Matthew 26:17-30

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 26

The Passover with the Disciples

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 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.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for 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 again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

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

A few weeks ago we started in on Matthew chapter 26, following Jesus’ lengthy Olivet Discourse in chapters 24-25. And it’s in chapter 26 that we reach the beginning of the end. The last three chapters of Matthew’s Gospel deal primarily with Jesus’ death and resurrection. As I mentioned before if you’ve been with us since chapter 16 you might remember that Jesus has been preparing his disciples for this moment all along.

Shortly after Peter famously confessed and identified Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” we were told that Jesus “strictly charged his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ,” then in Matthew 16:21 Matthew records that,

English Standard Version Chapter 16

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

And at first, this is so shocking to the disciples that Peter even took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you,” (v. 22) but we’re told that Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (v. 23) Jesus intended for them to see that this is why he had come, that his suffering and death should not be seen as defeat, but instead at the the very heart of God’s redemptive plan.

However, the disciples wouldn’t understand this until after Jesus’ resurrection. Even after his transfiguration in chapter 17, when his face began to shine like the sun and his clothes became as white as light in front of the very eyes of Peter, James and John, we’re told that when Jesus said that,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

“The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”

that “they were greatly distressed.”

And finally, just before Jesus entered Jerusalem in chapter 20, we’re told in verse 17 that,

English Standard Version Chapter 20

he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

So, in one sense, they knew that Jesus’ end in Jerusalem was to suffer and die, but they still didn’t understand why this must happen, or how his death could be a part of God’s redemptive plan, and how it was central to the mission of the Messiah, because this was not how they had envisioned the circumstances of the Messiah playing out.

The Bronze Arrow

In fact, this past week, my oldest daughter was telling me about a book she’s been reading called The Bronze Bow, which is a fictional novel about an 18 year old boy living at the time of Jesus. The book describes him as having a hatred for the Romans because of their brutality toward the Jews, and the book recalls historical events of only a few generations before him when Judas Maccabeus, a priest, lead a revolt against the ancient Greeks to purify the Temple. And so the book demonstrates how the Jewish concept of their long anticipated Messiah had been shaped this historical figure, that they were seeking a Jewish king who would defeat the Roman Empire.

Which reminds us of how hard it would have been for the disciples to see Jesus’ death as anything more than defeat. How could his death result in triumph? And what did Jesus mean when he said he would be raised on the third day?

But, regardless, Jesus tells them again, a fourth time, here in chapter 26, verse 2, that,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

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

Feast of Unleavened Bread

And so when we reach chapter 26 we reach the end of the line, the time has come for the Son of Man to be delivered up to be crucified, and he’ll be delivered up during the Passover Feast. Which is where we pickup today there in verse 17,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

Now, the Passover was celebrated on one day of the month on the 14th of Nisan. Now, Nisan is the first month in the Jewish calendar (March-April of our modern Gregorian calendar) and it was distinct from the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which began on the 15th of Nisan and ended on the 21st), but as time went on, and by Jesus’ day the two had become, by all intents and purposes, a single festival that spanned approximately 8 days, from at least Nisan 14th to the 21st, so the terms Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread became synonymous with one another in the minds of the people. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was sort of an extension of Passover.

The Passover celebration was, of course, directly attributed to the events of Exodus, when Israel was delivered from their slavery in Egypt, when they were instructed (starting on the 10th day of Nisan) to take a lamb, without blemish, from their flocks, that they would slaughter that lamb on the 14th day of Nisan. Then after sunset (that evening, technically at the beginning of the 15th of Nisan) the Jews would take some of the blood from the lambs and put it on their doorposts and the lintel of their houses. They were instructed to eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Then later that night the Lord would pass through the land of Egypt to strike down all of the firstborn, both man and beast, but for those with the blood over their doors the Lord would pass over them, that no plague would befall them.

Then they’re told that they should remember that day and keep it as a feast to the Lord. In fact, they’re instructed to continue for seven more days to eat only unleavened bread, and this became known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The slaughter of the lamb would represent the acceptable sacrifice necessary to be protected from the judgments of God against Egypt and her false gods. And the unleavened bread was intended to signify the haste that marked the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt, that they left in such a hurry that they didn’t even have time to leaven their dough and let it rise. These two symbols (the Passover lamb and the unleavened bread), together, were meant to remind the Israelite’s that Yahweh had delivered them from their bondage in Egypt.

Therefore, when Matthew says there in verse 17, “now on the first day of Unleavened Bread” he’s not talking about the 15th day of Nisan that Exodus describes as the first day of Unleavened Bread, but rather Matthew’s referring to the both the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread together as a whole, which means he’s probably referring to the 14th of Nisan, or what’s also known as the Day of Preparation, when everyone’s lambs would be slaughtered at the Temple for the Passover meal later that night. By our modern reckoning many scholars believe this would be referring to Thursday in the morning or afternoon. That after sunset at the beginning of the 15th of Nisan that Jesus would be gathered in the upper room to celebrate the passover meal with his disciples, and that on Friday in the afternoon (before sunset) he would be crucified on a cross.

And so early on Thursday, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples ask Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” And Jesus tells them, “Go into the city [that is Jerusalem] to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples are supposed to find this unnamed guy inside the city to prepare for the Passover meal. And you might immediately wonder, how are they supposed to find him? Who is he? Where should they look? Well, we’re told, in both Mark and Luke’s accounts that when they when they go into the city “a man carrying a jar of water will meet [them].” And Jesus tells them, “follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” (Mark 14:13-15)

Now, we don’t know if this an instance of miraculous direction and prompting by the Holy Spirit, or if Jesus just has more friends in the city than we might assume, but all we’re told there in verse 19 is that “the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.”

Betrayal

Then we read continuing there in verse 20,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Now, verses 17-30 boil down to three major components, the first (that we’ve already looked at) is the Passover, that Jesus will be delivered up and crucified during the Passover, the second is betrayal, that Jesus will be delivered into the hands of the Jews and Romans by betrayal, and the third is the institution of the Lord’s Supper, that Jesus is going to be the fulfillment of the Passover Feast and attach to it a new, and deeper meaning.

So, here in verses 20-25 Jesus’ betrayal begins to play out. If you recall back in verses 14-16 we read this,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

We looked more closely at this text a few weeks ago, but in short, Judas is seeking to betray Jesus for a measly 30 pieces of silver, likely equivalent to only 30 days of a laborer’s wages (Matthew 26:14-16). This was in contrast to the alabaster flask of oil worth nearly an entire year’s wages of a typical laborer, that was poured over Jesus’ head back in verses 6-13. To Mary, the woman who did this, there was no limit to Jesus’ value, whereas to Judas, Jesus was merely a means to indulge his own greed.

Betrayed from within

And I want us to think about this for a moment. That Jesus was betrayed from within. Most of us have experienced betrayal on some level, and you know that to be betrayed by those closest to you hurts the most. Those whom you’ve invested the most in, those whom you’ve had close conversations with, whom you’ve cared for deeply, maybe even for many years, all of a sudden have thrown you to the wolves, or abandoned you. The sting of realizing that they didn’t love you like you loved them becomes very real. This was the reality that Jesus faced. Now, you might say, well, Jesus always knew that Judas would betray him, and while that’s true, it’s also true that Jesus was not only truly God, but he was truly man. When Jesus heard that Lazarus had died, we’re told he wept, despite undoubtedly knowing that he would come and raise him from the dead. Moreover, God is not exempt from being grieved by sin, we’re told in Genesis, leading up to the the great flood, that God was grieved that he had made man, because man had become so desperately wicked.

And I point this out for a couple of reasons, first, to help us engage with the text, to feel the gravity of the situation that lead to Jesus’ crucifixion. And secondly, to remember that Jesus can sympathize with our own pain, with the pain that betrayal causes. Before we even reach chapter 27 Peter will deny him before men, and after his crucifixion we’re told that his closest disciples deserted him. Jesus understands what it means to be forsaken. In fact, Jesus would eventually experience a level of abandonment at the cross that none of us will ever truly fathom. This was evident when he quoted Psalm 22 and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Now, this didn’t mean that the Trinity was somehow torn asunder, or divided, but only that it was descriptive of the abandonment Jesus felt as he bore the wrath of God for the sins of his people. So I want us to see that even now, at the beginning of chapter 26, with his disciples in the upper room Jesus’ passion has begun, one of his own intends to betray him.

Yet, while the circumstances of his betrayal are real and tangible, it doesn’t mean this has happened to him accidentally or without a purpose, as though God were at the mercy of wicked men and the devil. First, Jesus is completely aware of Judas’ intentions. Verse 21 says,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me.

Jesus’ point is that the one who will betray him will be someone close to him, someone who shares in their fellowship. And as they go around the table asking “Is it I, Lord?” we read in verse 25,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

In other words, Jesus answers him in such as way to tell Judas that he knows what he’s about to do, yet with enough ambiguity that the other disciples won’t pickup on it.

Then, second, look at what he says in verse 24,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

So, first, Jesus knows who will betray him, and second, the Son of Man goes as it is written of him. In other words, Jesus is not subject to the wicked and fickle whims of men or the devil, but like Joseph and the wicked intentions of his brothers when they sold him into slavery, what they meant for evil God intended for good. This is what theologians like to call the doctrine of concurrence. That while men may intend one end, God intends another. And this is how God exerts his sovereign providence (or governance) over all creation, how God fulfills his plan in every detail, while our human choices remain truly our own. It’s why humans are truly responsible for their sin while God can ordain all that comes to pass, even the wicked actions of men. And this is seen most clearly in the death of the Son of God. This is why Peter could say in his sermon in Acts 2:22-23,

Acts 2:22–23 ESV

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

And it’s also how Jesus can say there in verse 24, that,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

And, finally, the last component of our text today is verses 26-30,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 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.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for 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 again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

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

Now, the significance of this text is probably greater than we realize, largely because we hear it so often, and we’re prone read it without studying it or meditating upon its significance.

So the first point we need to keep in mind, is that the Passover finds its fulfillment in Christ. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:7,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

That the purpose of the Passover, which was intended to commemorate Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, finds is ultimate fulfillment in Christ, that he’s the true meaning of Passover. That while the Israelites were protected from God’s judgement against Egypt by the blood of lambs, so the blood of Christ protects us from God’s future judgment against sin. That Jesus is our Passover lamb, that he has been sacrificed on our behalf, that his blood has been poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Just as Israel was enslaved to Egypt and set free by God’s great power and outstretched arm, so did Christ set us free from from our bondage of sin. As it’s often quoted in John 8:34,

John 8:34 (ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

but

English Standard Version Chapter 8

if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

So, at first, we must understand that Jesus is the fulfillment of Passover, that the Passover foreshadowed God’s ultimate aim of redemption in the ministry of his Son. That Israel would understand it’s need for a savior, not merely from their own enemies, but from the consequences of their own sin, that there was one who was necessary to atone for their sin, to shield them from the righteous judgement of God.

Symbols New Meaning

And we see this fulfillment portrayed more clearly as Jesus attributes more meaning to the symbols at Passover. When he takes the bread, and after blessing it, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples, he says, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Luke adds, that Jesus said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” So, not only is there a purpose in Jesus laying down his life, his own body, but he intends for his disciples to eat, for those at his table to share in the benefits of his death. To share in what will result in their own redemption.

Then in like manner, Jesus 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.” Jesus’ death, and the shedding of his own blood would result in the forgiveness of sin, their sin, and of sin of everyone who participates at his table and drinks of this cup. The bread and the wine signify his body and blood that are given as a sacrifice, and our eating and drinking signify our participation and fellowship with him, not that we somehow participate in accomplishing our own salvation but that we are partaking of the bread of life.

The New Covenant

And what’s more, notice the covenant language in verses 27 and 28,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

So as Jesus institutes this new ordinance, this new practice, and attributes new meaning to the bread and the wine, he also establishes the new covenant. And this is huge, because for so long the prophets had spoken of a new and better covenant, we read in Jeremiah 31:31-34,

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

and it’s at this point that Jesus establishes that new covenant. And just like the covenants of the OT it’s ratified with the blood of a sacrifice, but not with the blood of bulls, or of goats, but by his own body and blood, the perfect lamb of God, who has come to take away the sin of the world.

And as a result of this new covenant, we witness the birth of a new covenant community, the birth of the Church, a body that is not a mixed body of believing and unbelieving ethnic Israelites, but of the true Israel of God, where it’s members are not merely circumcised of the flesh but of the heart, and where it’s members worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

Conclusion

Then Jesus says in verse 29,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

29 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.”

In other words, he tells his disciples that his death is only temporary, that his death will not be the end of their fellowship, and that when he returns to consummate his kingdom that he will drink again with them in his Father’s kingdom, at the great marriage supper of the Lamb.

So, despite what appears to be impending defeat as Jesus prepares himself for the cross, the disciples have much to rejoice about. That this isn’t the end, but rather the beginning. And I think its important that we’re reminded of that the very same thing, that we have a risen savior who is ruling and reigning on his throne in heaven, that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, that we’re told that Yahweh said to him, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

Sang the Psalms

Now, at the conclusion of the Passover meal it was customary to sing the Pslams, which is probably why we read there in verse 30 that,

English Standard Version Chapter 26

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

Prayer