“Conspiracy Against the Divine”
(Matthew 26:1-16)
Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
October 4, 2020
The Passage
Matthew 26:1-16
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him. 5 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.”
6 While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. 12 By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14 Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. 16 And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
Introductory Comments:
Well, we are turning a corner today in the book of Matthew. We have concluded the Olivet Discourse and we are now approaching the plot against, betrayal of, arrest of, and crucifixion of Jesus.
Jesus came into the world as a miracle child. Angels accompanied Him at His birth and people received Him as a king. John the Baptizer would boldly proclaim of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The disciples followed Him believing Him to be the conquering king Messiah who would rescue Israel. The people welcomed Him as He came into Jerusalem and they proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Yet, after all of that, a group of religious leaders would plot to arrest Him, one of those closest to Him would betray Him, the people of Jerusalem would shout “Crucify Him,” and His disciples would abandon Him.
These are the events that begin to unfold in Matthew 26. Let us now pause in prayer and ask God to speak to us as we journey into this crucial section of Matthew’s Gospel. Join me now in a spirit of prayer.
(prayer)
Many detailed plans have been made when it comes to the killing of people of notoriety. There is still quite a bit of mystery surrounding the killing of President John F. Kennedy. Regarding President Abraham Lincoln, the original plans were to kidnap the president. Those plans were later changed to assassinate not only President Lincoln but also the vice president and the secretary of state. Those plans did not play out in full either, although President Lincoln was tragically killed.
Well, we see in this passage, the unfolding of the conspiracy against the divine. In Matthew 26, plans are being made to kill the Son of God. As with some other famous conspiracies to commit murder, this plan did not pan out exactly how the conspirators planned it. However, it did happen exactly as God planned it.
In Matthew 26, we will reflect upon three elements of the last days of Jesus, which point us to God’s plan for why Jesus came to the earth.
Let us now look at the first of these elements, . . .
I. The treacherous plan (vv. 1-5) [on screen]
Let us turn our attention to verses 1-5 of Matthew 26. We’ll look at these verses and seek to discover what God is teaching us.
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him. 5 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.”
First, notice that Matthew says, “When Jesus had finished saying all these things . . .” What things? Well, that is, when Jesus had finished speaking on the Mount of Olives. When He had finished the Olivet Discourse, He shifted to speaking to His disciples in private about what is to come.
He says to them that He will be handed over and He will be crucified.
This is not the first time Jesus told them that. He’s told them several times that He would suffer and be killed. Now, He’s underscoring that truth again.
Notice, also, how specific Jesus is: He says that it will happen during the Passover. There is so much beautiful irony found in this fact. The Passover festival celebrated when God spared the people of Israel from slavery and death in Egypt by the sacrifice of a lamb. Well, in Matthew 26, God is about to bring rescue from spiritual death and spiritual slavery through the sacrifice of the ultimate Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ.
No one can see how everything is coming together except for Jesus. He knows this must happen, so He again alerts His disciples to this.
The chief priests and the elders had plans of their own. They gathered at the home of Caiaphas, the high priest “. . . and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him.”
They had had enough of Jesus making them look foolish. They had had enough of Jesus not fitting into their box. They had had enough of Jesus not fulfilling their expectations of whom the Messiah should be, so they treacherously plotted against Him.
These men were supposed to be God’s representatives to the people. They were supposed to bring the people closer to God. Instead, they are planning to kill the Son of God. They are rejecting God. They are leading the people away from God.
Listen to what theologian R. C. Sproul said of this moment in his commentary on this passage: “These were not mafia chieftains gathered in a manor house in New Jersey. These were the most consecrated men of the Jews, chief priests, scribes, and elders, and even the reigning high priest, Caiaphas, in whose palace they met. These supposedly godly leaders came together for one purpose—to find a way to trap Jesus so that they might execute Him and be rid of Him once and for all.” What a terrible tragedy.
Catch this, also: the priests intentionally planned not to arrest Jesus during the Passover festival because they didn’t want to cause too much of a stir. They didn’t want to upset the Roman rulers in the area by causing a commotion. We come to realize that they were more concerned with angering the Romans than they were with angering God.
However, when did Jesus say He would be crucified? During the Passover. The priests and elders had a plan, but God had His own plan. Whose plan do you think would be accomplished? (God’s) You better believe it!
So, we have the treacherous plan.
Second, we are invited to witness . . .
II. The sacrificial anointing (vv. 6-13) [on screen]
In the midst of all of the craziness that is going on, Matthew goes back in time just a bit to reveal to us something that has already happened before the plot to kill Jesus took place. I believe that Matthew does so intentionally to create a contrast of sorts. Sandwiched between the conspiracy against Jesus and the betrayal of Jesus is this beautiful anointing of Jesus.
Let’s look at this special passage. Look at verses 6-13.
6 While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. 12 By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
We learned from these verses that Jesus was at the house of someone named Simon the leper. Now, more than likely, Simon was no longer a leper because we see that he was hosting a get-together. He may very well have been healed by Jesus at some point.
We learn from the other Gospel accounts that this lady is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She approached Jesus with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on His head.
First of all, alabaster was a desirable material, sort of like marble, that was used for special moments like this. This is an alabaster box here (show box). This special jar would have contained this very valuable perfume that we learn elsewhere was worth about a year’s wages. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t spend a lot on my cologne. I’m an Old Spice man, which costs about $11 at any grocery store. However, this woman had very valuable perfume and used it to anoint Jesus.
Second, we notice that the disciples apparently thought that this was a waste of something that was very valuable. Now, again, the other Gospel accounts shed more light on this story and we learn that Judas Iscariot was the one who instigated this idea of it being a waste. However, the other disciples obviously agreed.
Third, Jesus corrects the disciples and says that it is, indeed, good and right that Mary has done this. In fact, He says that she will be remembered for her work of honoring Jesus.
Finally, we learn that Jesus says in verse 12 that she is preparing His body for burial. This fact accomplishes two things: first, it reminds the disciples once again that Jesus is going to die; second, it points to the fact that it will not be possible to anoint Jesus’ body after His death. Typically, after someone died their body would later be anointed for burial after some time had passed. Well, that wasn’t possible with Jesus because His body wasn’t in the grave very long! Jesus is giving us a glimpse of this future reality now.
So, what truths can we glean from this point?
First, don’t be like the disciples were in this passage. Don’t be so focused on earthly needs that you forget about the glories of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we can get so focused on doing things, often good things like helping the poor, that we forget that our ultimate devotion should be to Jesus! Jesus is greater than everything! He’s greater than ministry to the poor, He’s greater than taking the Gospel to the unconverted of the world, He’s greater than a sanctuary renovation, He’s greater than First Baptist Church Bartow, He’s greater than the Southern Baptist Convention, He’s greater than prayer walking 1,000 homes, He’s greater than a food pantry ministry, He’s greater than taking care of the orphan and the widow, He’s greater than Operation Christmas Child, He is the greatest! We must never forget that!
Second, never value anything over Jesus. You could give everything that you have for the glory of Jesus and it would still not be too much of a sacrifice! He is worth infinitely more than the collective value of everything in this world! Nothing spent on Jesus is ever a waste!
Like Jesus said, we remember Mary for her sacrificial devotion to Jesus. Let her anointing of Him be an encouragement to you that you also may sacrificially devote yourself to Jesus and His glories.
So, we see the sacrificial anointing.
The final element we see is . . .
III. The willing betrayal (vv. 14-16) [on screen]
It was bad enough that the religious leaders were conspiring against Jesus. However, it gets worse. We learn in verse 14 that one of Jesus’ own disciples, one of the Twelve, was also conspiring against Jesus. He was planning to willingly betray Jesus.
Let’s read about it. Look at verses 14-16.
14 Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. 16 And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
Now, we all know that Judas Iscariot was a betrayer. Imagine, though, if you didn’t know all about the evil man that he would turn out to be. Take a moment to let the weight of this act sink in. Jesus is nearing the end of His life, He has done nothing but serve and teach others, He is pointing people to God, He has taken a unique interest in twelve particular men and He is pouring Himself into them, then one of those men willingly chooses to betray Him. He looks for a good opportunity to betray Jesus. How tragic.
No one had to twist Judas’ arm to get him to betray Jesus. He went to the chief priests to inquire how he could betray Jesus and how much money he would make out of the betrayal.
Notice, if you will, the contrasts between Judas and Mary, who anointed Jesus with the perfume:
Mary humbled herself towards Jesus; Judas sought to pit himself against Jesus.
Mary was willing to give up a whole year’s wages to honor Jesus; Judas was willing to forsake and betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Mary’s actions would honor Jesus; Judas’ actions would humiliate Jesus (at least in the short-term).
Here’s an obvious, but important piece of advice we must grasp, church: be like Mary, not like Judas. Seek to humbly honor Jesus, not proudly fight for yourself. Submit yourself to Jesus and His plans, don’t fight against Jesus and His plans.
Judas willingly betrayed Jesus and it would lead to Judas’ downfall, as we learn later in the Bible.
Do you know what else it led to: the accomplishment of God’s plan for Jesus.
Concluding Thoughts:
As tragic as this passage is, it was clearly part of God’s plan.
That leads to our bottom line for today:
Bottom Line: Conspiracy against the Son of God was a tragic ingredient in the plan of God. [on screen]
(repeat)
These events that happened in Matthew 26:1-16, and the events that follow, are both tragic and providential. These men committed heinous acts, yet they were part of God’s plan to appease the necessary requirement of the payment of death for the curse of sin. Someone has to pay the death penalty for sin against God. Jesus would pay that penalty and then He would put sin to death through His resurrection.
Jesus would endure this evil for a time so that one day He could put evil to death forever.
Praise God for His plan and for His grace shown to sinners like us.
Challenge yourself this week to walk away from this sermon committed to taking the following steps:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Treasure the plan of God. [on screen]
Have you thanked God lately for what He’s done throughout the scope of human history? Have you thanked Him for Creation? Have you thanked Him that He didn’t abandon mankind when mankind abandoned Him? Have you thanked Him for His plan of redemption? Have you thanked Him for the work of Jesus?
2. Treasure the Lamb of God. [on screen]
Do you seek to honor Jesus like Mary did? Do you seek to carry out your own plan rather than Jesus’ plan, like the chief priests and Judas did?
Get on your knees, or take a moment and bow your head, or lift your hands and sing, and treasure Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
3. Treasure the plan of God. [on screen]
Since you know that God has proven Himself faithful throughout the history of our world, since you know that God has shown you great love through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, trust Him for the plans for your life and in this world moving forward.
You can trust God. Submit to Him and treasure the plans that He has for you.
Treasure the call to holiness, treasure the call to selflessness, treasure the call to generosity, treasure to call to forgiveness, treasure the call to tell others about Him, treasure the call to be a faithful church member, treasure the call to be a spouse led by grace, treasure the call to be a devoted parent, treasure the call to put others ahead of yourself, treasure the call to patience, treasure the call to love, treasure the call to trust Him even if you don’t what tomorrow holds.
The treasure the plan of God in your life.
Closing:
Do you treasure the plan of God? Do you treasure the Lamb of God?
Did you know that without Jesus, we are all like the chief priests and Judas? We are all condemned in our sin apart from the forgiveness found in Jesus.
So, have you been changed by Jesus? Are you devoted to Jesus like Mary was?
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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