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The Beginning of the Passion
Matthew 26:1-16
On Ash Wednesday, February 25th, Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ will appear in theaters. It will be a graphic representation of is called “the Passion.” What is “the Passion?”
In 390-405 A.D, Jerome was given the task of translating the Bible from its original languages into Latin, and his incredible work is called the Vulgate. One of the words he translated from the Greek was
pascho He translated it as passio in Latin—that is where we get the term “Passion.” Therefore, we find in some of today’s English translations (like the King James Version and Revised Standard Version) a reference in Acts 1:3 to Christ’s “passion”—in the tradition of the Latin.
The Greek word pascho literally means “suffering,” and Acts 1:3 speaks of the suffering which Christ endured in the final days of his life up to his death. Modern English translations (NASB, NIV, NRSV) replaced “passion” with “suffering,” which is the usual translation of the underlying Greek.
Our study for February through April will be Matthew’s account of the Passion of the Christ. It starts today in Matthew, chapter 26 and will culminate at the end of chapter 27 on Good Friday. Also, Lord willing, we will continue through the final chapter of Matthew so that we fully understand Easter as well!
To tell the truth, I’m not sure I’m looking forward to Gibson’s movie. As the producer of this film, he has said that it is a realistic depiction of the sufferings of the Christ. Most of us have watched churches put on “Passion Plays.” And as bad as the acting and props may have been, I have never been able to watch any depiction of Christ being beaten, mocked and finally nailed upon the cross without brushing the tears from my eyes! I realize, as I watch the sinless One on the cross—bleeding with a crown of thorns upon his head—that it is my sin that sent Him there. He willingly dies for my sin—and I am brought to tears at both the
horror of that thought, and the beauty of that thought. For Jesus purposed to die that way. He made it happen. He willingly laid down His life for me!
So, as highly anticipated as this movie may be, I am apprehensive. I know that I may not want to watch some parts of it—but I am going to force myself to do so. For if we do not look intently at the Passion of the Christ, we ignore the very climax of the story in all four of the gospels! It is this moment that all four gospels make the center piece, the culmination of everything else, the pinnacle of the story of the Christ. We must look at this head-on, and not avoid it. As people go to theaters this month, they will come face to face with the gruesome reality of what Jesus Christ did.
Thus, it’s my intention to look at how Matthew tells this amazing true story, starting today. It all starts in Matthew 26. And it starts out with a study in contrasts.
On one hand, we have a woman who shows that she understands who Jesus really is, and acts accordingly. On the other hand, we have everyone else—all on a wide continuum of missing the point about Jesus: We have those who don’t understand the worth of having Jesus among them; we have one person who is out to get all he can out of his relationship with Jesus and when it becomes apparent that this will be a dead-end, seeks to get something, no matter how little, out of it; and we have those who so miss the point that they actually seek to kill Jesus. All of these people are in stark contrast to a single woman who shows that she understands how valuable Jesus is.
Leave it to a woman!
By the way, one of the many reasons I am convinced of the historicity of the Gospel accounts is that it is the
women that are raised up to such prominence throughout. It is a woman here who outshines the
disciples! It will be a woman, not the cowering disciples, who will discover the empty tomb! If the biblical stories were fabricated in the context of that 1st Century Near Eastern milieu, we would expect the men disciples to be the heroes. We would expect that these men would be lifted up as the ones who understand and do what’s really important (after all, they are the ones that are the “apostles!” They are the ones that are writing the Bible!) But these are actual historical accounts, and the embarrassment (in that time and place) of women outshining the men had to be told, for it was the bold, honest, truth!
Let’s look at the opening section of the Passion of the Christ:
1. Jesus purposes to be crucified (Matthew
26:1-5)
The Passion of the Christ starts with Jesus’ announcement that it was going to happen.
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,
“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
(Matthew 26:1-5)
Notice that Jesus tells his disciples what is going to happen. This is the fourth time in Matthew (the first three are in 16:21, 17:22-23, and 20:18-19) that Jesus predicts that he is going to be killed on the cross. He is purposely heading toward his death, and nobody is going to stop it. He wants to be killed on the Passover, for there is deep spiritual symbolism in that—the ultimate sacrificial Lamb of God (Jesus) will be killed on the day when sacrificial lambs are traditionally killed as atonement for sin.
Jesus says that He intends to be crucified…
“Then,” we are told in verse 3, the corrupt religious leaders of the day plotted and conspired to kill Jesus in some stealth way (notice, it was not the “Jews” that plotted to kill Jesus, but the corrupt religious Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day. This is not anti-Semitism, as it has been caricatured by some people).
The key is this: Jesus says, “I’m going to be handed over and killed,” and then in the very next sentence, the people who will do what Jesus says they will do conspire to do so! That’s no coincidence!
And no matter how much power these men had, they were no match for Jesus. They rightfully did not want to do this during the Feast of Passover, when so many people are around that it could cause a riot. But Jesus’ purpose could not be thwarted. Something is about to happen that will change their tune, and it is exactly what Jesus wants. Jesus will indeed die on the Passover, even against the will of those who plotted to kill him. Who is in control here? It is clear that Jesus is even in control of the evil plots of Judas and the chief priests. He overrides even their plan to delay his death!
As he proclaimed in John—
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep…No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”
(John 10:13-14, 18)
Be clear on this: Jesus did not die on the cross as a helpless victim. He did it as the voluntary Passover sacrifice. Being God-in-the-flesh, He had the authority to lay down His own life. He was not subject to the whim of the chief priests, of Judas, of Herod, of Pontius Pilate—on the contrary, they were at His whim every step of the way!
2. The Woman Rightly Understands the Value of Jesus
(vv.
6-13)
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13)
In those days, some people used alabaster jars, semi-transparent and resembling marble, to store expensive ointments so that the valuable perfume would not evaporate. This was Nard, according to John’s account, a costly perfume from India—so expensive that it might have been an heirloom passed from one generation to the next.
We read in John’s account that it was worth “three hundred denarii” (NASB) or the equivalent of “a year’s wages” (NIV). So, the disciples are shocked! Led by Judas (as we learn from John’s account), they call this extravagant gesture by this woman “a waste!” The disciples reason,
Hey! This jar of expensive perfume could have been sold and given to the poor!
At least they have been listening to Jesus’ major concern for the poor in his teachings! But they are missing the point of what this woman was doing!
In contrast to the disciples’ assessment of the extravagant act, Jesus says that the woman has done a “beautiful thing.” Why?
Jesus says, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me."
Some misrepresent what Jesus says here for their own political or selfish reasons. Maybe you’ve heard somebody say this:
Since Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you,” we should not make the poor a priority.
The poor are thus seen as second-class citizens who are in their situation because of their own fault. It’s reasoned that nothing can be done to stop people from being poor
(that’s what Jesus said, right?). Therefore, we can righteously spend money on other things instead of caring for the poor.
But wait a minute! Let me show you what Jesus is saying! He is quoting from His Bible! It is a direct quote from
Deuteronomy 15:11, the law of how God’s People are supposed to live—God says to us,
“There will always be some among you who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor.”
This is exactly the opposite of what people have twisted Jesus into saying!
Like I said, at least the disciples understood Jesus’ heart for the poor! They have been with him for three years, and have actually witnessed his compassion for the poor and downtrodden, the weak and the oppressed. They remember his very first words, when he started out his ministry—
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
So, the issue is not that Jesus has no regard for the poor. There is something more profound going on here. It’s there in the text of Matthew 26:11.
“The poor you will always have with you,
but you will not always have me.”
Jesus is saying to these people—Listen! I am going to be leaving you. I am on my way to crucifixion. This woman understands that this is a unique opportunity to be with me, for you will not always have me. This time is drawing to a close. In fact, she may not even know it, but this perfume represents my preparation for the grave! What she has done is so beautiful and right-on-the-mark that she will always be remembered for it.
Jesus is saying to his disciples that they will always find poor people to help, but they will
not always have the incarnate God with them! Here is the King of the Universe, the everlasting God, the Son of the Living God, the Great Redeemer, the Lover of their souls—right there in the room with them! And they were not valuing that like they should! They were missing the weight of the moment!
And, amazingly, Jesus (the one who is “gentle and humble in heart” according to Matthew 11:29) makes it clear that he believes he
deserves this extravagant outpouring of love and expense! Jesus understood that the greatest blessing he could give anybody was to allow them to worship Him—for He is God. He knows that
He alone is the quencher of our thirst for spiritual reality.
The Psalmist asks,
"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?" (Psalm 42:1-2)
And Jesus answers,
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37)
The point is this: Here is Jesus, the source of joy and satisfaction, the very heart of meaning and purpose in life, the very God incarnate sitting in the room. The woman recognizes this—and to show the incredible value of such an event, she takes out her most treasured possession, the heirloom alabaster flask of perfume, and she pours it over the One who is the of utmost value to her—Jesus Christ!
Her act is in contrast to the disciples, and especially with Judas.
3. The Contrast in Value for Jesus
(vv.
14-16)
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16)
Judas goes to the religious leaders to find out what he can get for handing Jesus over to them. In the Apostle John’s account, we read that Judas was the most vocal of the disciples about what he felt was a waste with that perfume. And John gives us insight into Judas’ true motives:
“He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
(John 12:6)
Judas was the treasurer for Jesus’ ministry. And as such, he got certain “perks!” But Judas is catching on to something that the other disciples have not yet fully grasped: Jesus is not going to be the powerful political force that Judas was hoping for. This Jesus will not be a big money-making enterprise for Judas after all! Judas hears and understands Jesus’ purpose—not to rule in power (with Judas by his side, raking in the financial proceeds of such a coo). No, Judas rightly understood Jesus’
words—he actually intends to die!
So, in an attempt to still get something out of what has turned out in his mind to be nothing, he goes to the chief priests and asks, “How much?” They count out a measly 30 silver coins…the paltry price that the law (according to Exodus 21:32) says is to be paid as compensation if your bull gores somebody’s slave. To the chief priests and Judas, Jesus’ worth is equal to that of a dead slave.
What a contrast! Whereas the woman poured perfume of such extravagant worth on Jesus, the religious leaders paid Judas an extremely measly amount for Jesus.
It is all a matter of worth. How much do we value Jesus?
So the big question that this passage raises for each of us is this: With whom in the story do
I identify myself? Do I follow Jesus only for what I can get out of him? Or do I truly value Jesus for who He is?
I got into a deep spiritual conversation with a young man a few weeks ago about this. He had been taught in his church that Jesus is all about giving us prosperity and good health. He has become convinced that Christianity mainly about what we get out of it. I tried to get him out of that deception the best I could. Jesus certainly wants to bless us; He promises to answer our prayers; He wants us to know that in his presence are incredible blessings.
But the blessing that we seek as Christians is not what we can get out of
Jesus, but actually being with Jesus! As the Psalmist says of the person who worships God,
"You have endowed him with eternal blessings.
You have given him the joy of being in your presence." (Psalm 21:6)
The blessing is in the joy of being in His presence! The woman with the perfume understood that! She realized what a precious moment she had—here was the great King of Kings, God incarnate, the lover of her soul, right there in her presence…
She had to do something! She had to worship him! She had to love him! She had to show it in some way that matched the worth of the moment! She was filled with the “joy of being in God’s presence!”
But for Judas, it was not about Jesus, it was about himself. His thoughts were, What can I get out of this relationship with Jesus? Once he realized that this relationship was leading to suffering and death, he bagged out. And not only that, on his way out, he tried to get just a little bit more out of his relationship with Jesus—30 silver coins.
Judas was looking out for “Number One.” As with Judas, Number One in most of our lives remains ourselves.
I am at the center of my universe. I worship me. I serve me. When I have that attitude, I am Judas all over again.
But the center of the woman’s universe was Jesus. She worshipped Jesus. She served
Jesus. Number One in her world was Jesus.
And what a difference that made. The woman was filled with the joy of being in the presence of God. Judas was so filled with anguish for his sin that he ended up committing suicide.
Contrasts. Stark contrasts!
Today, we have a choice, each one of us…It is the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.
What does God say is for our best? It is when we seek to love and serve and glorify with extravagance this Jesus Christ. And
we will find TRUE joy in that! We realize that we are most satisfied when Jesus Christ is most glorified!
That is where we belong! In the joy of valuing that which is of the most extreme value!
And letting that valuing of Jesus shape and mold who we are.
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