Matthew 26:1-13

The ministry of Jesus has come to an end. At this point in the Gospel According to Matthew we are beginning what is known as “The Passion.” The word “passion” as it is taken from the Latin word, “patior” meaning “to suffer, bear, endure.” We are entering the final period before the death of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus has finished His teaching and healing and as we read in the first sentences of chapter 26, Jesus ends His teaching with this, 

“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Even with His own crucifixion, God is in control. This has been His plan all along. 

In the words of a Portuguese proverb, God is using the very crooked lines generated by humans, and making them straight. Humans meant it for evil, God would turn it around for good. You will find the proverb on the back of your bulletin, 

 “God writes straight with crooked lines”

Aren’t we grateful that He does. God may allow “free will” but His will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Jesus must have seen the gleam in the disciples’ eyes as He told them about the destruction of the temple and how God was ready to separate the sheep from the goats. Jesus knew His disciples didn’t completely comprehend what was about to happen to Him. He knew they were stuck on the human idea of a kingdom and they expected Him to “take over.” 

When what was about to happen,

 was Jesus would be “handed over” to be crucified. How the disciples missed this clear and definitive statement, I have no idea. But as we read through today’s Scripture, keep in mind the concept that regardless of how many wrong turns we make or how many negative things happen to us, God manages to write straight, using our crooked lines. 

In the meantime, back in Jerusalem, we read in verses 3 and 4 that the Jewish chief priests, scribes and elders of the people assembled at the house of the high priest, and were plotting on how to get rid of Jesus. Matthew wrote that they were thinking how to kill Jesus using trickery. 

That was certainly how Godly Jews were supposed to act, NOT.

Notice the irony and the proof of ultimate control God has with the statement that they were planning to kill Him, but not during the festival, not during Passover, for if they did it then, the people would riot. But, that is exactly what happened. 

Who’s in control? 

They end up killing Jesus on the very day that they didn’t want to. 

This demonstrates the ultimate control of God, to make straight lines out of about as crooked a lines humans can make. 

This reminds me of the story of Joseph, when he sees his brothers after many years. 

They had sold him into slavery and had left him up for dead. When they realize he was the one in control of Egypt they expected him to kill them. 

Instead of hatred and revenge Joseph said in Genesis 50:20,  

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” 

Another example of God taking crooked lines and making them straight. 

Jesus willed His crucifixion for our salvation.

He actually willed His own death for our good, but the religious leaders willed Jesus’ crucifixion in order to maintain their own establishment. They wanted this to be hidden from the people’s view and here it is written for history to read. 

God handing over His Son and Jesus handing over Himself demonstrating the mercy of God, and the religious leaders handing Jesus over for their own good and self centeredness. 

Matthew then takes us back to Jesus and we find Him now reclining at the table of Simon the leper in Bethany. No one knows who Simon the leper was other than he knew Jesus and was possibly healed by Jesus of his leprosy because he wouldn’t have been hosting a dinner party otherwise. While there, Matthew writes “a woman” came to Him and poured an alabaster jar full of very expensive perfume on His head. John tells us in his gospel that the woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The alabaster jar of perfume would have been a flask, with no handles, commonly worn around the necks of women where the long neck would have been broken in order to empty the contents. 

The disciples, a group of men, become indignant. They didn’t see the emotion attached to the action, or if they did, they didn’t see it as significant as the value of the perfume in dollars and cents. 

This isn’t the first time Mary had been chided by others for her display of love and honor for Jesus. In Luke, chapter 10, we read a narrative of when Martha gets angry with her sister Mary for not helping out with the serving of their guests, but just sits at the feet of Jesus. Jesus invites Martha to not forget who she is serving and to consider doing what Mary was doing and spend time with Him.

 

Again, Jesus defends Mary’s actions. 

She understood who Jesus was and even though her response to that knowledge may have looked reckless and extravagant, because the value of this perfume was a year’s worth of wages, according to Jesus it would go down in history. 

Mark put it this way, “She did what she could.”

She gave her most prized and precious possession to Jesus. Whether she understood it or not, she was preparing Jesus for His death and burial. Mary saw Jesus as worthy of all she had, regardless of what others thought around her. 

As for the disciples, give me a break, would they have sold the perfume and used the money to help the poor? Likely story. This demonstrates they didn’t have a clue what was about to happen to Jesus. They had become blind to what Jesus was telling them. 

They had in their head their perception of what the Messiah was going to be like and no matter how much Jesus told them otherwise, they just couldn’t get past their preconceived notions. How human!

Also notice, the disciples were willing to hurt a woman who had been amongst them and a part of their disciple group for the sake of the poor who had not even materialized. That is so against who Jesus is – He will not let one person be sacrificed for the sake of a principle. Verse 6&7, 

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.

What Mary did was remarkable because of her motive – 

a pure, loving heart. 

She was so focused on Jesus she didn’t take into account what those around her were going to think. She just did what she thought she should do. 

That’s what God is seeking, a pure and loving heart. The manner in which we express it will be different for each of us. 

How in love with Jesus are you? 

Have you totally surrendered? 

Are you ready to do something extraordinary for Christ?  Are you willing to be laughed at? 

Called a fanatic? Or does that not even cross your mind? 

Are you content with the status quo? 

Or like the disciples, do you see what others do and think “How ridiculous!”

And then come up with a “better” use of their time or money? 

Mary didn’t go into debt to show her pure and loving heart. She gave what she already had. She certainly did give all that she had thinking she would receive applause. She was ridiculed. 

She probably looked down at the flask on her neck and thought, Jesus needs this. She was prompted by the Spirit and followed His prompt. 

We have no idea as to whether Mary contemplated the idea of breaking that alabaster flask, knowing she could not empty a small amount of it and then reclose the flask. It all had to be emptied. As soon as she broke it, she knew it all had to be used.

Jesus again takes what looks like crooked lines and straightens them, in verse 12 He said,

“She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”

This may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for the disciple who was in charge of the money, Judas Iscariot. There are only speculations as to what was going on in Judas’ head at the time. Whatever the reason we have no sense of reluctance in Judas and only one motive, greed. 

 “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” 

At that time, the amount of thirty pieces of silver would have been the price one would have paid for a basic slave. 

Before we judge what Judas has done, we should be reminded, many have sold Jesus for a less price. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, 

“Yet many have sold Jesus for a less price than Judas received; 

a smile or a sneer has been sufficient 

to induce them to betray their Lord.” (Spurgeon)

Check in time.

Followers of Jesus haven’t changed much in the past 2000 years. One of the things I love about the Bible is how “real” it is to everyday life.  God doesn’t hide how human we are. If we are honest, I believe we should be able to see ourselves in both Mary and Judas. 

I know I can. 

There have been times when I have had a nudge from the Holy Spirit to do something that from the human point of view seemed ridiculous but I did it anyway. 

And I am sad to say there have also been times when I have either kept quiet or allowed a moment to go by where I didn’t allow the Holy Spirit’s prompting to guide me. Then, hung my head.

Here’s where God’s grace steps in, every time.