ANOINTING AND BETRAYAL

ANOINTING – MATTHEW 26:6-13

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

Matthew 26:6-7

Oh my gosh!  Can you see her walking in the door?  A woman enters and has something in her hands.  It looks like an alabaster jar and that would mean it contained expensive perfume.  (Today that one jar could be worth $25,000 - $55,000.)  The disciples stare as she breaks the jar and pours the perfume on Jesus’ head.  What should have been a relaxing time of eating, joking, eating, teaching, eating, and telling stories quickly turned into finger pointing and accusations of waste.

The disciples were indignant.  HOW DARE SHE?  How dare she what?  This jar of perfume was hers!  It could have been her dowry or her inheritance, but it was hers.  And she humbly gave everything she had to honor Jesus.  Can you see her lower her head as the disciples condemn her for waste?  Can you see the tears form in her eyes as she holds the empty jar? 

Can you see her fall to her knees as Jesus says, “Why are you bothering this woman?  She has done a beautiful thing to me.  ….. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Can you see the disciples ashamed for their judgment of this woman?

BETRAYAL – MATTHEW 26:14-16

Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?”  So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.  From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

How this passage breaks my heart.  Judas Iscariot was chosen by Jesus.  He walked with Jesus.  He heard Jesus teach.    He saw a women anoint Jesus.  He went to the priests. 

Do you see Judas walking toward the chief priests?  Do you see them looking at each other and wondering what this disciple of Jesus wanted?  Do you hear Judas asking for money?  Do you hear the sound of 30 pieces of silver being counted? 

Extreme opposites

Anointing and Betrayal

Generosity and Greed

And now -

The disciples make preparations for Passover

 

 GOTCHA

How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

            Open the refrigerator, put the giraffe in, and close the door.

How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

            Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant, and close the door.

So begins a series of questions.  According to the results, 90% of professionals got all questions wrong, but many preschoolers got several correct answers.  Why?  Pre-schoolers still use their natural creativity while the business professionals have “learned” to think logically, to over complicate issues and see problems using previously learned mental models. 

This quiz would be considered a “gotcha” quiz.

GOTCHA:  An instance of accomplishing a tricky idea or overcoming a difficult obstacle.

The Herodians, Pharisees, and the Sadducees had a problem.  Jesus was a difficult obstacle to their agenda and they tried to remove this obstacle with tricky ideas.  They would ask Jesus questions to discredit him.  They wanted to have a gotcha moment and do high fives.  There was only one problem with their plan.  Jesus did not cooperate.

GOTCHA

Matthew 22:15-45

The Herodians, who supported Herod, tried to trap Jesus by asking if it was right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not.  Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

When they heard this, they were amazed.  So they left him and went away.

Herodians 0  ---   Jesus 1

The Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, thought for sure their question would stop Jesus.  “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. ……”  Their question became a series of what if this and what if that and ended with, “Finally, the woman died.  Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

Before answering, I can see Jesus shaking his head and giving an eye roll.  “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. …..  He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

Sadducees 0   ---   Jesus 1

If you look in the shadows, you will find the Pharisees.  They are in shock that the difficult obstacle is still there, but their ego is really big.  They knew they had the perfect question for Jesus.  After all, they had an expert in the law.  Stepping up, the expert tested Jesus:  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Can you see the expert giving Jesus a smug smile?  Can you see Jesus looking the expert in the eye and then glancing at each Pharisee?  Jesus replied:  “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Pharisees 0  ---   Jesus 1

By now, everyone would be looking at the Pharisees and I bet they wanted to escape.  But, slipping away did not happen.  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah?  Whose son is he?” ………..

No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Pharisees 0   ---  Jesus 1

I wonder if Jesus’ disciples were standing around giving high fives.  Even though tricky questions were used to overcome a difficult obstacle, there was no “gotcha” moment. 

Questions asked --- Questions answered

Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees 0  ---   Jesus 4

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.

Then he went to the home of Simon the Leper.

 GLORY AND ANGER

GLORY – MATTHEW 21:1-11

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. …..”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-part of 2, 10-11

We all know this part of the Easter Story.  Every year the children wave palm branches and we hear the word Hosanna.  BUT – today I want you to think about the people in the crowd.  Some knew Jesus was a prophet and I am sure others had seen him heal and heard him teach.  Most likely, those are the ones that were placing their cloaks on the ground.  What about the others? 

Have you ever been to a parade?  Some have a blast and find great joy as floats and bands go by.  Others laugh and point to flaws on the floats.  A few watch and wish they were in the parade.  And some stand on the sidelines, making snide and sarcastic comments.  And some are getting very upset.

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

Luke 19:38-39

ANGER –MATTHEW 21:12-17 AND LUKE 19:45-48

Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling.  ”It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’ “

Every day he was teaching at the temple.  But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.  Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

Luke 19:45-48

I bet you thought I was going to point out that Jesus had righteous anger as he got after those buying and selling.  BUT – let’s follow the money.  This was in the temple area.  Exactly who controlled this area?  Bingo! 

Can you picture the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the leaders rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the day’s take as they watched exorbitant rates of exchange being charged foreigners?  Can you see the gleam in their eye as another animal was declared unfit and a temple approved animal was sold?  Can you see the anger in their eyes as Jesus turned over the tables?

HOW DARE HE?  This must be stopped!  Miracles.  Healing.  Now this.  The chief priests, teachers of the law, and the leaders could feel their power slipping away and they were angry.  Angry enough to kill.

And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Matthew 21:17

Jesus rode the lowly donkey and heard, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Jesus healed the blind and lame and received praise from the lips of children and infants.

Jesus rested.

The Pharisees test Jesus with a question.

 FOR THE THIRD TIME …

Jesus and his disciples were headed to Jerusalem for Passover.

PASSOVER (from Passover website link)

In Hebrew, Passover is known as Pesach, which means “to pass over”, because G-d passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.  Pesach is a time of celebration and commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.  Six hundred thousand adult males, plus many more women and children, left Egypt on that day and began the trek to Mount Sinai and their birth as G-d’s chosen people.

In ancient times, the observance included the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, which was roasted and eaten at the Seder on the first night of the holiday.  This was the case until the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in the 1st century.  Pesach is observed by avoiding leaven, and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus. 

If you want to read more on the Passover, here is a good link:  https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/871715/jewish/What-Is-Passover-Pesach.htm#What

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I do believe the disciples were hard of hearing or maybe hard of understanding.  Jesus had told them exactly what was going to happen. 

Matthew 16:21-23:  Jesus predicted his death and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  “Never, Lord!” he said.  “This shall never happen to you!”  As we know, this did not go as Peter expected.  Jesus called him Satan! 

Matthew 17:22-23:  While in Galilee, Jesus again told them the Son of Man will be betrayed, killed, and on the third he will be raised to life.  The disciples were filled with grief.

He told them a third time in Matthew 20:17-19

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  On the third day he will be raised to life!”

This time the scripture does not say how the disciples reacted.  If you read the next few verses, you will see the disciples were more upset about a pushy mother trying to get her sons the best seats in heaven than they were over what Jesus had told them.  They did not understand.

Why was Jesus trying so hard to get them to understand?

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, but he also knew what was going to happen to the disciples.  This means the answer is simple:  Jesus wanted them to be prepared. 

Jesus used words that can cause fear – betrayed, condemn, death, mocked, flogged, and crucified – BUT by using these words, the disciples realized Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen.  Jesus knew he would suffer.  The disciples saw that Jesus was not running from the suffering. 

Jesus used words that gave great hope and comfort –three days and raised to life.  These words helped the disciples realize suffering and death is not the end.  It is only the beginning of eternity.

Jesus explained, in Matthew 20:28:  “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,”

Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen.

He has prepared his disciples for the suffering.

He has assured them of the resurrection.

He is approaching Jerusalem.