TWO HANDS IN THE DISH

TWO HANDS IN THE DISH Matthew 26:14-25 With grateful acknowledgement of these sources of direction and inspiration: the Holy Spirit; the Word of God; A. Hodges, Jesus: An Interview Across Time; Michael Green, The Message of Matthew; J. MacArthur, The Murder of Jesus; Max Lucado, He Chose the Nails; P. Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew; Leroy Lawson, Matthew March 9, 2003 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory Years ago, the story goes, a San Diego bank hired a private investigator to track down a bank robber and retrieve stolen funds. The search led to Mexico. The investigator crossed the border and then, realizing he would need a Spanish interpreter, opened up the telephone book and hired the first interpreter listed in the Yellow Pages. After many days, he finally captured the bandit and, through the interpreter, asked him, "Where did you hide the money?" In Spanish, the thief replied, "What money? I have no idea what you're talking about." With that, the investigator drew his pistol, pointed it at the suspect, and said to the interpreter, "Tell him that if he doesn't tell me where the money is, I will shoot him where he stands." Upon receiving this message, the bank robber said to the interpreter, "Se?r, I have hidden the money in a coffee can, under the fourth floorboard, in the second-floor men's room of the Palacio Hotel on Via Del Rio in La Paz." "What did he say?" the investigator asked the interpreter. "Se?r," said the interpreter as he thought for a moment, "he says he is prepared to die like a man!" P.T. Barnum said, "Every man has his price." Certainly Judas did, to the tune of 30 pieces of silver. The night of Passover it was already a done deal in the heart of Judas. He had already permitted Satan to enter his heart (John 13:2, 10-11). All that was left was to seize the right opportunity. Text - Matthew 26:14-25 and 47-56 There were two hands sharing the same dish. To share the same dish meant to dip one's bread in the same sop dish as someone sitting next to you. Last evening Charlotte and I ate at one of Belleville's finest restaurants. You know those little paper cups you put your ketchup in? Well, we had one of those between us and we took turns dipping our fries into it. It would have been peculiar had the older lady in the booth behind Charlotte had walked over and dipped her fries in there, too. Or the man and his three-year-old son on the other side. Sharing your dip is something you do with friends, and usually with someone sitting near you. So it was that Passover night. There were two hands in the same dish. One was the hand that takes; the other was the hand that gives. One Hand in the Dish was The Hand That Takes Ben was a prosperous businessman, a natural leader, a good American citizen-in fact a very loyal patriot. So he was an obvious choice to become captain of the Connecticut State Militia. He proved to be an excellent military leader leading in several significant victorious battles and rising to the office of Brigadier General. But when Congress created five new generalships, Ben was passed over for political reasons, and he decided to resign. It was General George Washington's urging that kept Benedict Arnold from quitting. Slighted, Arnold switched his allegiance to the British. For 20,000 pounds he agreed to get command of West Point and deliver it to the British. He failed. His British contact was captured by the Americans, who uncovered the plot. Arnold escaped on the British ship appropriately named the Vulture. General Washington sent Alexander Hamilton with a detachment of soldiers to intercept Arnold at Verplanck's Point. Washington then walked to the next room with Lafayette. When they were out of sight of the others, Washington threw his arms around Lafayette's neck and wept. Lafayette said later that to his knowledge it was the only time George Washington wept during the entire war. He wept because he had been betrayed by a friend. He had completely trusted Arnold. If Arnold could betray him, who could be trusted? Adapted from Leroy Lawson Why did Judas betray Jesus? Was he angry because Jesus disagreed with him? Verses 6-13 tell the story of the woman who broke open an expensive alabaster jar and anointed Jesus. The only time we encounter Judas in the gospels saying anything, here the treasurer speaks up about what a "waste" the act was. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." (26:9). But Jesus rushed to the defense of the extravagant woman. Did this left-handed rebuke push Judas over the edge? When you allow your hurts to go unhealed, it always leads to anger, then sin. Don't carry offenses and hurts. Get healed right away. Was it jealousy? Judas was never counted among the three of Jesus' closest disciples (Peter, James & John). In fact every time Judas is referred to in the gospels he is always described as "one of the twelve". Obviously he had maneuvered his way to be near Jesus at this Passover Meal, because the two of them are sharing a dish, and Jesus apparently is near enough to Judas to whisper things the others didn't hear. Was this the act of a jealous man? Jealousy can easily turn to envy and lead to all kinds of hideous behavior. "Amadeus", the film that won eight Academy Awards, was a fascinating study of this very process. The fictional story explores the competitive relationship between Antonio Salieri, a gifted classical musician, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an even greater musician who consistently outshines Salieri. Salieri, court composer to the eighteenth-century Austrian emperor, knew from childhood that he was destined to write music, and he dreamed of becoming great. Recognizing music was from God, he had bargained with the Almighty: Lord, make me a great composer. Let me celebrate your glory through music and be celebrated myself. Make me famous throughout the world, dear God. Make me immortal. After I die, let people speak my name forever with love for what I wrote. In return, I will give you my chastity, my industry, my deepest humility, every hour of my life. Although Salieri becomes a well-respected musician, he knows nothing of the fame or talent God gives Mozart. In the movie, Mozart is depicted as profligate, spending more money than he makes. When in dire financial straits, Mozart's young bride, Constanze, requests Salieri to help her sell some of her husband's manuscripts. As Salieri reads each manuscript, he plays the notes in his head, astonished by the perfection of each composition. Wildly jealous, he exits the room and sits in his parlor contemplating why God allowed Mozart to drink of the fame that he has thirsted for all his life. Angered, he pulls the crucifix off the wall and throws it into the blazing fireplace. He says to God: From now on we are enemies, you and I. Because you choose for your instrument a boastful, lustful, smutty, infantile boy and give me for my reward only the ability to recognize the incarnation; because you are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block you. I swear it. I will hinder and harm your creature on earth. As far as I am able, I will ruin your incarnation. Did Judas experience something similar? Was he mad with envy? Maybe it was greed that drove Judas to betray the Lord. He was the treasurer of the group and, though scripture records no embezzlement, maybe Judas needed the cash. When the friends of Kristen Clougherty learned she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, they rushed to support her with their prayers and tears. When Kristen announced that treatments at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute had failed and that out-of-state experimental treatment would not be covered by her insurance, a fund-raiser, which netted $40,000, was held on her behalf. But support was replaced by shock and anger when it was revealed that Kristen's cancer story was all a hoax and that she had cut her hair to create the appearance of having gone through chemotherapy. Later Kristen's friends learned the $40,000 raised for her cancer treatment had been transferred to a personal account from which she purchased a new car, luxury vacations, and plastic surgery. At Kristen's trial, a scandalized friend observed, "It turns out she was infected with a disease even more deadly than cancer-the disease of greed." (October 2000) In SPY: The Inside Story of How the FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America, author David Wise tells of his exclusive meetings with Dr. David Charney, the psychiatrist who evaluated Hanssen. During his years of spying, Hanssen received $1.4 million from the Russians. Of the possible motives for betraying his country, Hanssen pointed to "financial pressure." According to Charney, Hanssen wanted money for one reason: to assure his wife that he was not a failure. Dr. Charney commented: Bonnie [Hanssen's wife] was the one person who brought life into his life. She was the last person he would want to think he was a failure. He reached to prove to her he was a good provider and good husband. So that when she would express wishes for various things, he would always buy them for her. He felt it was necessary to sustain his image in her eyes as successful. That put him into a financial corner, because he agreed to take on various financial burdens, by buying a house out of his reach financially, in Scarsdale. It's not that it's wrong to say that he did it for the money; you have to go deeper and ask why he wanted the money. Why did Bob Hanssen get into a corner financially? Because he had to keep up his reputation with his wife. Because that was the one person in the world whose opinion mattered. Ironically, Bonnie was not the sort to place burdensome financial demands on her husband. According to Charney, Hanssen did not blame her; he blamed himself. David Wise, SPY : The Inside Story of How The FBI's Robert Hanssen Betrayed America (Random House, 2002) Maybe it was simply ambition. He did identify somewhat with the zealots, the politically volatile, quasi-military group that sought to overthrow Roman rule of Palestine. Some suggest that Judas's motive in giving Jesus up to the religious leaders was to simply get things going. That he mistakenly believed Jesus would usher in an earthly kingdom that would conquer Rome and put Israel in charge. With that mindset he might have wanted to "kick-start" the whole operation and get things moving in the right direction. Impatience is a temptation to us all. When we have our own agenda and not the Lord's, we will be impatient with Him every time. Look at your agendas-are they yours or God's? Pray for God's agenda to rule over yours. He is Lord. In Matthew 27:3-4, it says, "When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 'I have sinned,' he said, 'for I have betrayed innocent blood.'" Whatever drove him to do what he did, and it was probably a mixture of all of the above, Judas entered into everyone's understanding of history as the "betrayer". The name Judas was, in fact, a very common name in Palestine in those days. But since then it has been associated with treachery and treason. When Buck and Krista were deciding on a boy's name for Elijah prior to his birth, it's safe to say that Judas wasn't even in the running. Last summer, I taught a vacation Bible school class on Judas' betrayal of Jesus. After the lesson, I went over the review questions and asked, "Who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver?" Without hesitating, my 7-year-old son, Kenny, replied, "I know! It was 'Judas the Scariest!' " Karen Weaver, Huber Heights, OH. Today's Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart." Judas' was the HAND THAT TAKES. Think of Judas. Judas decided to follow Jesus. Judas heard Jesus teach. He went out two by two with the others, healing the sick and exorcising demons. Judas did a lot of disciple kinds of things. Yet he is remembered solely for how his relationship with Jesus ended. Writer William Nix shares this story in his book Character Works: Mark Gagnon worked as a clerk in the North Hampton, Massachusetts, store owned by James Brazeau. Brazeau had promised to bring Gagnon a New England Patriots hat when he returned from the [football] game. Brazeau arrived as promised, hat in hand, only to discover Gagnon had stolen $4,382 worth of lottery tickets from the store. Gagnon was prosecuted, and just before he was sentenced, his former boss, Brazeau, walked over to the defendant's table and presented Gagnon with a paper bag. He said, "I want this to be a learning experience for you." The Patriots hat was inside the bag. The judge, watching from the bench, made the hat part of Gagnon's sentence, ordering Gagnon to wear the hat every time he ventured out into public for the next two years. How a life, a ministry, or a relationship ends is absolutely crucial to everything that goes before it. It is startling to think that Satan can actually come into the heart of a man in such close touch with Jesus as Judas was. And more--he is cunningly trying to do it today. Yet he can get in only through a door opened from the inside. "Every man controls the door of his own life." Satan can't get in without our help. Betrayal is the ultimate, inevitable act of the hand that takes. But the other hand in the dish was the HAND THAT GIVES. The Second Hand in the Dish was The Hand That Gives Reflect with me on all that Jesus gave. First, notice this small indicator of the Character of the giving Christ. Verse 26 simply says, "He gave thanks". The grateful people are always the generous people. Have you noticed that? If you were given your last meal before you were sent, through some horrible act of injustice, to the firing squad, would you remember to return thanks for that meal? That's just about how it was for Jesus. Takers are known for their strategies of self-improvement. Givers are known for their gratitude. Verses 26-28 show the plans of the One who gave himself. The disciples did not fully understand in that moment what it meant when Jesus snapped the bread into pieces and said, "This is my body…" Later, following the crucifixion, they would know what Jesus was saying. Those who give themselves for the benefit of others are not interested in instant recognition. Their concern is for the long-term benefit of the recipients. And when He said, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out…" all the disciples could do was accept this as one of those esoteric teachings they would have to ask Jesus about later. He had been talking more and more lately about this new covenant, and about some notion of Him being brutalized and killed, then rising from the dead. Notice the contrast: Judas was willing to give someone else up for himself and his plans. Jesus was willing to give himself up for the benefit of others, including Judas, if he would take it. Judas killed to GET. Jesus died to GIVE. Study your prayers to know whether you are one who takes or one who gives. Verse 28 says that the blood that Jesus would shed would be "…for many for the forgiveness of sins." Hands that give belong to those who are quick to forgive. But the hand that takes cannot forgive others-it costs too much of self. Takers often do not understand others' points of view, others' needs. Takers are self-centered and self-serving and their only thoughts are of "MY hurt, MY rights, MY discomfort. Takers soon have no friends, because real friendship demands a two-sided giving. Jesus gave, even to His death on the cross. He suffered as no man has ever suffered, with the full weight of my sins and yours on his shoulders. The ultimate expression of giving from the ultimate GIVER. And He did it for all of us, even the worst takers in the room. Dorothy Sayers wrote in her book, The Man Born To Be King, "God was executed by people painfully like us, in a society very similar to our own ... by a corrupt church, a timid politician, and a fickle proletariat led by professional agitators." Make no mistake, it is our sins, as much as the sins of Judas and the Romans and the Jewish leaders, that drove the Lord to the cross. Even from the cross He prayed for the forgiveness of even His killers - "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34). Romans 5:6-9 (New Living Translation): "When we were utterly helpless Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment." What about Judas? After he committed suicide, did He go to Hell or did he receive the mercy of the Lord? It's one of those questions that always seems to hang in the air when Judas the betrayer is discussed.. He was remorseful (Matthew 27:3). He gave the money back to the chief priests (27:5). They couldn't put the money back into the treasury, so, in a strange irony, they purchased the land where Judas hanged himself and it was renamed field of blood (27:7-9). So, how about it? Did Judas go to heaven or hell? John 17:12 records these words from Jesus as He is praying to the heavenly Father: "…None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction…" He spoke this about Judas. I believe we would have to say that Judas was lost, not saved. Why? NOT because He committed suicide, NOT because He was a sinner and (hold on to your hat here) NOT because He betrayed Jesus. He went to Hell for the same reason any other sinner goes to Hell. He did not accept the forgiveness offered to Him in Jesus Christ. Though he was remorseful, he was not repentant. Though he knew Christ, he did not trust Christ. That's why we can say, safely and biblically, in the same breath, Jesus died for all sinners, including Judas, yet Judas did not receive that redeeming forgiveness. Conclusion The Bible is clear - "There is no one righteous-no, not one" (Romans 3:10) and "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) French essayist Michel de Montaigne said, "There is no man so good, who, were he to submit all his thoughts and actions to the laws, would not deserve hanging ten times in his life." On our own, without the redeeming work of Christ in our behalf, we are utterly without hope. But since Jesus was obedient all the way to death on the cross, we have the way opened for us to eternal life. Among all the sinners in this lost world, it is now true what is written in John 3:18 - "There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God." There is only one sin that can keep you out of heaven, now that Christ has paid for your sins on the cross. That one sin is this: continuing to not trust Christ. That's what Judas did. He refused to trust Jesus and His ways. In his refusal, he went all the way to the sin of betraying the Son of God. But even after this terrible sin, there was forgiveness available to Judas. But he did not accept it. Eternal life with God in Heaven and eternal separation from God in Hell are the two choices Judas, and you and I, face. How will you choose? [To Follow-up your answer: Click Here]   [Back to Top]