Preparing For Christ Death 2

Introduction

I. The Transition: From Preaching to Passion

Jesus’ Preaching and Teaching: the words of eternal life spoken for three years. Words that are the revealed will of God. Words that give life. Words that redeem. LIVE ON THE WORDS OF JESUS.

Matthew 26:1 ESV

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,

The end of the greatest stretch of preaching and teaching the world has ever seen.

Matthew starts his gospel with Jesus birth, baptism, wilderness temptation, and then made his way to Galilee to preach the word:

Matthew 4:17 ESV

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The word that Jesus spoke while he walked on this earth changed the world.

They were the mind of God declared with perfect clarity and precision.

They are the will of God spoken.

Peter said it best, when describing Jesus and his words:

John 6:68 ESV

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

Are the words of Jesus that precious to you?

Be familiar with your saviors words. THEY ARE:

Food for the soul

Encouragement

Direction

Correction

What you need for life and godliness.

Passover in Two Days: now the time of preaching is over, and the time of dying is at hand.

Matthew 26:2 ESV

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Jesus will go from speaking the word of God to fulfilling the word of God as he pursues his passion. (Latin for suffering)

The transition comes with change in the people: The crowds have hailed him as a triumphant king, but they have failed to connect him to the one in Isaiah calls, “the suffering servant, and within days they will be calling for his death.

Notice the timing: This is no coincidence.

Israel celebrates Passover to remember there deliverance from Egypt :

Exodus 12:26–27 “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ 

This was accomplished by the sacrifice of a spotless lamb, and its blood painted on the door of each house.

As we will see in the next section of this chapter, when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, he speaks of his blood that is poured out.

Matthew 26:2 ““ the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.””

The Son of Man is the Passover Lamb:

The gospel message isn’t about Jesus, meek and mild, finding himself threatened by his enemies, and in his meekness he winds up crucified by his enemies.

The Son of Man is the one in Daniel who:

Comes from the ancient of Days: He himself is eternally God.

The ruler of all rulers

Yet here he is giving himself over to death… for you, for your salvation, that you may be saved from the wrath of God for sins.

This is the cruxed of this passage: what is your response to Jesus? How do you view Jesus?

As a threat? Like the CP and elders?

As your Savior? Like Mary

As an opportunity for selfish gain? Like Judas

II. The Scheme to Kill: Jesus as a Threat

Who? Who are these guys… What’s their problem with Jesus.

Matthew 26:3–4 “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.”

Those who have the most to lose when it comes to what Jesus has been preaching and teaching.

They’ve been listening.

He has been refuting their teaching, their authority, exposing their abuse of power.

These men are supposed to be the shepherds of God’s people.

But Jesus has exposed their hypocrisy, their selfish pursuits, and their traditions of man.

They know they are at odds with the words Jesus has taught.

Where? Notice where they are meeting. The palace of the high priest.

The plan and scheme is going all the way to the top.

The seriousness of this current threat of Jesus of Nazareth warrants high level attention.

THIS IS WHAT TRUE AUTHORITY DOES, its shakes the pretenders.

The plan and scheme is worked out in secret and planned to be executed in secret.

THIS IS THE WAY WICKEDNESS OPERATES.

Why? Why are they meeting, to eliminate the threat.

If Jesus is to continue, everything they have and are is threatened… So they prepare to Kill Him.

THE TRUTH: The reality of Jesus exposes everything AND THREATENS OUR WAY OF LIVING.

For the unbelievers: this truth is what creates the tension, the frustration, and even the rage when someone brings up Jesus.

Why: because Jesus threatens their idols, their love for the things of the world, their love of their sin.

So what do they do? They plot against him, they rage against him… They can’t kill him, so they avoid him.

Romans 1:18 “...ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him...

THE TIME IS NOW, TO QUIT SEEING JESUS AS A THREAT: now is time to hear the Jesus the preacher, repent and believe the gospel.

Acts 17:30–31 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.””

But even, Christians can momentarily see Christ as a threat.

For the same reasons… there is a sin, an idol in your life, and you know it is either Jesus or your sin, Jesus or your idol.

So you mimick these men, and you hid, you work in stealth.

You might avoid coming to church, you might avoid reading your bible, you might avoid fellowship after the service.

Ephesians 5:8–14 “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””

III. Prepared for Burial: Jesus as Savior

Matthew 26:6–7 “Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.”

Who is Mary?

The sister of Martha and Lazarus.

Known as being the sister who choose the good portion, being found at the feet of Jesus hanging on to every word.

She is a worshipper of Jesus. She sees him for what he truly is:

Not a threat to loose something, but everything to gain by knowing him.

Interesting thing about her perspective. She loved him and exalted before he died and resurrected.

What then stirred up her affections for him? His presences and His words.

Let us not be so zoomed in on the cross and resurrection that we miss the whole Christ.

Mary’s heart can be summarized with our new hymn

Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nations, O thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish, thee will I honor, thou my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Can you sing that hymn today and it be a true representation of your heart? That is true Christianity.

IF not, then perhaps you do not know him as you ought, as he is revealed, as he spoke and lived.

The remedy? Prayerfully read and feast upon his words and his life.

Where? In all the scriptures, for they are either predicting Him, revealing Him, or explaining Him.

What is in her flask?

A perfume or ointment: extracted from a plant in India.

Value: A full year’s salary.

“She poured it on his head”

What was in the flask? What did the ointment represent?

Her value of Jesus.

She would not withhold , but she brings her very best in order to worship and exalt Her Lord, her savior.

So you have the CP and elders, put up one hand to fit against Jesus, and with the other hand they cling to what they love,

Mary pours out what she has upon Jesus and clings to him, for He is also she desires.

He says, Matthew 26:12 “She has done a beautiful thing to me… In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.”

Do you worship Jesus?

Or do you go through the motions, because you’ve been taught to worship?

Mary knew him, so she loved Him.

Mary knew him, so she sacrificed her best.

That is what worship is… sacrifice for the sake of exalting and pleasing God.

Are you trying to fill all your flasks or are you eager to empty them out and worship Christ.

IV. Betrayed for Gain: Jesus as Opportunity

A few things about Judas to contrast to Mary.

Judas was out for #1

Judas was the lead grumbler at Mary’s “waste”

John 12:4–6 “But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.”

Proximity to Jesus had no effect

3 years of being close to Jesus, hearing his words, eating with him, hearing him pray, watching the miracles… AND NOTHING, no trust, no heart, no worship.

That ought to be a big flashing warning sign for us, right?

The fields that soak up the rain but only produce thorns will be burned up.

Judas and Mary both sought gain from being near Jesus.

Difference: Mary’s gain was Jesus, himself.. this leads to worship

Judas wanted gain because of Jesus… this leads to betrayal.

and for what?....

The Value of World gain is pennies compared to the value of Gaining Christ.

Judas got his reward: 30 pieces of silver

Mary got her reward: Jesus, forever.

Final question: what is your treasure?

What do you cling to? What do you sacrifice for? What do you have to have?