Matthew Series, Week 44 - “My Mocking Voice”

 As most know, the Queen of England died a few weeks ago. I haven’t been following much, just did bits here and there. I’ve never been a person that was interested in the death of people that I don’t know. When an act or actress dies, it doesn’t impact my life. But I thought I would at least keep myself up to date on the proceedings just because it’s a historical moment. But one of the things that I think is interesting is that there’s three sides to the coverage of this event. 

On one side you have the funeral itself. There’s all this royal etiquette and procedures that have to take place. One another side, you have King Charles III and the changing of positions for the royal court. Finally the third side, and the side that I see the most in the various newsfeeds I follow, the drama that follows Harry and Megan. If you don’t know Harry and Megan have been very defiant in their rolls as royals, causing splits within the royal family. Megan I find the most interesting, because she’s an American who was brought into the royal family, but disregards the protocols of the that group. 

Now I don’t care at all, but I find it interesting how many girls would love to be in that position. Many girls dream of being a princess. To be like Cinderella, or Snow White. To have Prince Charming sweep them off their feet. Yet here is someone that disregards that position, and there have been several times, that even her husband Harry, has had to correct her. Whether these rules are good or not, whether they need to be done away with or not, to a lot of people in the United Kingdom, they are tradition and should be held to a high respect. So when an outside comes and mocks these very sacred traditions of the people, it comes off as pretentious and disrespectful. And looks bad on the person seen as mocking, rather than on the situation itself.

And it’s this idea of mocking that brings us back into our Matthew series, where will be picking it back up in chapter 27, verse 1. And as we come back to Matthew 27:1, let’s bring ourselves back to the text, by looking back on the last couple of weeks.

In the last section of Matthew we have been looking at the authority of Jesus. We have looked how a disciple of Jesus’ must live under his authority. Because it’s there that we are satisfied and doing the will of the Father. Yet there is a trap that we can easily fall into. It’s where we think that we have enough strength on our own to live outside of the authority of Jesus. This usually happens when we see God’s great work, or we see great victories in our lives, and we begin to believe the lie that it’s because of us. When in reality it’s because of God working in and through us. We are shown to watch out for such a trap and instead to resolve ourselves daily to Jesus’ authority. Only when we resolve ourselves to live God’s will not ours, will we experience the satisfaction that our soul longs to experience. Because only God can satisfy us. 

This brings us back to Matthew’s Gospel, where we’ll be picking it up in verse 1 of chapter 27. Let’s read together. 

1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”

26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

This is the second of two trials that Matthew gives us. The first is the one we read through last week, which focused on the Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, or the ruling council of the Jews. But before we’re given the second trial, we are given a glimpse into what happened with Judas. 

It seems that Judas comes to his senses when he sees Jesus being found guilty of false accusations. In trying to rectify the situation, Judas goes to those who he made the betrayal deal with, and tries to give them back the blood money. We need to notice a couple of things in this interaction.

First, Judas does not ask for forgiveness from God. By giving the money back, he isn’t repenting, but trying, like we saw before, by approaching the situation in his own strength. Even when Judas is feeling conviction, he continues to miss the need for Jesus. He continues in his own strength, though convicted of doing wrong. Which shows us that just because we might feel bad about something, true repentance is coming before God and asking forgiveness. We have an example of this in the life of David. The story comes from 2 Samuel 11, where we’re told that David slept with another man’s wife. Her name was Bathsheba and his name was Uriah. David gets Bathsheba pregnant and to cover it up tries to get Uriah to come home from war to sleep with his wife. But Uriah chooses to stay with the other troops and David has him sent to the front lines to die. David is then confronted by Nathan the prophet for his sin. David then writes Psalm 51 where he states, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” This is repentance, truly understanding that we have sinned, that God is right in his judgment over us, and we lay down our life at the mercy of God. Judas has none of it. He is convicted of his sinful action, but never repents of it. 

The second thing we need to notice, is the lack of justice from the priests and elders. Here is a confession of guilt, a confession to overturn the false claims against Jesus, but the ruling leaders reject it. One of the primary charges that God brings against Israel is a lack of justice. Listen to how Proverbs puts it, “Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—the Lord detests them both (17:15).” The word “detests” is the word abomination. And it’s this type of abomination that led to God sending the Israelites into seventy years of exile in Babylon. These men are repeating the history of those who corrupted Israel before, and which led to the dispersal of the nation.

Yet, even so, the works of these evil men were used by God to bring Jesus to the cross, and salvation to all. This is why Paul states in Romans 8:28, “…God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

This brings us to the trial, where we get two sides, Pilate and the Jewish leaders. What’s interesting is that Jesus speaks to Pilate, but not to the Jewish leaders. In the other Gospels, we get a lengthy conversation between the Roman governor and the King of the Jews. But Jesus stays silence when accused by the the Jewish leadership, and we should ask the question why?

The silence before the Jewish leadership has parts to it. First, it’s a fulfillment of prophecy. This is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s suffering servant passage. In Isaiah 53:7, we’re told that the Messiah, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

The other part of it, is that there was no convincing these leaders. They had heard Jesus’ message and they had rejected it. In Matthew, we have seen Jesus quote from the Old Testament about the ears of people being shut. One of these places that Jesus quotes is from Ezekiel 12:2, where God address the prophet, “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.” There’s no convincing the Jewish leadership, because they have shut their ears to the Word of God.

But Jesus isn’t silent before Pilate, why? Because this is a turning point. The work of God has never been for one people. It has been through one people, bringing about salvation through Jesus the Messiah, but the intention of God has always been to open the way to all people so that they can return to their Creator. Throughout Matthew we have seen Jesus interact with Gentiles, non-Jews. He never turned them away. Not the Wisemen, not the Centurion, and the not the desperate mother. Jesus is fulfilling another Servant passage from Isaiah where it states, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (49:6).”

Jesus speaks to Pilate because Pilate needs the Gospel, and now has the opportunity to either embrace the true King or reject him. But instead of embracing Jesus, even though everything in him knows that the Jewish leadership is there out of envy, and that his own wife has told him to not go through with it, Pilate thinks he has a way out. 

Pilate gives the crowd a choice, Barabbas or Jesus. The criminal or the King. We can see it now that this is a fitting trade, because it is for the condemned that Jesus dies. It is for the sinful that Jesus takes their place, so why not free a criminal in the process? But Pilate, though he washes his hands, isn’t free of guilt. He has the power, he has the choice to not send a condemned man to death, but his choice is based on his own survival. Pilate sends Jesus to the cross, so that there wouldn’t be a riot. Politically, Judea was a hotbed for political uprisings. Pilate’s job was to subdue those uprisings. If he couldn’t do that, he would be stripped of his station. A fate, we know happened only a few years later. So the condemnation of Jesus didn’t save him in the long run.

It’s here that Jesus is then turned over to the Roman guards. Mocked, beaten, stripped of all dignity. This God who came down for the salvation of his creation, now mocked by it. Yet, again, a fulfillment of the suffering passage of Isaiah 53, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem (v.3).”

And in another Servant Song passage of Isaiah, we see this moment prophesied. Isaiah 50:5-7 reads, “The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”

Again and again and again, the words of the Old Testament play out in the life of Jesus. The world rejecting the God who came for their salvation, resigns himself to the cross and all the pain that it entails. And the final words that we read from the passage in Matthew 27:31, “After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him…” should bring us joy. My God, my Savior, died for me. It is a proclamation of the love of God, wrapped up in the horrors of humanity.

All the evil in the world, comes not from the work of God, but through the work of each of us. We brought God’s creation down into our sin, and given the opportunity we even brought God down. Yet, God willing came to the earth, he willing was led to trial, he was willing led mock and beaten, and he willing led to the cross, all for us.

The words of Paul in Romans 5:8 would humble us and cause us to praise God, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Every single person from the runaway disciples, to Judas, to the Jewish leadership, to Pilate and his guards, we’re shown love through the cross and a pathway to God’s everlasting life. This was the purpose of Israel as a nation. That God would work out his will for this moment, when Jesus was being led to the cross through injustice and perversion of humanity’s sin. Yet he died for us, though he was completely alone while the world conspired against their God. 

We see it today don’t we? There are three camps, those who recognize the great love of God and so fall willingly at his feet in thankfulness of the price that was paid and the debt that was forgiven. These are Jesus’ disciples, who live under his authority, who seek the will of the Father over their own, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be conformed into the image of Jesus. 

Another camp are those who openly mock God. They conspire to strip him of the praise that’s due him. They stand in the way of the Gospel reaching ears. They make up lies and tell half-truths so that others would turn away from the salvation that is alone in Jesus. They are the Jewish leaders, the Roman guards.

And then there’s a third group, that are fence setters. They, like Judas and Pilate, think that in their own strength they can do enough to stay out of the way. That they will not bow to Jesus, but they won’t openly mock him either. They hope, if there is a God, that they can get by on their own merit, after all they were upset with the injustice of it all, isn’t that enough?

No, there is only one thing any of can do and that’s bow at the feet of Jesus. Like the modern hymn “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us” states, 

“Behold the man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished.” (second verse)

When we recognize that it was our sin that led Jesus willing to the cross, that held him in place on that tree of aguish, then we can turn from our sin. Repenting with the understanding that we sinned against God, yet he loved us even while we were in that state, and now we must accept Jesus’ work on our behalf, turning away from our own strength and submitting to his authority over us. Here then can we now live, because we live not in ourselves, but in the life of Jesus himself.

As we pointed to last week, Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20, become a trumpet call in our lives, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Let us praise God all the louder, that I had nothing to do with my salvation. Jesus did it all, and willingly so. That all I do now is accepted and rely on the work of the Holy Spirit. That it is in his strength and by his will I live until the day he comes back for me, or I go to him.

My challenge this week is to read Isaiah 46-53. Read a chapter a day and re-read Matthew 27:1-31 with each chapter. See the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus work, and see what is yet to be fulfilled. Then praise God that he has done the work that you couldn’t. That he saved you though you didn’t deserve it. And pray for those who mock God, that they would see his greatness and bow willingly before they are made to. Also pray for those who who are fence setters; who think that can just slide through on their own merit. That they see their need for Jesus, before they can no longer willing choose.

Let us be a humble people, recognizing that Jesus did everything for us, so now we get to live for him in everything. Amen.

Matthew Series, Week 43 - “I Got No Strings On Me”

 What’s the movie that gave you your very first fright or stuck with you as a scary moment, as a kid? I know some people say things like Babi where his mom is killed, or Snow White when you first see the face of the wicked queen in her disguise. For me, it was Disney’s Pinocchio. Most of its fine, but that scenes of the boys on Pleasure Island turning into donkey’s messed me up as a kid. I’d skip it every time I’d watch it.

And do you know the song, “I’ve Got No Strings”? Disney sure made that song creepy in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron. The opening verse goes, 

“I've got no strings

To hold me down

To make me fret

Or make me frown

I had strings

But now I'm free

There are no strings on me”

It’s a fun song, when Pinocchio is singing and having fun, but it’s sure creepy when a talking murderous robot recites it. But the whole idea of Pinocchio is about this wooden puppet coming to life, but it’s not real life. Sure he doesn’t have strings, but he’s still wooden, he’s not truly living. Now it all works out in the end, but it’s because he’s not fully alive, that he is taken advantage of and used for what others can get out of him, before casting him aside. Pinocchio may not have strings that were visible, but people, like the fox and the puppet master, still pulled on the invisible ones that connected to the puppet’s desire. 

And it’s this idea of these invisible stings that brings us back to our Matthew series where we’ll be finishing off chapter 26 in the book of Matthew. And as we open up to Matthew 26, verse 36, let’s see where we are from last week. 

Since we began this final leg of Matthew’s writing on Jesus’ life, we have seen that the topic has focused on Jesus’ authority and how his disciples are to live under that authority. But what we saw from last week, is that we can easily fall into the trap of thinking, “I’m good.” That I have it all together, that I either do not need Jesus’ authority in my life, or that I have enough of it to where I can do the rest on my own. This is the trouble with a lot of people who call themselves Christians. They might have prayed a prayer at a camp, or been baptized by the church, or grew up in a Christian home, or they attend church service, but that’s about the scope of their faith. They think being in a Christian home, or attending Christian things, or praying specific words, gets just enough of Jesus’ in their lives to where they’ll get to heaven, and because they do these things, they can do whatever they like in their own strength. 

But Jesus didn’t say anything more important than two the words, “follow me.” In those two words we get everything he said, and everything he said points back to “follow me.” Not follow a pastor, not follow ministries, not even follow yourself, Jesus says, “follow me.” Following him means we accept him as Savior. Following him means we seek his will. Following him means we live life in his strength, connected to him, and not ourselves. 

When we don’t follow him, then we fall into the trap, thinking we are strong enough on our own. That a little Jesus is enough. When, in fact, we need him fully in us, leading us, and covering us. 

Because if we think we can do it without him, or just a pinch of Jesus in our lives, we’ll be just like the disciples we’ll read about today. So let’s open to Matthew 26, starting in verse 36.

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

These four moments leading up to Jesus being turned over to the Romans for execution should be a wake up call to all of us who profess Jesus. That we would look at what our brothers in the faith encountered and failed at, so that we may succeed. Let’s look at each of these moments to see how they build upon each other, and how these moments connect to the overarching story Matthew, led by the Holy Spirit, is trying to tell us.

Coming out of last week, we saw Jesus’ final supper with his disciples. There, Jesus told them that there was a betrayer among them. They all denied it. Even going so far as to say that they would go with Jesus to death. Right after there resolve is proclaimed, it is tested. 

Jesus goes to the garden of Gethsemane, translated it means “oil press.” A fitting place for the resolve of Jesus and the disciples to be tested, to be pressed, like oil from the olive. There Jesus prayers three times, about removing the coming anguish, yet reconciling himself to the will of the Father. A parallel could be made to the three temptations of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew in chapter 4. At the olive press Jesus is again brought to a point where we could reject his Messianic work for an easier path. But just as he taught his disciples in chapter 6, it’s not our will, but our Father’s, who we should be seeking. 

This should also give us encouragement; feeling desperation, feeling like we can’t go on, feeling like we want to give up is not a sin. Being honest with God about how we feel and how we do not desire to go through something isn’t wrong. Yet, Jesus gives us the example to follow. In our hurt, our sorrow, when our strength and resolve is low, we must echo Jesus’ words, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Through this though, we see the resolve of the disciples. They cannot even keep their eyes open. They have lacked in their prayers, their connecting with God. They have chosen to rest to gain their own strength, rather than pray and seek God’s.

And so we have two groups emerge from this time in the “oil press.” Jesus’ resolve is steadfast in the will of the Father, while the disciples’ resolve has already been shown to be lacking. So when Judas arrives with the guards, Jesus embraces the coming work of the cross, while one of his disciples, in his own strength, cuts off the ear of a guard. Jesus rebukes this disciple, because it’s not the path that has been laid out.

Jesus speaks of his authority to all the people, that he could bring down the angels. This is what the devil wanted back in chapter 4. Satan wanted Jesus to use his authority to make himself the king, thereby condemning humanity in their sin. But Jesus’ resolve to be the sacrificial lamb that makes payment for sin, is steadfast. It’s in this moment that we see what true power is. The ability to do whatever you want, but strength to do what is need for others. In this one moment, Jesus’ authority, his power, and his love shine out, and he comments himself to the fate of the cross.

But the disciples don’t. They fall away; running as fast as they can to not meet the same fate as Jesus. Their resolve faltered, because they didn’t do what Jesus had been telling them for the last several years, to follow him. They were to draw strength from him. To let his resolve be theirs. Yet they didn’t. All their talk about staying by him, all the way to death, was just bluster. And as they ran, Jesus was taken away to the first of his trials.

It’s here that we are brought from the garden to the whole council of the religious leadership. Jesus had spoke to many of these people, answering their questions and silencing their traps. Witness after witness are brought before Jesus, to either misinterpret what he said, or to flat out lie about it. All fail at convicting Jesus of the crimes by which the religious leaders sought to catch him in. 

That’s when Caiaphas the high priest asks his own question, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus’ answer goes beyond what Caiaphas asked. To Caiaphas, he must have been thinking of the many Messianic interpretations that the different sects of Judaism believed. But Jesus doesn’t give Caiaphas one of these interpretations, but rather his own, invoking no rabbi, or sect, but the word of God. Jesus refers from Daniel 7, “‘You have said so,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”

We cannot miss the importance of this quote. Listen to Daniel as he speaks of his vision, a vision that Jesus says, is about him. “13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (7:13-14).”

This son of man that Daniel speaks of, is worshiped by the nations. The son of man that Daniel sees, is given an everlasting dominion and kingdom that will forever endure. This son of man in the vision rides on the clouds as Yahweh himself does. And this Jesus before Caiaphas says that is him. Before the high priest and the religious council, Jesus is claiming the deity of God himself.

Therefore it makes sense then that Caiaphas tears his robes, and calls Jesus’ words blasphemy. He doesn’t believe Jesus, but we the reader should. We have seen Jesus throughout Matthew. We have seen his connection to the Old Testament. We have heard angels proclaim his arrival to the shepherds. We have seen nations come to bow and worship him. We have seen the words that override the rabbinical teachings. We have seen the miracles and forgiveness of sins that only come by God. We know what Caiaphas and the others reject; that Jesus is the God come down to be the sacrifice and payment for sin. He is our lamb, given to humanity by God, so that humanity would have a way out of eternal death and back to God’s eternal life.

And it is based on Jesus’ claim of deity that he is convicted, sentence to be taken away and given over to the Roman’s for execution. So many people think that Jesus was executed for spreading love, or just bucking the religious people of his day. No, he was convicted on his claim that he was God.

It’s here that we are briefly take away from Jesus and brought to Peter’s denial. Peter denies that he knows Jesus three times, even taking an oath to the fact. In this moment, Jesus’ words both show his authority and the fact that he is alone. Peter continually represents the whole of the twelve disciples, his rejection, represents all of their rejections. Judas was the most outwardly in his betrayal, but all the disciples fell in some way to that same path.

But there is hope, as we saw last week. Jesus spoke to his disciples, knowing they would all fall way, to meet him in Galilee. But before that meeting, the cross awaits.

This brings us full circle. Too often we are like the disciples. So sure of ourselves that we will be strong, yet fall away. Or we are like Caiaphas and the other religious leaders, so sure of our understanding of God, that God cannot do what we deem wrong. Yet, Jesus is his own. His authority is greater, his power more vast, his love deeper. And he is calling his disciples to live under that authority.

Since chapter 21 about eight weeks ago, we have been seeing one thing, we must submit and live under the authority of Jesus. That means we are his and not our own. Paul expressed it like this Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, Jeremiah the rebel, Jeremiah the doubter, Jeremiah the strong man, Jeremiah the pitcher, the son of his dad, died…Jesus now lives in this life. It is Jesus who now resides and to whom I am rightfully owned. My old self tries to return, tries to take back what was stripped from it, but as I submit to Jesus’ authority, as the Holy Spirit beats back that flesh, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The thoughts that I am strong enough, though they come again and again to my mind, must be taken captive before Christ. Because I am not. Outside of Jesus I am death walking. I am a puppet of my sin dancing until it is done with me and I lie lifeless in eternity. But glory to God because of Jesus, my strings to sin have been severed and Christ has filled me with his Spirit, and now I’m a real boy. 

My brothers and sisters, we must not fain loyalty to Christ, getting by on our religious duties, on our family heritage, what something we said once, but rather we must follow Jesus. Accepting his word, accepting his correction, accepting all that he has for us. We must reject the temptation that says, “I” and embrace Jesus who says, “Me”. It’s in his strength that we are strong, his love that we can love, on his path that we may walk. Our God came to us to bring us back to himself, let us therefore go with him.

My challenge for you this week, is to ask God, what strings of temptation are holding onto me. What is saying to you, do this and you will be strong? Trust this and you will be happy? Or follow here and you will get what you want? Take those strings to God and let the Holy Spirit cut them. Be the real person, the resurrected being that Christ died for. Submit to his authority, and let everything else fall where it may. 

Let us be Christians in the fullest sense of the word, Christ-like, because we follow and rely on him. Amen.

Matthew Series, Week 42 - “Rightful Alpha”

 The idea of the Alpha has become popular in men’s circles. Alpha referring to animal packs, where one of the packs members takes a leadership role. Through various ways, men seem to be less manly and so have seemingly lost their identity. There are pictures that show a well dressed man in from the first half of the 1900s with his fedora hat, suit and trench coat, put right next to a guy from 2019 dressed in skin tight shorts, woman’s shoes and a bright colored shirt. The Alph male movement seeks to reestablish a more rugged man; the type of man that tamed the west. This type of male would be best represented in a scene in the move Secondhand Lions, where Robert Duvall’s character, an old eccentric man is harassed by some young men. Duvall plays Hub, and he’s had enough. Hub grabs this young man and says this, “I'm Hub McCann. I've fought in two world wars, and countless smaller ones on three continents. I've led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I've seen the headwaters of the Nile and tribes of natives no white men had ever seen before. I've won and lost a dozen fortunes, killed many men, and loved only one woman with a passion a flea like you could never begin to understand. That's who I am.” 

This is what the Alpha movement is about, trying to get men back to being men. But, as in all things, it can be taken too far. I have seen a lot of men who want to be Alpha men and they think that means sleeping with tons of women. Treating people with disrespect. Getting your own way. But the reality is, if we are trying to be the Alpha, that means we are a part of a pack. And the Alpha of a pack looks out for the interest of the group. The Alpha of a pack goes to war for their group, plays with the cubs, keeps everyone together. The downfall of the Alpha movement is not their basic intentions but that they are missing once key piece.

Men were never to be the Alpha, and that’s what brings us back into our Matthew series, where we find ourselves in the final leg of the Gospel, in chapter 26, verse 1. And as we enter into this final part of Matthew’s Gospel, 26:1, let's look at the five sections that we have covered so far. 

The first of these themes dealt with who Jesus was. He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy about God descending to earth to take on human form, so that he could rectify the problem of sin. Therefore we should listen to him.

The second section dealt with the idea of his word and how his disciples are to build their lives upon it. If Jesus is God come down, then we better open our ears and actually listen to what he says.

This is quickly followed by a section dealing with, who can be a disciple of Jesus. The answer being, anyone who puts their trust into Jesus and follows his word to build their life.

That section was then followed by a look at the type of faith a disciple was to have. A disciple was to have a faith that is learning to fully trust and actively following Jesus.

Finally, we are in the final section where we are looking at Jesus’ authority. In this we have seen how we must be satisfied with it, acting upon it, and trusting it for all that we will face. This is what it means to have a fully trusting and actively following faith.

It’s still in the topic of Jesus’ authority and our response to it that we pick up chapter 26 starting in verse 1. Let’s read together. 

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

This is a long section, and can be looked at by cutting it into five parts. But the purpose of these summer series is to look how these individual parts connect together.

We must remember that these events follow the emphasis that we have seen on Jesus’ authority. At this point the disciples should be trusting Jesus. They’ve seen the miracles, they’ve seen Jesus silence his opposition, they have heard the teachings of Jesus to deny themselves and embrace him, loving God and loving people greater than themselves. In all of this, time and time again they have heard Jesus speak of his death on the cross and his resurrection. What comes now is the rubber to the road. Will the disciples trust Jesus? Following him the way he intends them to, or will they not? 

The verses we just read are Jesus’ last teachings to his disciples this side of the cross. What follows in the verses afterwards show the strength of the trust of the disciples. But Jesus already knows that strength, he already knows how they will respond, yet here we see him continue to prepare them, not just for the coming hardship, but for what follows. Let’s look how each of these sections flows into the greater theme of Jesus’ authority and how we as his disciples are to trust him.

Chapter 26 starts out with three important details: It’s the Passover meal, which is a celebration of God’s work during the Exodus, where the Angel of Death passed over the houses of those who trusted in God by painting lamb’s blood on the doorposts. The second detail, is that again, Jesus speaks of his crucifixion. This connects the two events together. Jesus is purposeful in the when and where of his crucifixion, because he is the new lamb that people must trust in, so that the wrath of God against sin will passover them once again. The final detail is that the religious leaders were set on killing Jesus, but wanted to wait until after the Passover celebration, yet, as we’ll see, God’s purposes for the two being connected override man’s plans.

This leads us into the anointing of Jesus. In this moment, where a woman comes to Jesus to pour out expensive perfumes on him, would be a situation in which Jesus’ disciples could act out Jesus’ words, and in a sense they kind of do. In response to this woman’s gift, the disciples say that the woman should have sold the expensive perfume and given the money to the poor. Which would seem like the right thing to do. And Jesus’ response that the poor will always be there, seems like a weird and selfish thing to say. Yet if we think so, like the disciples, we’ve missed the point. The woman’s gift, does several things, it anoints Jesus, as he says, for his death; something the disciples keep denying was going to happen. The gift, is an offering brought to Jesus from a heart that desires to serve him; a position of worship each one of us should hold. It wasn’t right for the disciples to deny or chastise this woman for her heartfelt desire to serve the Jesus, and it wouldn’t be our right to deny others the gifts and offerings they bring to Jesus.

The woman’s gift and Jesus’ response to the disciples, seems to be the final straw in Judas’ story, because it’s here that we learn that he makes a deal to betray Jesus. This is important, because it shows where Judas’ heart is, and later on his duplicity in eating with Jesus. A smaller detail is the fact that Judas’ payment is the fulfillment of prophecy from Zechariah 11:12-13, but also  gives us an insight into Judas’ view of Jesus as nothing better than slave; because thirty pieces of silver was the covenantal price of buying a slave.

From here we move to the Passover meal, or Jesus’ last supper. We get three parts concerning this meal. First, Jesus’ command to prepare the meal is answered by his disciples. Secondly, Jesus’ speaks of a betrayal that will happen and which Judas questions. Thirdly the institution of communion with the eating of the bread and the drinking from the cup. What’s interesting is we see the whole of the redemption story in Jesus’ last supper. Like Jesus’ telling his disciples to prepare the meal, God commands the universe to be created. Like the betrayal of Judas, Adam betrayed the authority of God and caused the fall of humanity. God broke the body and spilt the blood of an animal as a stop gap measure to cover humanity’s sin and nakedness. It is the breaking of Jesus’ body and spilling of his blood that brings about the full covering of humanity and the full forgiveness of sin.

Finally we move away from the meal to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus is straightforward with the disciples. All of them will fall away. It wasn’t just Judas that would leave Jesus’ side, but everyone of the disciples will leave him that night. But there’s hope. The cross is not the end, Jesus speak of his resurrection and calls the disciples to meet him once again Galilee where this whole thing started. Jesus calls them sheep, that when the shepherd is struck the sheep will scatter, but they are still his sheep, and they are still called back to the fold. Peter denies that he will be like the others. No, he will be there even to death; to which the other disciples proclaimed the same.

These moments in time are linked together because they show the foolishness of the disciples. At the end they spoke about how they would stand by Jesus’ side, but they weren’t ready for what was to come. Though Jesus had spoken to them time and time again about his crucifixion, they had denied him at every step. Yet the woman accepted Jesus’ fate. She anointed Jesus for the work that he would do ahead and the disciples chastised her for it. They were not prepared, they were still so full of themselves.

And this is the trap that stands before each of us. I know what’s best, I am prepared, I can fight any battle, I am the alpha. But we don’t know what’s best, we are not prepare. There’s a military saying, “no plan survives the first contact of war (attributed to Carl von Clausewitz);” even with the best of information our plans will most likely fail. No, we cannot fight every battle, a force hell bent on the destruction of an individual will eventually succeed. It took almost ten years for the US military to track down and kill Osama bin Laden. He hid for a decade, but US military eventually found and executed him. And no we are not the alpha, there’s always a bigger fish in the pond, a stronger strongman to overthrow. 

When we think we have it all laid out, that we are the best there is, it’s then that we fall the hardest. The disciples thought they had it, but they didn’t. The moment they chastised the woman, is the moment they sealed their fate. In that one moment the proved that their resolve to follow Jesus was not sustainable. The reason why, is because they would not submit and follow Jesus’ authority in their lives. 

Because it’s Jesus who knows what’s best, it’s Jesus’ plans that are fulfilled. It’s Jesus that overcomes all battles, and it’s Jesus that is the true Alpha because he is the beginning of all things. 

The trap that we must be aware of, that stands in front of all of us at all times, is the trap of that says I can do this a part from Jesus. But the reality is, as Jesus has said in the Gospel of John, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (15:5).” Jesus didn’t say we can do some things, or most things, he said we can do nothing. 

This is why Paul wrote this in Philippians 4, “11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength (11-13).” 

As Jesus’ disciples we must realize that Jesus is right. What he says and does is right. That means if he says I can’t do it, I can’t. If he says trust me, I have to. If he says it’s my way, I follow.  

We must live under Jesus’ authority, because it’s exactly where we are supposed to be and if we think we can do it on our own, we’ll quickly learn we can’t and it’s that defeat that we come face to face with our own foolishness, just like the disciples did, but that’s next week.

For now, I want to challenge you to seek after God and ask him, am I planning outside of his authority? Am I thinking I know what’s best outside of his will? Do I think I’m strong enough for any battle? So I think I’m the Alpha? Seek God to uncover any areas that you are holding onto for your own authority. Ask that the Holy Spirit to both reveal those areas and deal with them.

Let us be a people who seek God’s authority over our lives, that when the battles come, we are strengthened, by his word and his Spirit and not by our own strength. Amen.