"The Passion - Part III" Matthew 26d May 11 2025

Intro & Scripture

Good morning

Happy Mother’s Day!

I want to ask you a question:

How do you follow Jesus?

Closely? Or from a distance?

My application today: Return to the Lord

We’re continuing studying the Passion of Jesus

When we say “passion,” we’re referring to the Latin "passio" or "passionis," which means “suffering”

It is by tradition that we use this word - technically, we don’t see that word in the Bible

But I’m okay if it points to Christ

We’ve spent three weeks in Matthew 26 and today, we’ll finish that chapter - I promise

If you remember from last week:

30-35 Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

36-46 Jesus Prays in the Garden Gethsemane

47-56 Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

Now we want to pick-up the part of the narrative where after being arrested, he is led to Caiaphas, the high priest

Starting in verse 57 of Matthew 26 -

Matthew 26:57–64 ESV

Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

(Pray...)

Recap

I want to quickly recap from last week when Jesus was arrested - I read this passage last week

When he was arrested, he basically pointed out their illogic - here’s the NLT version of what Jesus said:

“Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.’” [Mt 26:55-56]

Jesus is saying that what they are doing, and how they are going about this is stupid and it makes no sense - my paraphrase

This is my words of what he says next:

“But, as dumb as you are, what you’re doing was told by the prophet Isaiah. God is the one who is in control here, not you.”

And if you remember from last week, Matthew ends this scene with a chilling comment:

“Then all the disciples left him and fled.”

So much for when Peter said in verse 35 - “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!”

And the Bible says that all the other disciples agreed with Peter and said the same thing

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

Let’s continue on with the part I just read before praying

After he was arrested, Jesus was taken to the high priest, Caiaphas

All the scribes, elders, and the whole council were there - this must have been an exciting time for them

“We got him now - let’s not mess this up,” is what I imagine they thought

When it says the “whole council,” it’s referring to the Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin was composed of seventy members, plus the high priest

They were the elite Pharisees and Sadducees

Matthew tells us that they were seeking false testimony so they could kill him

Mark tells us that the testimonies did not even agree with each other

When people hate, they are quick to accept false testimonies of other people

Good thing that doesn’t happen today, right???

The Sanhedrin got what they wanted - they wanted to kill Jesus

Jesus is silent during these false testimonies

But then the high priest asks him directly, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Jesus first answers him by using the high priest’s own words: “You have said so.”

Then: “But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Yes, Jesus is acknowledging he is the Son of God

Don’t be confused when he says, “Son of Man” - it refers to him as Messiah

It is used throughout the gospels - mostly in Matthew

In fact - it is the term Jesus uses most often to refer to himself personally

It comes from the book of Daniel where the Son of Man is used to foretell of the coming Messiah

Don’t listen to folks who claim that Jesus never said he was the Son of God, or that he never claimed he was the Messiah

He does right here!

And in John 8 he said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” The Jews tried to stone him for that

John 10, “I and the Father are one.” They tried to stone him when he said that

I could go on

The point is - Jesus is definitely saying he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God

Why else would the high priest tear his robes and say, “He has uttered blasphemy?”

In my opinion, this was sort of a fake outrage

In one sense, yes - blasphemy was bad in the eyes of the high priest

In another sense - I think they were happy they finally came to this place that they could execute him based on these false testimonies and because of his supposed blasphemy

Some scholars have pointed out that this trial broke Jewish judicial procedures:

Capital trials were always held during daylight

The rules demanded one day to pass before sentencing was handed down

Jewish law prohibited false witnesses

They were so anxious to condemn Jesus - they probably considered this an “emergency” so they could quickly find him guilty

This was a quick, snap judgment - in order to execute Jesus right away

For three years, Jesus has been doing things that they weren’t happy with

He healed people on the Sabbath

He hung out with sinners

He challenged their legalism

And the Pharisees gradually began to suspect this man that he was going around as the Messiah

And he was obviously making them jealous

He fed the crowds and healed the crowds and the crowds loved him

The crowds also loved his teaching - they were astonished at his teaching

The Bible says that they noticed he taught with authority, and not like their scribes

This angered the religious leaders over the years to the point that they wanted him dead

The religious leaders lived by their legalism - and Jesus exposed them - Jesus publically embarrassed them

This all came to a point - and they thought this was their chance

They used Judas to point him out and betray him - they tried stoning him in the past - this time, they better not blow this opportunity

In reality, it was God’s providence this was all happening

You know what’s amazing?

The religious leaders hated the fact that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, but they never, ever doubted that he had the power to heal

They never questioned his power to heal - they only questioned his authority

They accused Jesus of healing under the authority of the prince of demons

Meanwhile - this is mind-blowing - meanwhile, the demons never questioned Jesus’ authority

The demons knew he was the Son of God - and they were terrified

So, the Pharisees agreed that Jesus could heal, but they questioned his authority when he healed

But the demons knew the truth about Jesus

You know what the world questions today?

They question the power and the authority of Jesus

The world questions everything about Jesus - what’s starting to be popular is that the world is questioning if Jesus even existed - it’s called the “Christ Myth”

Staunch, more rigorous atheists from the past never questioned the existence of Jesus:

Guys like Bertrand Russell or Friedrich Nietzsche never doubted that he existed

Our world is becoming more radical than demons!

So Caiaphas hears what Jesus said, then he claims that Jesus has uttered blasphemy

And says, “What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.”

And he turns to the council and asks them, “What is your judgment?”

And they respond, “He deserves death.”

No he didn’t - you know who deserves death? You and I do.

The chief priests and the council deserved death

When Adam and Eve sinned against the their Maker, God had every right to destroy them on the spot

God could have just said, “That’s it - no more humanity!”

God owes us nothing

But the Bible says that he loves us - and that he sent his own Son to rescue us

And his Son willingly went to the cross

God loves the world - but the world hates God

After the council said that he deserves death, the Bible says this:

Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

This is how the world, that is need of rescue, treats its Creator who loves them

Peter Denies Jesus

We now come to the final scene in Matt 26 - Peter denies Jesus

Verse 69 starts off

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.

There is something very striking about this scene: Jesus is not in it

I went back through all of Matthew - ever since Chapter 4, Jesus is in every episode and every scene in this Gospel, except here

There’s one more earlier scene - when I read it, there was something about it - I couldn't put my finger on

There are three verses earlier in Matt 26 - verses 14-16

Where Judas alone goes to the chief priests and negotiates his betrayal of Jesus

When I read this earlier, something bothered me about it - then I realized that Jesus wasn’t in this scene

It was just Judas alone going to the chief priests

If you made a movie based strictly on Matthew, the actor who plays Jesus could just stay home for that day of filming

It’s interesting - when Jesus is removed from the scene - all becomes dark

We find the same thing with Peter who denies Jesus

He’s alone, sitting in the courtyard, while his Lord is on trial and being mocked

[On slide] Earlier, I read the verse that says, “And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.”

He was trying to see the end - in other words, how is this all going end - this is not what I signed up for - I imagine Peter thinking to himself:

“This is not where I thought Jesus was taking us - I need to see what’s going to happen here.”

So the narrative takes us outside in the courtyard

Peter, in one sense, is following Jesus - he’s not following him closely, but nevertheless, he’s following him

Peter’s denial of Jesus three times, which we’ll look at in a minute, is a gross sin

This is basically apostasy - which means to renounce your prior religious affiliation

Let’s call it temporary apostasy

Peter publically denied Jesus - but we know later, the Lord forgave him and restored him

Have you known a Christian who follows Christ from a distance?

Who has professed Christ - but maybe will actually deny Jesus in front of others?

Maybe not deny Christ in words, but in actions?

In fact, they profess Christ as Lord, but don’t really live as though Christ is their Lord

I’ve known Christians like this - as far as I know, they are probably followers of Christ

But they follow him at a distance - they want to see how their life works out instead of fully trusting the Lord

They fight against God who allows things in their life to test their faith

Instead, they judge God based on those things he allows in their life - And they don’t even realize it

What a dangerous place for a Christian to live - to follow Jesus at a great distance

Do you follow Christ closely, or at a distance?

At least Peter followed Jesus this way temporarily before the Resurrection

A Christian today doesn’t have that excuse - we know about the Resurrection

Let me read this part of Matthew where Jesus is not in the scene, and where Peter denies him

This is the very end of Matthew 26

Verse 69 -

Matthew 26:69–75 ESV

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Close

As I close, I want to point out some key differences in Peter’s sin and Judas’ sin:

Peter: Denied Christ

Judas: Betrayed Christ

Peter: His sin was impulsive, and motivated out of fear

Judas: His sin was premeditated and probably motivated by the hope of influence and power

Peter: Just like the other disciples, ran off when things appeared bleak

Judas: On his own, came up with a scheme to make money from his betrayal

Peter: Feared that Jesus would be crucified

Judas: Helped facilitate the crucifixion of Jesus

Peter: Wept bitterly when he realized what he did

Judas: Committed suicide when he realized what he did

Peter: Went on to be a prominent leader of the early church, writing two books of the Bible and greatly influenced the spreading of the Gospel

Judas: Is remembered as a traitor and the one who betrayed Christ

Peter: Was restored and forgiven by Jesus through Peter’s repentance and humility

Judas: Felt bad, but never sought out Jesus. It would appear he never repented, never personally displayed his sorrow to the Lord

But ultimately the difference between Peter and Judas - Peter returned to the Lord

I am completely convinced - the Lord would have restored and forgiven Judas if he turned to him

God will always listen when you repent of your sins

Come back to him

Hosea 6:1 ESV

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

Deuteronomy 4:29 ESV

But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Joel 2:12–13 ESV

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

God is always there - always ready for anyone who would return to him

In fact - I’d argue that a major theme throughout the Bible is this:

Turn to the Lord or, return to the Lord

I can’t think of one instance in the Bible where someone who comes to God in humility is met with anger, or wrath, or chastisement - or a lecture from the Lord

But like in the story of the Prodigal Son, when the son, who has finally come to his senses, returns to his father -

We see the Father spotting his son a long way off, returning to him

And the Father is overwhelmed with compassion and runs to him, embraces him and kisses him

That’s how our heavenly Father treats us when we come to him in humility

It doesn’t matter how far away you’ve strayed, come back to him now

(Pray...)

Communion

(Pick one…)

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.