Matthew 26 Devotional & Commentary – Lessons from the Passion0

Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Steve Plouffe, Gracepoint Berkeley

Who or what does Jesus turn to as “he began to be sorrowful and troubled”?  What lesson does this have for me?

Jesus was completely vulnerable. He was overwhelmed with sorrow, for not only was he about to die an excruciating death, but he fully knew that his Father would forsake him. Here is Jesus, the Savior and source of salvation for all, and yet he is troubled and in anguish. And in his moment of trouble, he turns to his disciples, with whom he has shared every moment of the last three years; in his moment of weakness, he turns to his human relationships to sustain him. This is an important lesson for me. Often it can be easy to get caught up in life and ministry and to just focus on what I need to do. But even in his own ministry, Jesus teaches an important lesson about the value and role of relationships.

Ministry and service to God is important, but it is by no means the most important. Above all, God cares about our relationship with him and with the church, and it is through ministry and through relating to others that he wants to shape us and to open our eyes to see ourselves in the way that he sees us. This is what the Pharisees got confused; they were the most righteous people on earth – they memorized their Bible verses, they prayed daily, and they had long devotion times – but through it all, they neglected what really mattered. Sometimes I have the mentality that ministry is work, and that fellowship is the equivalent of taking a break. But Jesus offers a different view – these relationships need to be strong so that they can become the source of strength and encouragement as we approach ministry, and we cannot do ministry without this relational foundation. In his moment of anguish, even Jesus needed to rely on his relationships to sustain him to the cross. Rather than being a Pharisee and getting caught up in the motions, I need to prioritize my relationships more, taking advantage of any down-time I might have to try to connect with those around me. Often, during car rides to and from events, I will just think about what happened or what I need to do next. Rather, I need to seize those opportunities as times to connect with those around me. I need to be much more intentional about how I use and invest my time and not be so accomplishment-oriented about checking off all the boxes. Relationships aren’t about how much I can do or perform. I need to recognize that the goal is relationships and that ministry is a way to accomplish that goal, rather than the goal itself.

Also, while I may think that I can handle my life and ministry now, the reality is that I’ll never know what will come next (though if I feel I can handle it, it’s most likely because I’m being selfish with my time). I have a tendency to depend on myself, but the truth is that I’ll never know how I will be stretched next, and it is those times when I am being stretched that I will have to rely on those relationships to sustain me. When the time comes, it will be too late to try to go back and build all those relationships up from the foundation. I need to take the time I have now to build those foundations so that when the trials come, I have something I can fall back and rely on for strength.

Finally, seeing the anguish that Jesus endured is a good reminder of how seriously I need to take my own sins. If Jesus took my own sins this seriously, enduring such pain and anguish on account of me, then I cannot afford to have such a cavalier attitude about my own sins. Too often I will think that he was able to die on the cross because he is Jesus – he had some divine power that enabled him to do it, but as for me, I’m just human. I’ll tell myself that Jesus was able to remain sinless because he is God, but it isn’t possible for me because I’m just human. While this is true, this doesn’t excuse me for my sins – regardless of everything else, I am still held to God’s holy standard, and the fact that I am not Jesus doesn’t make my sins weigh any less. And if Jesus was willing to endure the cross for my sake, then I too need to approach my purity and sin issues just as seriously.

Given the disciples’ shock at the news that one of them would betray Jesus, what must have Judas been good at doing in his relationship with the rest of the disciples?

The disciples had been with Jesus for three years, and they had gone through a lot together. They were close, and so when Jesus warned them that one of the them would betray him, they were all surprised, so surprised that they even began questioning themselves. This element of surprise and uncertainty demonstrates just how much Judas was able to keep his true intentions hidden from the rest of the disciples. Judas was good at holding up masks to hide what he really thought and what he really planned.

Ultimately, I am held accountable for myself and I am held accountable for my brothers – I am my brother’s keeper. The first warning that comes from this is that I need to be careful to confess to God. I need to make sure that he knows my secret thoughts and intentions. When I have doubts or questions or fears, I need to address them with my Lord. However, the second warning is that I need to be much more deliberate in my relationships with my brothers. As the body, we are called to hold each other accountable lest we be tempted to sin. I need to be much more loving and concerned and involved with what my brothers are going through, rather than just assuming that everything is going alright. Yet regardless of how involved the disciples may have been, Judas was able to deceive them. Thus the warning goes both ways – I need to be just as open. I need to fight my pride and my desire to make it seem as if I have it all together and just be humble and vulnerable; I need to be just as open about what I am struggling with. Too often our sharing comes every other week at prayer meeting, when those times should be a time to update what we already know. I need to take greater ownership over them and make a greater effort to get to know what’s going on in their lives and more open and humble about what I am going through. And hopefully it is in this way that we can grow in our relationships and really learn how to sustain each other and be a source of strength for one another.

Matthew 26:6-13

• Contrast the evaluation of this woman’s actions by Jesus and His disciples.  Where does this difference spring from?
• Is there some way in which I consider the time and resources I am giving for Christ “wasteful”?
• How does the woman with the alabaster jar challenge my view of what is beautiful?  How can I live a more beautiful life?

Matthew 26:36-39

“Jesus does not ask them to pray but to watch. As he grievously anticipates his looming death, his overwhelming sorrow reveals a heart broken almost to the point of death itself, because he knows that he will experience his Father’s forsakenness (cf. 27:46). This reveals the depth of Jesus’ human relationships he feels is necessary to sustain him in his time of greatest need. It may be difficult to grasp that the Son of God had such needs, but to do so gives us a more adequate understanding of his incarnation.”[1]

• Who or what does Jesus turn to as “he began to be sorrowful and troubled”?  What lesson does this have for me?
• Reflect on the fact that Jesus was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”  What does this say regarding Jesus’ humility and vulnerability?  How does this passage make clear the extent of Jesus’ suffering on my behalf?
• What does Jesus’ prayer in v. 39 say regarding the absolute necessity of the cross?  What does this say regarding my sin and the need for the cross?
• Are there difficult situations in my life where I need to pray, “Yet not as I will, but as you will”?
• In what ways is it reassuring that Jesus focuses on the triumph of the resurrection, and looks forward to the reunion in Galilee even though he has just told the disciples that they will all “fall away” that night?

Matthew 26:50-55

“With a touch of sad irony Jesus says, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’  The designation ‘friend’ (hetairos) is found three times in Matthew.  The preceding two times Jesus used it in parables to address a person who abused a privileged relationship (20:13; 22:12). Here Judas has violated the most privileged relationship with Jesus Messiah […] Judas manipulates friends and enemies to advance his goals, but within the deception Jesus maintains control of his own destiny to reconcile friends and enemies to God and to each other.”[2]

• What lessons about God’s heart for sinners can I learn from Jesus’ response to Judas?
• Given what Jesus says in v. 53, what is so amazing about Jesus’ actions here?  What can I learn about the heart of God toward my salvation?
• How is Jesus able to be so composed in the face of his impending arrest, in contrast to everyone around him?  What do I need to do in order to develop the strength of character that Jesus displays here?

Additional Questions:

Judas

Matthew 26:14-16

“Judas, therefore, sold Jesus for less than five pounds.  If avarice was the cause of his act of treachery, it is the most terrible example in history of the depths which love of money can reach…

It may be that Judas was [a zealot], and that he had looked on Jesus as the divinely sent leader, who…could lead the great rebellion.  He may have seen that Jesus had deliberately taken another way, the way that led to a cross…Judas may have hated Jesus because he was not the Christ he wished him to be.

He may have thought that Jesus was proceeding far too slowly; and he may have wished for nothing else than to force his hand.  He may have betrayed Jesus with the intention of compelling him to act.

…the tragedy of Judas is that he refused to accept Jesus as he was and tried to make him what he wanted him to be.  It is not Jesus who can be changed by us, but we who must be changed by Jesus.  We can never use him for our purposes; we must submit to be used for his.  The tragedy of Judas is that of a man who thought he knew better than God.”^[3]

• How does Judas’ response to Jesus illustrate the nature of sin?  How does Judas’ question “What are you willing to give me” illustrate the nature of sin?
• In what areas of my life do I have an attitude of Judas?  In what ways do I get frustrated at God’s ways, or think that I know better than God?

Matthew 26:20-23

“Jesus has anticipated the betrayal and even warned the disciples on their journey to Jerusalem that he will be betrayed (20:18; cf. John 6:71; 12:4), but his prediction of the treacherous act at the meal apparently comes as a surprise to all. Hence, they ‘are very sad’ or distressed. They do not expect a betrayal to come out of their tight-knit group that has experienced so much together for the last three years. Yet the disciples are now fully aware that Jesus has an understanding of events beyond their comprehension. He knows more about them than even they know themselves. So one after another they ask, yet hesitantly declare, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ This question expects a negative answer, but they do not speak confidently.”[4]

• Think about the effect of Jesus’ announcement “one of you will betray me” on this group of people who were such a tight-knit group for three years.  What is God saying to me about the Judas-like tendencies within me?
• Given the disciples’ shock at the news that one of them would betray Jesus, what must have Judas been good at doing in his relationship with the rest of the disciples?
• Why is betrayal so sad?
  • What can I learn about Jesus’ heart toward Judas from the fact that he refrained from naming Judas as the betrayer in front of the other disciples?
    • What opportunity did this give Judas?

Matthew 26:24-25

• What answer must Judas have been expecting as he asked the question, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”
• What does this reveal about his view of the success of his secrecy about his conversation with the high priests?
• Are there ways in which I believe that my secret thoughts and the condition of my heart are unknown to Jesus?

Matthew 26:47-49

“A kiss is a token of allegiance and friendship.  But Judas, when he broke all the laws of love and duty, profaned this sacred sign to serve his purpose.”[5]

• What is doubly tragic about the way Judas betrayed Jesus?
• How could Judas’ heart have gotten to the state it was in to be able to betray Jesus with a kiss?
• In what ways might I be feigning loyalty to Jesus while actually betraying him?

PETER & THE DISCIPLES

Matthew 26:31-38

“Earlier Jesus predicted that one of the Twelve would betray him; now he implies that all of them will lack courage. The expression ‘fall away on account of me’ (cf. 11:6; 13:57) indicates that there will come that night an extreme test of their loyalty to him as their Master. They will not cease being his disciples, but they will fail the test of courage to stand up for him. This lack will later be dealt with as they become the courageous foundation of the church, but their strengthening comes through failure.”[6]

• In what ways did Peter & the disciples underestimate the challenges of following Christ?
• Are there ways in which I am like Peter in overestimating myself and dismissing warnings?
• What lesson is there about the role of prayer in facing challenges required for costly obedience and how does Jesus demonstrate this?

Matthew 26:40-46

• Think about Peter’s inability to keep watch despite Jesus’ warning that he will fall away (cf. Matt 26:31).  What can I learn from this picture of Peter “sleeping” during the time when he should have kept “watch and [prayed],” especially right after his confident declaration, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (cf. Matt 26:35)?
• Contrast this picture of Peter to the picture of Jesus anguishing in prayer.  Do I understand the struggle in prayer that’s required for costly obedience?
• What is amazing about Jesus telling Peter to “watch and pray so that [he] will not fall into temptation”?

Matthew 26:57-58

• Reflect on the phrases “followed him at a distance” and “sat down with the guards to see the outcome.”  How is this a picture of discipleship in trouble?
• Given the fact that Peter later denies Jesus completely, what warning does this passage have for me?

Matthew 26:74-75

• Why did Peter weep bitterly?  What might Peter have realized about himself and about Jesus when he heard the rooster crow?
• What did Peter remember, and how did this lead him to repent?  What implication does this have about the role of God’s word in my life?
• Observe the honesty of the gospels to show this kind of humiliating picture of Peter, the rock of the Christian church.  What truth about the gospel does this reveal?

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Matthew 26:57, 59-61

“All criminal cases must be tried during the daytime and must be completed during the daytime.  Criminal cases could not be transacted during the Passover season at all.  Only if the verdict was Not Guilty could a case be finished on the day it was begun; otherwise a night must elapse before the pronouncement of the verdict, so that feelings of mercy might have time to arise.  Further, no decision of the Sanhedrin was valid unless it met in its own meeting place, the Hall of Hewn Stone in the Temple precincts.  All evidence had to be guaranteed by two witnesses separately examined and having no contact with each other.  And false witness was punishable by death…Still further, in any trial the process began by the laying before the court of all the evidence for the innocence of the accused, before the evidence for his guilt was adduced…These were the Sanhedrin’s own rules, and it is abundantly clear that, in their eagerness to get rid of Jesus, they broke their own rules.  The Jews had reached such a peak of hatred that any means were justified to put an end to Jesus.”[7]

• What motivated the Sanhedrin to break their own rules in order to “put [Jesus] to death”?
• Looking at the Sanhedrin and what great lengths they went to in order to reject the truth, what can I learn about what the rejection of the truth ultimately does to one’s heart?

Matthew 26:65-68

“To this day when a man is brought face to face with Jesus Christ, he must either hate him or love him; he must either submit to him, or desire to destroy him. No man who realizes what Jesus Christ demands can possibly be neutral. He must either be his liege-man or his foe.”[8]

• Why did the people respond so violently to Jesus’ claim?  What is surprising and yet not so surprising about their response?
• How does their response challenge any notion of neutrality when it comes to the identity of Christ?
• What could have led to these people being so wrong about Jesus?  What warning does this have for me?

[2] Wilkins, Michael J., NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2004.

[3] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. II, Revised Edition. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975), 327-332.

[4] Wilkins, Michael J. “The Passover and the Lord’s Supper (26:17 – 30)” In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew. By Michael J. Wilkins, 834. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2004.

[5] Matthew Henry Online Commentary. <http://www.ccel.org/h/henry/mhc2/MHC00000.HTM>

[6] Wilkins, Michael J., NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2004.

[7] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, 1975, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 353-354.

[8] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, 1975, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 356.