body And His Blood (Matt. 26:26-30).
1.
THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGEDY.
THE PLOT.
The Beginning Of The End Of This Event (Matt. 26:1-5).
The Definite Beginning Of The Last Act Of The Divine Tragedy.
Once Again Jesus Warned His Disciples Of What Was To Come.
Jesus Was Acting With Defiance Against The Religious Leaders.
Some Might Have Thought He Was Planning An Immediate Takeover.
ONCE AGAIN HE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HIS AIM WAS THE CROSS.
THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES WERE LAYING THEIR PLOT TO KILL HIM.
Caiaphas Was High Priest From A.D. 18 To A.D. 36.
This Was An Extraordinarily Long Time For A High Priest To Last.
Caiaphas Must Have Mastered The Art Of Cooperating With Rome.
The One Thing The Romans Would Not Stand Was Civil Disorder.
Any Rioting And Certainly Caiaphas Would Lose His Position.
At The Passover Time The Atmosphere In Jerusalem Was Always Explosive.
The City Was Packed Tight With People.
Based On Census Of Sacrificed Animals: Estimated 2.5 Million.
No Wonder Jesus Had to Be Taken Secretly.
PLUS, Many Of The Galilean Pilgrims Understood Jesus Was A Prophet.
The Original Plan By The Jewish Leaders:
Wait Until After The Passover To Capture Jesus.
Wait Until The City Was Quiet.
But JUDAS Provided A Solution To Their Concern.
THE ANOINTING IN BETHANY.
LOVE'S EXTRAVAGANCE.
Matthew 26 6 thru 13.
The Woman Who Anointed Jesus Was Mary.
Which Mary: The Mary Who Is The Sister Of Martha And Of Lazarus.
They Were At The Home Of A Man Named: Simon The Leper.
Jesus Called It: THE STORY OF A LOVELY DEED.
a. It Shows Us The Extravagance Of LOVE.
The Woman Took The Most Precious Thing She Owned.
The Woman Poured It Out On Jesus.
Jewish Women Were Very Fond Of Perfume.
Often A Little Alabaster Vial Was Worn Round Their Necks.
Such Perfume Was Very Valuable.
ESTIMATED VALUE OF PERFUME: Exceeding 1 Year Wages.
b. It Shows Us Sometimes Commonsense Fails.
Was It A Waste What Mary Did With The Perfume ?
There Is In Life A Large Place For Common Sense.
BUT ONLY EXTRAVAGANT LOVE CAN EXPRESS HER DEEP LOVE FOR HIM.
A Gift Is Never Really A Gift When We Can Easily Afford It.
A Gift Truly Becomes A Gift Only When There Is Sacrifice Behind It.
A Gift That Is Extravagant Is Far More Than We Can Afford.
c. It Shows Us One Time Opportunities Demand A Response.
The Disciples Were Anxious To Help The Poor.
There Are Some Things Which We Can Do At Any Time.
There Are Some Things Which Can Be Done Only Once.
To Miss The Opportunity Is To Miss The Opportunity For Ever.
The Lost Opportunities To Do THE LOVELY DEED.
d. It Shows Us The Fragrance Of A LOVELY DEED Lasts For Ever.
This Act Left The Memory Of A Lovely Deed Told For Ever.
2. THE LAST HOURS IN THE LIFE OF THE TRAITOR.
THE TRAITOR'S BARGAIN.
Matthew 26 14 thru 16.
THREE Possible Real Reasons Why Judas Betrayed Jesus.
A. It MAY HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF GREED.
Did Judas Make This Decision Immediately After The Anointing ?
Was Judas Protesting Against The Alibaster Anointing.
He Was A Thief And Took From The Money Bag Of The Disciples.
Judas Struck One Of The Most Dreadful Bargains In History.
The Sum: 30 Pieces Of Silver.
Judas, Therefore, Sold Jesus For Less Than The Average Price Of A Slave.
B. It MAY HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF BITTER HATRED.
The Jews Always Had Their Dream Of Power.
Their Extreme Nationalists Who Were Willing To Go To Any Lengths.
These Nationalists Were Called The DAGGER-BEARERS.
WAS JUDAS DEVOTED TO TAKE OVER THE ROMANS.
WAS JUDAS DISAPPOINTED FINALLY UNDERSTANDING THE PLAN.
C. It MAY BE THAT JUDAS NEVER INTENDED JESUS TO DIE.
It May Be That He Saw In Jesus The Divine Leader.
He May Have Thought That Jesus Was Proceeding Far Too Slowly.
He May Have Wished For Nothing Else Than To Force His Hand.
He May Have Betrayed Jesus Of Compelling Him To Act.
THE TRAGEDY OF JUDAS:
He Refused To Accept Jesus As He Was.
He Tried To Make Him What He Wanted Him To Be.
He Thought He Knew Better Than God.
LOVE'S LAST APPEAL.
Matthew 26 20 thru 25.
There Are Last Moments Jesus And Judas Were Alone.
Judas Must Have Gone About This Plan With Complete Secrecy.
The Rest Of The Disciples Did Not Know What Judas Was Doing.
If So, He Would Never Have Escaped With His Life.
HE HAD CONCEALED HIS PLANS FROM HIS FELLOW DISCIPLES.
BUT HE COULD NOT CONCEAL THEM FROM CHRIST.
One Can Hide His Sins From Others.
But Can Never Hide From The Eyes Of Christ.
Jesus Sees The Secrets Of The Heart.
Jesus Knew What Judas Was About.
And Now We Can See Jesus' Methods With The Sinner.
He Could Have Used His Power To Render Him Helpless.
The Only Weapon That Jesus Will Ever Use: The Weapon Of Love's Appeal.
Great Mysteries Of Life: Respect God Has For The Free Will Of Man.
God Does Not Coerce; God Only Appeals.
3. THE PASSOVER SUPPER.
THE ANCESTRAL FEAST.
Matthew 26 17 thru 19.
It Was For The Passover Feast That Jesus Had Come To Jerusalem.
We Have Seen How Crowded The City Was At Such A Time.
During The Passover Feast All Jews Were Supposed To Stay Within The Boundaries Of The City,
But The Numbers Made That Impossible.
For Official Purposes Villages Like Bethany.
But
The Feast Itself Had To Be Celebrated Within The City.
The Disciples Wanted To Know Were Needed For Preparation.
Clearly Jesus Had Not Left The Matter To The Last Moment.
He Had Already Made His Arrangements With A Friend In Jerusalem.
The First Evening Of PASSOVER: The Feast Of Unleavened Bread.
Remember: Jews Considered The Next Day To Begin At 6 pm.
This Feast Commemorated The Greatest Event In The History Of Israel.
THE DELIVERANCE OF THE ISRAELITES FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT.
THEY HAD TO FLEE IN HASTE.
Exodus 12: They Did Not Have Time To Bake Leavened Bread.
Dough Without Leaven Cooks Very Quickly,
But Produces A Substance More Like A Water Biscuit Than A Loaf.
That Is What Unleavened Bread Is Like.
So The Leaven Was Banished And The Bread Unleavened.
WHAT PREPARATIONS DID THE DISCIPLES MAKE ?
On The Thursday Morning:
They Would Prepare The Unleavened Bread.
They Would Make Sure All Leaven Was Removed From The Process.
SO, THE FIRST STAPLE FOR THE FEAST: UNLEAVENED BREAD.
This Was To Repeat The Acts Of The Night They Left Egypt.
THE OTHER STAPLE: THE PERFECT LAMB.
ON THE THURSDAY AFTERNOON:
THE LAMB HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE TEMPLE AND SLAIN.
ITS BLOOD HAD TO BE OFFERED TO GOD IN SACRIFICE.
IT WAS FROM THE LAMB THAT THE FEAST TOOK ITS NAME.
The Last Terrible Plague Which Fell On The Egyptians.
The Plague That Compelled Them To Let The People Go.
The Angel Of Death Passed Through The Land Of Egypt.
The Angel Of Death Killed The Firstborn Son In Every House.
The Angel Of Death Would PASSOVER Specific Homes:
WHICH HOMES:
Only The Ones With Lamb's Blood Spread Over Door Posts.
So That The Angel Of Death Seeing That Sign Would PASSOVER
That House (Exodus 12:21-23).
THERE WERE FOUR OTHER ITEMS NECESSARY FOR THE FEAST.
(i) A Bowl Of Salt Water Had To Be Set Upon The Table, To Remind Them Of The Tears They Had Shed.
While They Were Slaves In Egypt And Of The Salt Waters Of The Red Sea Through Which God's Hand Had Wondrously Brought Them.
(ii) A Collection Of Bitter Herbs Had To Be Prepared.
This Was Again To Remind Them Of The Bitterness Of Slavery, And Of The Bunch Of Hyssop With Which The Blood Of The Lamb Had Been Smeared On The Lintel And The Door-Posts.
(iii) A Paste From A Mixture Of Apples, Dates, Nuts And Edible Fruit.
It Was To Remind Them Of The Clay With Which They Had Been Compelled To Make Bricks In Egypt.
And Through It There Were Sticks Of Cinnamon To Remind Them Of The Straw With Which The Bricks Had Been Made.
(iv) Lastly, There Were Four Cups Of Wine.
These Were To Remind Them Of THE FOUR PROMISES:
THE FOUR PROMISES IN EXODUS 6: I WILL:
a. BRING YOU OUT FROM THE BURDEN OF THE EGYPTIANS.
b. DELIVER YOU FROM THEIR BONDAGE.
c. REDEEM YOU WITH AN OUTSTRETCHED ARM OF PROTECTION.
d. TAKE YOU FOR MY PEOPLE AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD.
WHAT THEN WAS THE PICTURE WHICH JESUS WAS USING.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH WHICH LIES BEHIND IT?
(i) The Passover Feast Was A Commemoration Of Deliverance.
Its Whole Intention Was To Remind The People Of Israel
God Had Liberated Them From Slavery In Egypt.
First And Foremost:
Jesus Claimed To Be The Great Liberator.
He Came To Liberate Us From Fear And From Sin.
He Liberates Us From The Fears Which Haunt Us.
He Liberates Us And From The Sins Which Will Not Let Us Go.
(ii) In Particular The Passover Lamb Was The Symbol Of Safety.
Passover Night: The Blood Of The Passover Lamb Kept Israel Safe.
So, Jesus Was Claiming To Be Savior.
He Had Come To Save Us From Sins And From The Consequences.
He Had Come To Give Men Safety On Earth And Safety In Heaven, Safety In Time And Safety In Eternity.
HIS BODY AND HIS BLOOD.
INSTITUITION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.
Matthew 26 26 thru 30.
BREAD: THIS IS MY BODY.
CUP: THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE COVENANT.
IT IS POURED OUT FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN.
THE MEMORIAL OF JESUS AND HIS WORK ON THE CROSS.
A Key Word And Enshrines The Whole Work And Intention Of JESUS:
IT IS THE WORD COVENANT.
Jesus Spoke Of His Blood Being The Blood Of The Covenant.
WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT?
A Covenant Is A Relationship Between Two People.
The Covenant Was Not Between Man And Man.
A New Relationship Between God And Man.
WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING AT THE LAST SUPPER WAS THIS:
BECAUSE OF MY LIFE.
AND ABOVE ALL BECAUSE OF MY DEATH.
A NEW RELATIONSHIP HAS BECOME POSSIBLE.
BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.
You Have Seen Me. And In Me You Have Seen God.
I Have Told You, I Have Shown You How Much God Loves You.
He Loves You Even Enough To Suffer This That I Am Going Through.
That Is What God Is Like.
The Way For US Is Open This New Relationship With God.
PARALLEL JOHN 26 14 thru 17. 5 Points OF DISCOURSE IN UPPER ROOM :
I AM THE WAY. ONLY WAY TO GET TO GOD. HE WAS GOING AWAY.
I AM THE VINE. ABIDE IN HIM IF WE WANT TO BE ASSURED.
THE PROMISE. THE HOLY SPIRIT TO GUIDE INTO ALL TRUTH.
WARNING. THEY WILL HATE YOU. THEY HAVE HATED ME.
THE PRAYER OF UNITY. JESUS PRAYS FOR ALL BELIEVERS.
JESUS WASHES THE DISCIPLES FEET:
HE WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT, UNLESS THE LAMB OF GOD CLEANSES A PERSON’S SIN, THAT PERSON WILL NEVER BE CLEAN: “UNLESS I WASH YOU, YOU HAVE NO PART WITH ME” (JOHN 13:8).
Jesus And The Disciples Began To Sing A Hymn. HALLEL.
HALLEL MEANS PRAISE GOD!
The Hallel Consisted Of Praising Psalms:113-118, 136.
Different Points Of The Passover Feast These Psalms Were Sung.
And At The Very End There Was Sung The Great Hallel: Psalm:136.
The Hymn They Sang Before They Went Out To The Mount Of Olives.
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