Matthew 26:1-5

Matthew 26:1-5

And when it became that Jesus finished all these words, He said to His disciples, “You all have known that after two days the Passover becomes and the Son of Man in being handed over in order to be crucified.”  At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered together in the palace of the high priest, who is called Caiaphas.  And they plotted in order that they should seize and kill Jesus by treachery.  And they were saying, “Not in the feast, in order that a riot should not become in the people.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

What a dark and ominous way to begin the reading for today!  Matthew 25 is one of the most challenging passages of scripture, and then we hear Jesus say these words.  Matthew wants these words to be the capstone of Matthew 25.  We know this because he specifically connects Matthew 25 to these words by saying, “after Jesus finished these words.”  Here is Matthew’s point.  After hearing about the slaves with the talents, the wise virgins with the foolish virgins, and the sheep with the goats it is easy to lapse into an attitude that is very much woe is me.  It is easy to lapse into a downward spiral of emotion.  It is easy to slip into questioning and doubt and fear.  So Jesus gives us this reminder.  He is willing going to the cross in order to be crucified.  He is going to be the sheep that is slaughtered – the true Passover Lamb.  When we think we have it tough, we need to remember that Jesus willingly walked into His death.  But we also should remember that He did it for us.  When we are consumed with self-doubt and worry about our future, we need to remember to place our faith and our trust in the one who willingly embrace death and punishment for our sake.  In Him alone is there refuge.

Why is the crucifixion of Christ important enough to always keep it in our mindset?  How does the cross conquer fear?  How does it conquer doubt?  How does it conquer inaction?  How does it conquer anything that stands between us and God’s will?

Second Thought:

Once more we see the motivation of the religious elite.  They need to arrest Jesus is a way that doesn’t cause a riot among the people.  Why is this important?  We know that the Roman government was fed up with the Jews.  The Jews had uprising after uprising.  Judea was a difficult province to control.  Rome had threatened that if there were any more serious incursions that they would sent a huge force and decimate the whole region – something that we know happens in AD 70 when Jerusalem is sacked and the temple is torn down.  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day know that Rome can make good on its threats and they like their lifestyle the way it is.  Therefore, in order to preserve their own lifestyle, they need to handle their Jesus issue delicately.  Once more we see the religious leaders not concerned with righteousness but about preserving their own lifestyle.  It is telling to say the least.

Why do we as human beings feel such a pull to preserve our own lifestyle?  When can this be a good thing?  When can this be a serious detriment?  Do you think it is a help or a hindrance more often?

Third Thought:

Of course, we know that they plot treacherously in order to preserve their way of life.  What is interesting is that many of the mainline Bibles translate the Greek word “dolos” (δόλος) in verse 4 as “stealth.”  This isn’t necessarily wrong, as treachery usually involves stealth.  But the word truthfully means “to deceive using trickery and falsehood.”  The religious leaders are being more than just stealthy.  They are being treacherous.  They are deceiving people.  They are tricking them.  They are being false and misrepresenting truth.  This is usually the root of decisions that “preserve our lifestyle” in an ungodly way.  When we care more about avoiding change than we care about following God, we often end up walking through “dolos” at some level.  The only way to avoid necessary change is through a lie, which leads to all kinds of bad places.

Where have you lied to yourself to keep from changing who you are?  In what way has God asked you to change and rather than crucify your life you’ve desired to keep it the same?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 26:6-13