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.
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