TAKE & EAT

AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2009 MONDAY-SUNDAY SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 26

TEXT http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Mat&chapter=26

PARAPHRASE

“Preparing & Plotting”

After telling his disciples three stories about being prepared for his return on the Day of Judgment, Jesus reminds them when the Passover occurs in two days he will be crucified. While he is telling them this, the religious leaders are meeting with the high priest Caiaphas, scheming how to arrest and kill Jesus so the people of Jerusalem won’t riot against them.

“Anointed with Perfume”

When a woman pours expensive perfume on his head while reclining at a table in Simon’s (a former leper) home in Bethany, Jesus’ disciples are offended by what she is doing because they consider it wasteful in comparison to selling the perfume to help the poor. Jesus tells them they don’t understand what she’s doing, that her pouring perfume on him prepares him for burial in light of his imminent crucifixion because those who die a criminal’s death on the cross don’t receive the traditional burial anointing. He tells them he won’t always be with them like the poor are so they will have many opportunities to help them. He tells them what this woman is doing will be remembered wherever the good news of the Kingdom is told.

“Betrayed with Silver”

After Jesus’ anointment for burial, Judas Iscariot decides to go to the chief priests and asks them what they will give him if he betrays Jesus. After receiving a mere thirty silver coins (the compensation value paid for a slave if accidently gored to death by one’s ox), he begins to look for the best time and place for the chief priests to arrest Jesus.

“Bread, Wine & Song”

On the first day of the Passover Celebration when the disciples ask Jesus where they should make preparations to eat he directs them to a man in Jerusalem who they are instructed to tell that the Messiah’s time to complete his mission has come and that he is going to celebrate the Passover with his disciples in his house.

After this has been done and the Passover preparations made, later that evening while reclining at the table, Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him and even though this will fulfill what is written about him by the Prophets as Christ, the suffering servant, the one who betrays him will be so cursed that he would have been better off not being born. The disciples take turns asking if they are the betrayer and when it comes to Judas, Jesus affirms he is the one.

Then as they eat, Jesus gives thanks for the bread as he breaks it, giving it to his disciples telling them to take and eat it, that it is his body – a body that like the bread will soon be broken. Then he gives thanks for the cup of wine as he gives it to them telling them to drink from it, that it is his blood signifying that a new era has come, that it is his blood shed for many people for the forgiveness of sins – a new Liberation, a Salvation from their Sin that goes far beyond the liberation of the blood of the first Passover in Egypt, taking them beyond the Promised Land of Israel to the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Jesus tells his disciples he will not drink from this cup of wine with his disciples again until after his death, resurrection, and ascension at the time his Father’s Kingdom is consummated at the end of time. After this they sing the ending Psalm of the Passover meal as they leave for the Mount of Olives.

“Death Vow”

Quoting the Prophet Zechariah, “I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will scatter,” Jesus tells his disciples that they will run away from him when he gets arrested that very evening but that after he is crucified and rises from the dead, as their Shepherd he will wait for them in Galilee where he will gather them together again. When Peter tells Jesus that even if everyone else runs away he won’t, Jesus tells him he will not only run away but he will also deny knowing him on three separate occasions before morning comes. This led to Peter and the rest of the disciples making a vow to Jesus that they would die with him before they would ever deny knowing him.

“Wrath of God”

In Gethsemane Jesus asks his disciples to sit down and wait while he goes further to pray alone taking Peter, James and John along with him. Becoming troubled and overwhelmed with sorrow to the point he nearly dies from it, Jesus asks these disciples to sit down and stay awake with him while he goes even further to pray alone - falling face first to the ground asking God if it is possible for His wrath over the Sin of the world to be removed from him, but indicating his willingness to do God’s will ahead of his own.

Finding Peter, James and John sleeping when he returns to where he left them, Jesus asks Peter why he isn’t able to stay awake with him while he prays for one hour and tells him how important it is that he stay awake and pray so he doesn’t become tempted (to run away or deny him), also telling him that although he has a spirit that desires to do the right thing, he has a body whose nature desires sin instead.

When Jesus goes on again to pray a second time he tells God that if it isn’t possible for His wrath over the world’s Sin to be remove from him, that His will be done. Returning a second time to Peter, James and John he finds them sleeping again so he goes back and prays again for God’s will to be done. When he returns to these disciples a third time he wakes them up and tells them to get up, because it’s time for him to be arrested because his betrayer Judas is arriving.

“Kiss & Tell”

Arriving with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, Judas goes immediately to Jesus, greets him as “Teacher” and kisses him, his prearranged signal indicating which man they are to arrest. When Jesus calls Judas “friend” and tells him to do what he came, for the men with Judas arrest Jesus which precipitates one of the disciples striking the servant of the high priest with his sword cutting off his ear in the process. Jesus tells his disciple to put his sword away unless he wants to die right then and there. He also tells his disciple that he could ask God for 72,000 angels to protect him if he wanted to but then prophecy wouldn’t be fulfilled that tells how he must be handed over to suffer and die. Then Jesus asks the crowd why they’ve brought weapons to arrest him at night as if he’s the dangerous leader of some rebellion when he’s been teaching in broad daylight every day before their eyes in the temple courts. He tells them the very way they are arresting him fulfills prophecy about the Messiah (including that of Zechariah) at which point his disciples ran away in fear leaving him alone with his enemies.

“Reiterating Under Oath”

While Jesus is brought before religious leaders at the house of Caiaphas the high priest, Peter follows at a distance until he comes to the high priest’s courtyard where he enters and sits with the guards waiting to see what happens.

Even though many false witnesses come forward providing false evidence they were seeking to use against Jesus in order to justify killing him, the religious leaders aren’t able to conjure up anything significant. When two witnesses come forward to accuse Jesus of saying he was going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, Caiaphas asks him to respond to their accusation but Jesus says nothing. When Caiaphas then makes Jesus swear under oath by the Living God if he is the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus breaks his silence by reiterating what he said that put an end to the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ challenges to him – telling Caiaphas as prophesied in the Psalms he is both Son of God and Son of Man and they as his enemies will be made into his footstool when he returns in the future unmistakably sitting at the right hand of God the Father on Judgment Day when they will see him coming on the clouds of heaven. Upon hearing this, Caiaphas tears his clothes in disgust, accusing Jesus of blasphemy, asking others present to sentence him to death as they spit in his face, strike him with their fists, slap him, and as they mockingly call him Christ and ask him to prophesy which of them just hit him.

“Desperate Denial”

Out in the courtyard, first a servant girl, then another girl, and finally others standing around ask Peter if he is one of Jesus’ disciples. After denying it, denying it with an oath, and denying it with curses, a rooster crows, Peter remembers Jesus’ words and he goes outside the courtyard where he desperately weeps.

PRINCIPLES

Matthew writes to his first century readers (as he does to us today) that a new era was to begin when Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, in obedience to his Father’s will, accepted His Father’s wrath for the Sin of the world by suffering and dying on the cross, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of sins (commemorated in a new Passover meal), leading to a new Liberation for many - not only in this world but eternally in the Kingdom.

How does Matthew tell his readers this new era was to come about?

- With religious leaders scheming.
- With a woman anointing.
- With Judas betraying.
- With the disciples taking, eating & drinking.
- With Jesus agonizing.
- With the disciples sleeping.
- With a crowd arresting.
- With witnesses lying.
- With Jesus proclaiming.
- With Peter denying.

PRAYER

Our Father, We acknowledge our share in the sins of scheming, betraying, arresting, lying and denying that nailed your Son to the cross.

Our Father, We thank you for not taking Your wrath out on us for our Sin even though we are the ones who deserved it. We thank you instead for sending Your Son to Liberate us from Sin and Death in this world and eternally in Your Kingdom.

Our Father, We thank Your Son for the agony He endured emotionally, physically and spiritually when he prepared for the cross, when he was betrayed, when everyone deserted Him, when witnesses lied about Him, when Peter denied knowing Him and when He felt all alone and even forsaken by You.

Our Father, We thank You for the woman who prepared Your Son for burial by anointing him before he was crucified and we thank Your Son for preparing us until the day of Celebration arrives with Him in Your Kingdom by giving us the meal of His body and blood in the bread and wine we have been given to eat and drink.

Our Father, We thank Your Son for proclaiming that as both God and man he is positioned by Your right hand side where He will sit in Judgment of the world when He returns. We thank You that because of Your Son’s obedience many do not have to fear this day because they have been healed, they have been Liberated, they have been Saved.

Our Father, We ask that our Liberation be used to anoint others who are suffering of mind, body or soul or others who are dying. We ask that our Liberation be used to share the meal of body and blood with those who need to be prepared until the day of Celebration comes in Your Kingdom. We ask that our Liberation allow us to endure emotional, physical and spiritual agony for others when their burden is too great. We ask that our Liberation keep us from neglecting You when You are hungry, thirsty, naked, in prison, and in need of a home.

Our Father, We ask all of this in Jesus Name,

Amen.

PRAISE 'Glory To God (Lord's Supper) (The Lord's...' by John Michael Talbot @imeem http://x.imeem.com/BnR2803m3H