Hi there, I'm just reading from Matthew chapter 26 verses 1 to 30.
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,
You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in a palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
But they said, Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster flask of a very expensive ointment,
and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste?
For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.
But Jesus, aware of this, said to him, Why do you trouble this woman?
For she has done a beautiful thing to me.
For you always will have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,
what she has done will also be told in memory of her.
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,
What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
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?
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.
And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.
And as they were eating, he said,
Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.
And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him, one after another,
Is it I, Lord?
He answered, He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me.
The Son of Man goes as it is written of him,
But woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.
Judas, who would betray him, answered,
Is it I, Rabbi?
He said to him, You have said so.
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.
And he 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.
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.
And then they had sung a hymn,
They, sorry, and when they had sung a hymn,
They went out to the Mount of Olives.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Will you pray with me as we come to God's word?
Lord, so many people have interpretations of your death,
But you here in your word tell us what your death is really all about.
And so I pray that your spirit would give us minds that understand you,
So that we might,
We might know salvation ourselves,
And know how to teach it to others.
And I pray, Lord, that through your word,
You would go through our minds and grip our hearts.
And I pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, imagine you're walking into your HSC exam,
And a few of you here in this room don't have to imagine too hard for that.
But you're nervous, but prepared.
Your schooling has been preparing for this moment.
You feel, whether it's true or not,
You feel like your future is on the line.
The supervisor announces,
You can start.
You turn the page over.
And the ancient history question
Isn't what you studied for,
Or what the teachers even taught you.
It's on Julius Caesar,
When you're expecting Augustus Caesar,
You've got the wrong king.
How on earth did that happen this week?
You probably heard of the nine schools that taught the wrong Caesar.
There's no time to go back and do it again.
That panic.
That must have been traumatic.
Doesn't your heart just go out for those students?
It's just, that's traumatic.
That's nothing compared to the final examination we've been hearing about for four weeks.
All of us will appear before the judgment seat.
When, 25-31,
When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
And all the angels with him,
Then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Before him will be gathered all the nations.
There's only two outcomes we've been hearing for four weeks.
Come,
You who are blessed by my Father,
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Depart from me,
You cursed,
Into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
We've all got to face that face.
As C.S. Lewis puts it,
I've already said this two weeks ago,
In the end,
That face,
Which is the delight or the terror of the universe,
Must be turned upon each of us.
Either with one expression or with the other.
Either conferring glory,
Inexpressible when he welcomes you,
Or inflicting shame that can never be cured.
We've heard so many parables about being ready for that final day.
We heard about being spiritually alert,
Knowing that he could come like a thief in the night.
We are to be faithful with authority and responsibility,
Knowing we've got to give an account to our master.
We've got to take steps to endure for the long term,
Like the women who bring oil in their lamps.
They're ready to endure for the long term.
We looked at the servants who are busy advancing their master's assets.
They want to advance the kingdom,
Looking for his pleasure in the end.
And we see sheep who identify with other brothers and sisters,
Almost unselfconsciously,
In their need,
We just want to meet our brothers and sisters in their need.
We've heard all this,
But who of us can survive that great examination?
Who of us can enter that day,
Before such pure glory of the Son of Man,
And be confident.
Have I really done enough to live up to these things?
Matthew's Gospel quickly moves from that great final day,
To chapter 26,
Verses 1 and 2,
Another day.
When Jesus had finished all these sayings,
He said to his disciples,
You know that after two days,
The Passover is coming.
And the Son of Man,
The Son of Man,
Will be delivered up to be crucified.
The judge will be judged and crucified at Passover.
We better understand Passover.
That great final day depends on this Passover day,
2,000 years ago.
So, I just want to take us through this passage.
I think we're going to see two main things.
One is,
He chose to die at Passover.
He chose it,
Willingly.
And then we'll spend time looking at the meaning of his death,
In the light of Passover.
So, verses 1 to 25 of chapter 26.
If I give you just a bit of insight into our fortnightly elders meetings,
Adam sets the agenda.
We don't vote.
We aim for unanimous decisions.
And we record action items.
Profound stuff, I know.
The divinely appointed elders,
chief priests and high priests,
representing the covenant people of God,
had one agenda item,
one action item,
and they're unanimous.
They plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him,
just not at Passover.
They tried to publicly discredit him in chapter 22,
asking their toughest questions,
you remember.
But then,
he publicly discredits them as hypocrites.
They try to arrest him.
They fail.
We are at Passover.
Masses of crowds are coming,
and there was a Jewish expectation that the Messiah would reveal himself at Passover.
Messiah hopes it is at fever pitch.
They are right to be afraid of a riot,
because Jesus has ridden in on a donkey.
So let's do it after Passover.
But the Son of Man overrules them.
No,
I will die at Passover.
And then the spark that ignited and hurried the leaders' plans seems to be this meal.
This meal around the dinner table from verse 6.
They're at a meal in Bethany.
It's just outside of Jerusalem.
And mid-meal, a woman who,
John's Gospel tells us,
is Mary,
the mother of,
the mother,
the brother of Lazarus.
She honours Jesus in front of them all.
She takes this expensive ointment,
probably nard from India,
and pours it on his head.
Now, the emphasis in all the Gospels is the cost.
A year's wages.
What would you spend a year's wages on?
I've got my own things,
I'm not going to tell you.
What would you spend a year's wages on?
She just pours it on his head.
For this momentary,
filling the room with fragrance.
We all know the feeling.
You've had the feeling.
We've all had the feeling.
When someone spends money on something,
you're just like,
that is not valuable.
I think of the thousands and thousands of dollars
spent on flowers at weddings
that I heard someone spent on.
Sorry, Alyssa,
I know you've got a flower business.
I love flowers,
but this was just next level.
I just put it on a house deposit.
What do you...
Now, maybe I don't value flowers enough.
All for flowers.
This was like tens of thousands of dollars.
We've all had that feeling.
Now, my mind goes to material things,
like house deposit.
They've got more righteous indignation here.
The poor.
Imagine the suffering around Jerusalem.
The homeless.
The hungry.
The sick.
For what?
Honor him some other way.
Judas was probably the spokesperson,
if we're merging accounts with John's gospel.
But he's representing all of them.
What a waste.
They're having a go at her,
that she did the wrong thing,
and Jesus steps in and rebukes them.
She's done a beautiful thing to me.
They fail to see the unique person
and the unique moment that's happening here.
He's implying a very high claim.
I am worthy of this wasteful,
lavish expense and love.
I'm worthy of it.
And the moment,
this moment in history is unique.
Whether Mary knew it or not,
maybe she did.
Maybe she actually was listening to Jesus.
And the Spirit gave her insight.
She has done it to prepare me for burial.
He knows he's going to die at Passover.
And this is what provokes Judas.
Judas, this moment,
provokes Judas to betray him.
And I just pause to just reflect
on the terrible power of the love of money.
He was with the Son of God for three years,
seeing his miracles,
hearing his teaching wash over him.
day in and day out.
And the love of money blinded him
to see truth and beauty and value.
He goes to the chief priests
to trade him in for 30 pieces of silver,
which is just,
it's not even a good price.
It's the price for
Exodus, I think it's chapter 21,
it's the price for a slave
that's being killed accidentally.
They don't even agree on a high price.
And Judas goes,
I'm benefiting from this.
That's the power of the love of money.
Isn't that scary?
I know traces of it in my own heart.
This opportunity Judas brings to the chief priests
seems to be too good to be passed up.
They were going to do it after Passover,
but this is a great opportunity.
And then Jesus doesn't wait for Judas to act.
He forces his hand.
You're going to betray me tonight.
He doesn't just wait for Judas to act.
They're sitting down for the Passover meal
and he drops the bombshell.
Truly I say to you,
one of you will betray me.
Now they probably all shared the bowl,
dipped their hand into the bowl.
They probably all shared it
and so they didn't know who he was talking about.
He's forcing Judas' hand to act then and there.
He's choosing to die at Passover.
Passover.
We're confronted here, I think,
with how it can be God's plan
and Judas' plan
and the elders' leader's plan at the same time.
I'm not going to solve
how sovereignty and human free will
merge together here in a few seconds,
but I found Proverbs 16.9
a helpful way to think about it.
In a man's heart,
in a person's heart,
he plans his course,
but the Lord determines his every step.
Judas' thoughts and desires and will are his.
He's responsible.
The leaders who want to kill him,
their thoughts and desires and will are theirs.
They're responsible.
But Jesus is in charge here.
The Lord determines our every step.
Scripture affirms both.
Son of man will go as it is written of him.
Jesus is choosing how he dies
while at the same time fully responsible.
Judas wants a handful of cash.
The Lord is using that to redeem his people.
Now, I'm not claiming to solve the mystery of that,
but there is so much comfort in that.
One of the most despicable acts in history,
maybe the worst, I don't know,
a close friend kissing,
kissing the son of man,
knowing it's leading to his murder.
One of the most evil acts in history,
God is using for the greatest salvation of his people.
There's so much comfort in this.
He's no helpless victim.
I think all these passages are just,
I think the main thing we should be seeing here,
he's no helpless victim.
He's choosing the Passover to die.
Verse 17,
the disciples were asked,
where should we prepare the Passover?
Verse 18,
Jesus says,
here's where you prepare the Passover.
Verse 19,
the disciples prepared the Passover.
Do you get the picture?
Passover.
We've got to be thinking Passover.
Matthew, Mark and Luke
all put the Lord's Supper with the Passover.
John's Gospel places his death
at the time that the lambs for Passover
were being slaughtered.
And he sees relevance in the fact
that not one of his bones are broken
like an unblemished lamb.
We've got to see his death
in light of Passover.
And he's voluntarily choosing to die then.
So let's turn to that.
Verses 26 to 29,
what is the meaning of his death
in light of Passover?
Passover means three main things.
Substitution,
set free from a powerful enemy,
covenant fellowship.
Let's look at these three things.
Passover was at the heart of Jewish identity.
They changed the whole calendar year
to start the year at Passover.
This is the beating heart of Judaism.
So we're probably about mid-afternoon on Thursday
when lambs were taken to the temple court
and the priests would sacrifice the lambs.
Just picture how much blood is happening on this day.
I know the kids' talk was intense,
but this is intense.
This is a blood-filled day.
Brought to the altar.
And the blood is poured in the altar
for the forgiveness of sins
and fat burned as an offering.
Then at sunset,
they meet in households
and the head of the household
would preside over the meal
and a boy usually would ask the question,
what does all this mean?
And the head of the household
would explain what it means
as they're singing psalms
together throughout this.
There's three basic elements.
The unleavened bread,
they had four cups of wine.
Now, it's not a slosh.
They watered it down with water.
So four cups of wine
symbolizing four promises in Exodus.
And then, of course,
there's the lamb,
the roasted lamb.
In this meal,
each of these elements are symbolic.
That's how the meal operated.
It was symbolic.
Remembering that great day
back in Egypt.
So taking the unleavened bread,
they expected Jesus to say,
this is the bread...
I'll try that again.
This is the bread of our affliction,
which our fathers ate
in the land of Egypt.
But he doesn't.
He turns it about himself.
This is my body.
Now, his body was holding this bread.
Passover was symbolic.
The Lord's Supper is symbolic,
but there's great power in the symbol.
Now, you probably know the story well.
They were under a powerful enemy.
Life was bitter.
Bondage.
Darkness.
Death.
Nine plagues.
This enemy
will not let them go.
He has no intention
of letting them go.
Nine plagues
don't do it.
It's this tenth plague
that does it.
Their salvation
wasn't automatic.
They had
to take that lamb
and paint
that
doorpost
and take shelter
under that blood.
God made a promise
when he would come
through Egypt
to strike down
the firstborn.
When I see the blood,
I will pass
over you
and no plague
will befall you
to destroy you
when I strike
the land of Egypt.
In every household
there is death,
either
the son
or
in every Hebrew household
the lamb.
Substitution.
In the face
of God's judgment,
when I see
the blood,
I will pass
over you.
That boy
in every household
could look at that lamb
as they are eating it together.
You died
instead of me.
The bread
and the juice
that we're going to share
in the Lord's Supper today
is violent.
It is violent symbols.
The bread
broken
is body
broken
so that you
are made whole.
It should be
your body
broken.
It should be
mine.
But it's
substitute
for you.
Blood
poured
out
for many.
It's violent.
So the first thing
Passover means
is he's our
substitute.
In the face
of God's judgment,
when I see
the blood,
I will pass
over you.
The second thing
Passover means
is we're set
free
from a powerful
enemy.
Now for
the Israelites,
that enemy
was Pharaoh.
He had no
intention of
letting them
go.
But the
Passover
ransomed them,
set them
free.
That's what
triggers the
exodus.
They're free.
They're freedom.
I think this
one is hard
to feel
the weight
of if
we don't
understand
what we're
enslaved to
because we
are so free
in this
country.
Don't we
have so many
freedoms?
Some parts
of the world,
the political
rule is
bitter and
oppressive,
and I'm
sure I
don't have
to convince
you,
life is
full of
very bitter
things
sometimes.
I feel
like we're
going through
some of it
as a church
family.
But
enslaved,
what are we
enslaved to?
even the
millionaire
eating ice
cream on
Nobby's
beach with
his children
is
enslaved,
Scripture
said.
I think we
see it in
Judas.
He would
trade in
God an
eternal
life for
a handful
of cash
and call
it gain.
Wow.
How many
people trade
in Jesus
for this
boy or
this girl
who they
think are
going to
fill their
soul?
whatever
ambition you
and I
have,
whether it's
sport or
even our
family,
our career,
people trade
in Jesus
all the
time.
There's so
many ideas
and views
of the world
and things
we think are
critical to
our life
that keep
drawing us
away from
Jesus and
the love of
God in
Jesus.
There is a
powerful enemy
at work.
I think we
see it in the
chief priests
and the
elders.
They're confident
they are good
people.
I find it
scary the
level of
blindness they
can have
that they
don't see
God in the
face of
Jesus.
There can
be darkened
minds in
churches
today,
eating and
drinking the
Lord's
Supper,
perhaps simply
because they've
done it all
their lives,
or perhaps
because they
see in the
ritual itself
some sort
of dose
of God's
blessing.
It's just
going through
the motions.
They don't
get Passover.
It hasn't
hit their
heart.
It hasn't
taken over
their life
yet.
Even Judas
ate the
Lord's
Supper.
There is a
powerful
spiritual
bondage.
Anyone who
sins is a
slave of
sin,
Jesus says.
Satan
blinds the
mind so
that people
don't see
the beauty
of Christ.
There is
no way to
free yourself
from the
power of
Satan and
sin.
There's no
way.
They're too
strong for
you and
me.
But
Passover
does.
Passover
sets us
free.
These
enemies have
no desire
to let us
go.
But
Passover
sets us
free.
Now,
it's not
free from
all sin.
The
freedom looks
like struggling
against sin.
Once we
were just
going along
with it,
we were
fine with
it.
Now you're
in the
fight.
Now you're
struggling.
That's the
sign of your
freedom.
You're
fighting.
You hate
it.
It's still
present.
The sin,
but you're
fighting now.
That's the
sign of
freedom.
The power
of Passover
and Jesus'
death is
that you
can look at
that.
Whatever sin
you've
committed this
week and
you feel so
ashamed,
you can
look at it
and you
know Jesus
looks at it
and there's
no condemnation.
condemnation.
There's no
condemnation for
those in
Christ Jesus.
You can
know you
will be
finally free
from it
one day.
You've
got no
power over
me.
God's
love for
me does
not change.
I don't
belong to
this sin
anymore.
He
redeemed.
I belong
to him.
That's the
power of
the cross.
We can
look at the
things that
cause us
shame and
say that.
Passover
means
substitution.
It means
freedom from
powerful enemies
of Satan
and sin.
The third
thing that
Passover
meant was
it created
the covenant.
It led to
the covenant
at Sinai.
It created
the nation
of Israel.
They're once
slaves, now
they're the
nation.
They're the
covenant
community.
Verse 28,
for this
is my
blood of
the covenant
which is
poured out
for many
for the
forgiveness
of sins.
This
picks up
Exodus 24
verse 8
where Moses
is sprinkling
the people.
He's read
out the
law,
Ten
Commandments
and the
law,
the book
of the
covenant.
He's
sprinkling
the people
with blood.
So Moses
took the
blood and
threw it on
the people
and said,
behold the
blood of
the covenant
that the
Lord has
made with
you in
accordance
with these
words.
And the
people said,
all that
the Lord
has spoken
we will
do and
we will
be obedient.
The contract
is signed
in blood.
But notice
here the
disciples are
not asked
to respond
to Jesus's,
Jesus I'm
going to die
for you.
They're not
asked to
respond with
pledges of
allegiance.
What we're
going to see
next week is
they all
fail that
night.
they all
fail.
This
new covenant
is unilateral.
It is
one way.
Have you
made lofty
promises of
faithfulness to
God?
I'm going to
change this
week.
I'm going to
be different.
if you do
this big
thing for
me, I'm
going to
change my
life.
Haven't we
all made
those sorts
of lofty
promises?
We don't
keep them.
I don't
know, maybe
you, I'm
guessing you
haven't if
your heart is
anything like
mine.
This covenant
is one way.
It's sworn in
his blood.
God.
Because this
covenant is
based on
better promise.
If you dig
down, what is
at the basis
of your
relationship with
God?
If you dig
right down,
what's at the
basis?
Why this?
What's at the
bottom?
You're not
going to find
yourself.
You're not
going to find
your devotion.
You're not
going to find
your faithfulness.
You won't
find you at
all.
You'll find
his blood.
God, in
this promise,
I will
remember
their sins
no more.
The Passover
means we're
in covenant
fellowship with
God and
with one
another.
We are the
people of
God.
We're the
redeemed
people of
God.
That's what
the Jews are
celebrating.
I suspect
many of
us at
times, and
maybe all
the time,
feel a bit
on the
outer of
church
sometimes.
Maybe
because you've
been here
just a short
time.
Maybe
because you've
been a
Christian a
short time.
You feel
just slightly
on the
outer.
Maybe
because you're
not the
majority
ethnic group,
Anglo-Saxon.
You might
just feel
slightly on the
outer.
Maybe
because you
know the
feelings of
guilt and
shame.
If anyone
found out,
what would
they think
of me
here?
And you
feel slightly
on the
outer.
We compare
ourselves like
I'm not as
useful as
that person.
And you
feel slightly
on the
outer.
The Lord's
Supper says
we are
in fellowship.
We are a
covenant
community.
There is
no one
on the
outer.
That
category
doesn't
exist.
We are
in covenant
fellowship
with God
and with
one another
because it's
in his
blood.
It's got
nothing to
do with
us.
When we
eat the
Lord's
Supper,
people call
it the
Lord's
Table.
We're
meant to
know we're
fellowshipping
with God.
It's
holy
communion.
We have
communion
with God
as his
redeemed
people.
And
therefore,
some people
call it,
I know we
don't,
the
Eucharist.
Thanksgiving.
Now, I
don't want to
call it the
Eucharist for
lots of
baggage there,
but the
word itself,
Thanksgiving.
Because we're the
people of God,
we're the
redeemed people
of God.
Listen to an
ancient Jew
talking about
Passover.
He brought
us out from
bondage to
freedom,
from sorrow to
gladness,
and from
mourning to
a festival
day,
and from
darkness to
great light,
and from
servitude to
redemption.
So let us
say before
him,
hallelujah.
This is a
joyful
meal.
And we're
looking forward
to that full
expression of
communion in
that promise
in verse
29.
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.
I think we
get a glimpse
of that future
day, even
that meal at
Bethany.
It's at
Simon the
leper's house.
Now, he
must have been
restored.
There's no way
that they would
be sitting
around a
dinner table
sharing a
meal with
the Son of
God, and
he's fully
made whole
again.
I think that's
what we're
looking forward
to.
We're lounging
around with
the Son of
God together,
having a
meal.
It's a
substitution
set free from
a powerful
enemy, and
we are in
fellowship
with the
covenant
redeemed
people of
God.
Well, how
can we
survive that
great day
of examination
when we'll
face him on
the last
day?
It's got
nothing to
do with
us.
It's that
day past
when the
Son of
Man is
our
Passover.
I don't
know if
you've
heard of
the
Great
Awakening.
I'm not
even going
to guess
a century
because I
got Spurgeon's
century wrong,
so I'm
very nervous
now.
The Great
Awakening
where there
was just
mass revival
in America
and the
UK.
Before that
began,
one night
John and
Charles Wesley
were reading
Galatians,
the book of
Galatians,
with another
man called
William Holland.
And they're
reading Martin
Luther's
commentary and
he had a
preface to
the book of
Galatians and
here's what
Martin Luther
wrote.
What?
Have we
then nothing
to do?
know
nothing.
Only to
accept of
him who
of God
is made
unto us
our
wisdom,
righteousness,
sanctification
and redemption.
And
William Holland
said,
and at
those words
there came
over me
such a
power that
I cannot
well describe.
My great
burden fell
off in an
instant.
My heart
was so
filled with
peace and
love I
burst into
tears.
I almost
thought I
saw my
saviour.
My
companions
perceiving me
so affected
fell on
their knees
and prayed
and then
afterwards when
I went into
the street I
could scarcely
feel the
ground I
trot upon.
What have
we nothing
to do?
No,
nothing.
One person
said all
you need
is need.
All you
need is
nothing.
But most
people don't
have it.
They want
to bring
something.
You can
starve in
the presence
of a meal.
You need
to take
it and
eat it.
But it's
not the
taking and
eating that
contributes
anything.
It's
what it
represents at
Passover.
It's
filling your
heart.
have we
then nothing
to do?
No,
nothing.
Because the
Son of
Man died
at Passover.
He's our
substitute.
When I
see the
blood I'll
pass over
you.
We're set
free from
Satan and
sin and
we'll finally
be free of
their presence
one day.
And we
are the
covenant
fellowship
people of
God.
God
Jesus'
death
divides the
world and
I think we
see that
division in
Judas and
this woman
and Mary.
Judas,
he sees
nothing in
it and he
agrees to
trade him
in for a
very low
price.
Mary,
she sees
the unique
person and
the unique
event and
she voluntarily
joyfully
pours out
everything
because he
poured out
everything for
her.
That's our
response,
thankfulness.
We can be
ready for that
final day
simply because
he died at
Passover.
So let's
just pour out
our lives
and loving
him in
return.
And
love him