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Dinner and Deceit (Matthew 26:17-25)

First Baptist Church https://fbcbartow.org

“Dinner and Deceit”

(Matthew 26:17-25)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Purpose [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

October 11, 2020

The Passage

Matthew 26:17-25

17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

18 “Go into the city to a certain man,” he said, “and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am celebrating the Passover at your place with my disciples.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, he was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

22 Deeply distressed, each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

23 He replied, “The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl—he will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

25 Judas, his betrayer, replied, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” “You have said it,” he told him.

Introductory Comments:

We are continuing our study in the Gospel of Matthew. Here we are, picking it back up, in Matthew 26. We’re learning about the conspiracy against and betrayal of Jesus. 

You may remember from last week that Judas had met with the Jewish leaders to see what he might gain from betraying Jesus. 

Now, Judas is dining with Jesus and the other disciples as they prepare to celebrate the Passover. This is what we’ll dive into today. 

Before we go any further, let’s pray together.

(prayer)

When my wife and I were dating I took her to a mystery dinner show. Many different clues were presented throughout the show and we were able to enjoy a meal and enjoy mystery at the same time. 

In today’s passage, the disciples are getting ready to enjoy a dinner with their master, teacher, lord, and Messiah. We’ll see that this is not just any other dinner. At this dinner, there is mystery and suspense. 

As we study this passage, we will identify two moments that happen before a soon coming monumental event. 

First, let’s identify . . . 

I. The moment before the Passover. (vv. 17-19) [on screen]

Let us look at the passage to see what is happening with our Lord and His disciples. Look at Matthew 26:17-19.

17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

18 “Go into the city to a certain man,” he said, “and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am celebrating the Passover at your place with my disciples.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

First of all, we learn that the timing of this gathering is associated with two events, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover. Well, which one is it? Actually, it’s both. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a festival of about seven days which took place around the same time as Passover; it was part of the Passover festivities. So, Jesus and His disciples assemble on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was probably the day before Passover to gather for a meal. More than likely, after sundown, the Passover meal could be taken in celebration of the Passover. 

Again, we see this event where Jesus tells His disciples to go into the city and tell someone that they are to do a specific thing for Jesus. 

Remember, this happened with Jesus and the donkey’s colt as He rode into Jerusalem at the Triumphal Entry back in Matthew 21. 


Jesus could have supernaturally arranged all of this to happen, or He could have coordinated this ahead of time. Perhaps this “certain man” Jesus spoke of was someone who accepted Jesus as Messiah and he would be more than glad to accommodate this request. We don’t know all of the details, but we know that it all worked out because, ultimately, it was part of God’s plan. 

Verse 19 is so powerful. Don’t miss it. Look at it again: 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

The disciples were preparing the Passover meal for them to commemorate the Passover from the Old Testament. However, God was preparing a different kind of Passover; a much better Passover. 

In order to understand the implications of this work by Jesus, we must travel back in time a bit and remember what the Passover was all about. 

Exodus 12 tells us all about the original Passover. It says,

3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they must each select an animal of the flock according to their fathers’ families, one animal per family . . . 5 You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. 7 They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them. 8 They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roasted over the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs . . . 12 “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 “This day is to be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it throughout your generations as a permanent statute. [on screen]

So, in Exodus 12, way back before these vents in Matthew 26, we learn about the final plague that will come against those living in Egypt, where God’s people are held as slaves. God instructs Moses as to how the people will escape death and be rescued from slavery. After this final plague, the people will be allowed to leave Egypt. The Israelites are to mark their homes with the blood of a lamb and the angel of death would pass over. It may have looked something like this [show picture on screen] God kept His word and every house that was marked by blood was spared by God and rescued by God. 

So, every year since that, the Jewish people celebrated God’s Passover, as they were spared from death and slavery. 

Well, we spoke about this last week a bit, but let’s pause here and catch the obvious parallels between the original Passover in Egypt, and the new Passover that is about to take place in Jerusalem. 

Jesus is about to be killed as the perfect Lamb without blemish, meaning He was perfectly perfect. After He was killed and His blood was spilled, God’s people would have access to freedom and rescue. As the blood of the lamb marked the people of God for the angel of death to pass over in Exodus, so also, the blood of Jesus would mark God’s people who would be passed over by the curse of sin and death!


Church, we must see and understand these beautiful connections. Jesus is the unblemished Passover Lamb.

Preparations are being made for the Passover meal with Jesus and His disciples, and preparations are being made for the ultimate Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, who would be crucified for our sins. 

Catch also that Jesus says in verse 18, “My time is near.” Jesus has continually said in the book of Matthew, “My time has not yet come.” Now, He says, “My time is near.” Jesus’ time is about to come. This is the moment before the Passover. 

Second, let’s identify . . . 

II. The moment before the betrayal. (vv. 20-25) [on screen]

We know that a betrayal is coming. Judas has already asked the religious leaders if they will pay him to betray Jesus. A deal has been made. We’re aware of this because of last week’s passage. This week’s passage makes clear that Jesus is aware of this as well. Let’s look at verses 20-25. 

20 When evening came, he was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

22 Deeply distressed, each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

23 He replied, “The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl—he will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

25 Judas, his betrayer, replied, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” “You have said it,” he told him.

The time has come for Jesus and His disciples to celebrate the Passover meal. 

The Scriptures say they were “reclining at the table” because they would have been sitting on the floor at a low table sharing a meal together. 

Celebrating the Passover meal was a time of memorial to remember the work of God when He spared the Jewish people from death and slavery. It was a special time, sort of like a Christmas or Easter meal would be for us. 

During the middle of this meal, Jesus drops these words that changed the entire atmosphere of the meal: “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”


You talk about something that will change the vibe in the room! Jesus shares this information and it shakes everything up, so much so that each of the disciples starts to wonder if he is the one who will betray Jesus. Verse 22 says, “Deeply distressed, each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

I can imagine the fear inside each of them, knowing that they have enough residue of sin in their lives that they could very easily be the one who would betray Jesus. Yet, they know they love Jesus and have devoted themselves to Him. They hope beyond hope that they are not the one who will betray their Lord. 


Yet, Judas knows, doesn’t he? Judas has already made the deal with the Jewish leaders. Soon, Judas will betray Jesus, Jesus will stand trial, Jesus will be handed over to Pilate, Jesus will be mocked, Jesus will be beaten, Jesus will be crucified, and Jesus will die. 

In this moment before the betrayal, everything pauses as the disciples wrestle with this news that Jesus delivers. 

Jesus only gives this bit of information as to who the betrayer is: He says in verse 23, “The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl—he will betray me.”

Now, there could be two different ways to take this. Perhaps Judas was about to dip his hand into the bowl with Jesus to get some food to eat. Perhaps that was the indication that Jesus knew that it was Judas. 

Or, perhaps Jesus didn’t want to reveal exactly who it was. You see, at that time many dinners were served in community bowls from which everyone ate. Many Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean meals are still served this way today. Here’s an example of how it might look today. [show picture on screen] All the disciples would eat from the bowl. This would cause them all to further consider if they were the ones who would betray Jesus. We know that in the end, they would all abandon Jesus in one way or another. 

In any case, Jesus doesn’t come right out and say that Judas is the one. 

We see in verse 25, that Judas himself raises the question as to whether or not he is the betrayer. He says to Jesus, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”

Notice that Judas does not call him “Lord.” Rather, he calls him “rabbi” meaning teacher

Judas knows that he is the one, but he doesn’t want to admit that he’s the one. 


However, Jesus reveals that he knows that Judas is the one. This is where we see the deity of Jesus on display. He knows what’s going on. Whether it’s a public declaration or a private whisper, we’re not sure, but Jesus responds, “You have said it.” This basically means something along the lines of, “You’re the one who said it, not me.”

Well, what does this mean for Judas? If you read ahead a bit when you get home you can discover Judas’ fate, but Jesus is pretty clear about it here. He says in verse 24, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

God’s plans would not be stopped. Jesus would be crucified, He will rise from the dead, and He will reign as King. It will go just as it is written. 


However, even though God used Judas’ sin to accomplish part of the plan, Judas would still face judgment for his sin and it will be terrible. It would be better for him if he had not been born. 

This is the moment before the betrayal. 

Concluding Thoughts:

The moments before the crucifixion of Jesus were solemn, yet significant moments. They were intense, yet important. They were necessary ingredients in the plan of God. Additionally, these moments help shine light on why we needed Jesus in the first place. 


This takes us to our bottom line for today:

Bottom Line: That moment at the Passover demonstrates why we need the Ultimate Passover. [on screen]

(repeat)

We need the blood of a lamb to mark us for freedom from death and slavery. We need the blood of Jesus because without Him we are like Judas. We have betrayed God, yet He loved us so much that He sent the Ultimate Passover Lamb to shed His blood for our rescue!

The Passover in Egypt was a miraculous event celebrated for thousands of years, yet its effect was limited because it was a one-time event. The Ultimate Passover event at the cross was the most monumental event of human history and it will continue to change lives for the entire future of the world as we know it. 


Remember the betrayal and remember the Ultimate Passover.

Challenge yourself this week to live out the teachings of this passage in the following ways:

Weekly Challenge: [on screen]

1. Ask why we needed a betrayer. [on screen]

Why was it necessary that Jesus would suffer? Why was it necessary that He was betrayed? Why couldn’t God just make everything better?

Challenge yourself by wrestling with that question this week. 

2. Ask what keeps you from being the betrayer. [on screen]

All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Well, what keeps us from sinning more and more? What keeps us from being like Judas?

It’s only by God’s grace, the blood of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit of God that we remain faithful. 


Wrestle with this question in your own life this week.

3. Ask how things are different because of the betrayal. [on screen]

What did God do through these moments? How is our world different because of the events that happened in the book of Matthew?

Sit down this week and ponder these thoughts. 

Closing:

These disciples were sharing a meal with Jesus during His last days on the earth. The Bible teaches that after our last days on this earth, there will be another meal in heaven, shared with Jesus. Those who have faithfully followed Him will share that meal with Jesus in paradise. Those who have betrayed Jesus and His ways will be separated from Him forever. 

Where will you be? Are you faithfully following Jesus?

(Gospel presentation)

(closing prayer)

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