Matthew 26:1-29, "A Life Worth Living"

The Plot Against Jesus and the Cost of Human Success

Matthew chapter 26 beginning from verses 1 to 29. Hear the word of the Lord. 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 the 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 up to him with an alabaster flask a very expensive ointment and She poured it out 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 them why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me for you always have the poor with you.

But you will not always have me and pouring this on 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 priest and said What will you give me if I deliver him over to you and they paid him 30 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 after 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 that 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. It 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. May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, what would you consider a successful life?

Say someone was Preparing to die coming near the end. How would you evaluate? That that person's life Had been worth living. They make a lot of money. Okay, right away. We know we're not supposed to say that we might think it but we're not supposed to say that.

Let me put it another way. Did he prepare well for his children? Well, that sounds a lot better doesn't it? Was he popular? Okay, that doesn't sound quite right either. Was he well thought of in the community?

That sounds a lot better, doesn't it? Did he ever did he have loyal friends a lot of friends. Was he on the winning side? Would we ever say someone's life was not worth living. If so, why. What would you think of a life that ended in a man being Utterly destitute.

No family. No children was betrayed by one close friend forsaken by most and had only one friend who was willing to To be with him as he passed away. Who and who died? Painfully. What makes him seem like even more of a failure is that at one time?

He seemed to be on the verge of success. He had followers and respect. Many were talking about high political office for him. He seemed destined for her palaces and power, but it all came crashing down and so fast.

He dies young and nearly alone. It's get even more gruesome. Let's say he's a convicted criminal. He's tortured and mocked. Would you say that a man like that is a success? Be honest, would you? Well, I hope so because if you don't You'll be a failure.

Here in this passage we see how a life worth living prepares to die. We see that in three parts the plot the preparation and finally the Passover. The plot comes. Just as Jesus predicts in verse 1. It says that Jesus had Finished all these sayings.

I think not only that the teaching that comes right before this about the end but also in Matthew. This is the end of the teaching of Jesus. His teaching ministry is complete. He has completed teaching all that he came to teach and now there is that other work He came to do came not only to teach But to do what he's about to do here notice the language there at the end of verse 2.

He is to be delivered up In verse 2 that is to be betrayed through a plot to be handed over To it and amazingly the Lord Jesus knows it is coming. Normally plots you're betrayed that's kind of catches you want to wear but Jesus knows this is coming and yet he continues To walk right into it.

He could have stayed in Galilee, you know where he was popular there not come to Jerusalem where they were laying a trap for him. He could have replaced Judas. He knew he was the one when I get rid of him.

He could have been maybe just be less offensive tone it down some don't be so aggressive with those Pharisees. Well, you know win friends and influence people, right? Why call them hypocrites? Why call them whitewashed tombs?

It would have been so much easier for him to avoid this betrayal and arrest and beating and or horrendous death. It would been easy. But he didn't he walked right into the plot. But leaving behind. Everyone who is more concerned with success than with him.

The Plot Is Popular, Deceptive, and Pragmatic

There are three aspects to the plot and Really to all evil. Here's a Examination of evil in this plot. There's three aspects to it. It's popular. It pretends and It is practical. The plot is popular. The plot is concocted by the chief priests the elders the leaders of the highest places of religious and political power in Israel.

Otherwise these weren't just a few disgruntled people on the fringes who didn't like Jesus's Revolutionary teachings some of the few who were offended by being called, you know whitewashed tombs. These were the esteemed.

These were the successful people the people had supposedly given their lives to the service of the Lord and to the nation. Of course who in reality had only given themselves to serve a religion. They serve them.

Looking back on it. We take the story too much for granted. I don't think we feel. Particularly when it mentions all these people who are plotting against Jesus. We're not we're not in we're not intimidated by that.

It doesn't mean anything to us. We don't know them. We're not impressed. Chief priests and elders. So what? But in their time that meant a lot to them. We don't even know or really even care anything about the palace of the high priest.

But to the disciples and the other people. Then these were these were lofty leaders who were to be respected and followed meeting at one of the seats of power. This would be like today being told president and senators and cabinet people and generals are meeting in the White House.

Oh, you think wow, that's impressive. That's that's the impact that this should have on us and yet here they are aligning themselves. Against Jesus today weak people are impressed with majorities if it's popular.

It must be right we imagine Advertisers appealed to us, you know through what's called the bandwagon effect. Everyone is is eating or or drinking or wearing or listening to our watching whatever? Well, if everyone's doing it, it must be good.

So I'm gonna do it too. So many people must be right. We think then at that time they were impressed with their leaders and yet they were all plotting. These leaders were all plotting against Jesus the week then in their time surely thought well.

Even though he just Jesus might look and sound good but there must be something wrong with him if he has all those enemies and. So soon even the majority Turned against him at the end. He would be left with only one faithful disciple and faithful enough to stay at the cross.

His mother would be there a few other women the rest Jumped on the bandwagon. Few disciples went hiding from the from the mass movement. They took cover. The plot starts in secret by leading people but soon becomes popular a Bandwagon.

The plot like all evil pretends it it pretends to be something. It's not they want to arrest Jesus as by stealth other words by In secret and kill him quickly. But not when there are a lot of people around because the crowds might turn against them.

Evil Is not committed to anything except just getting its way and it will slink around it will slither in the dark. It will look for its moment to strike. It will not reveal itself out in the open. It can hide and pretend to be something it is not in that way.

It has a temporary advantage over the good. Evil doesn't mind lying to camouflage itself right. Evil will freely say whatever it has to say to get its way. We see that in the previous incidents and when Jesus was at in the taught in the temple.

Cleaning out the money changers his enemies would come to him and and he would pretend. Evil pretends they would pretend to seriously want to talk about should we pay taxes to Caesar? Call talk about where's your authority come from?

You know a woman has seven husbands which one of them should be married to in the resurrection like they really cared about any of that. It was all just Maneuvering. It was all an attempt to trap Jesus.

They would come up they but they were pretend to respect him. Call it teacher. Rabbi master they would say we know you tell the truth. You don't suspect persons. Otherwise say it out loud. We want you to say something that's controversial.

They would feign to be interested in the same thing. He was interested in which the kingdom of God. But in reality, they they use words as weapons to get their way. The Lord Jesus used words to reveal The truth.

It's still the same today plotters can so easily pretend while the good simply show themselves. The plot is evil. So it's hidden. It's deceptive. It's stealthy. The plot is also pragmatic. They want to arrest and kill him quickly.

They they want to make sure there's no backlash. No uproar. Evil is pragmatic. It's practical. It's not committed to any principles that would constrain what it can do. It will easily say or do anything to get the results at once.

The plot is again mentioned in verses 14 to 16 where Judas plots to betray Jesus. He is he is willing to deliver him up to betray him for 30 pieces of silver. And isn't he very practical very pragmatic.

His question is all about dollars and cents. What's the price how much you pay? It's not personal it's just business, you know, what can I make out of this deal? That's all he's thinking. Never mind the master.

I I just spent three years following and watching and listening to never mind that you'll be killed. Never mind that I've seen his life up close not once seen him sin. Never mind all the miracles. I've seen the irrefutable evidence that he is the Son of God.

Never mind how close and how caring he's been. Never mind any of that what matters is I get what's coming to me. How much is it? It's all about him. What have you done for me lately. Jesus what can you do for me next.

Maybe you've done a lot in the past but. What do you do now? Maybe I've used you up now, so I'll cast you in no room for gratitude or loyalty. Evil is selfish evil. It's practical. Tell me what you can do for me.

That's evil. Some of the most evil people in our lives are not the ones with you. Maybe thug life tattoos on their foreheads constantly cursing. No, the really evil ones. Are the sweet talkers with a nice smile who always seem to be with the crowds with lots of friends.

They might even be church people religious types talking about how they are serving the Lord which always turns out to be amazingly. What serves them the best isn't amazing. How that works out serving the Lord always seems to equate to?

Serving them. What makes them the most comfortable. Maybe having video Bible studies in their living room watching multi-millionaire preachers talk about discipleship? While they snack on cheese and crackers and can't be bothered to keep their promises or to serve others or to carry a cross.

Evil is all about ourselves. All about our personal profits our ego our look our success. What gets us ahead. And so when Jesus comes around Jesus who is committed to none of those things. Who even ask us to lose them all?

Then we see. Whether we too will plot with evil. Because it pretends and it's practical evil always has a good excuse right on hand. No, notice that Judas goes looking for money as soon as he along with the other a few other disciples protests this expensive perfume.

Being poured in Jesus's head. He was probably the loudest and saying that it should have been sold and given to the poor. He had a good reason sound like a good reason done it feed the poor and he probably even believed it himself.

He was only thinking in the poor. After all was it supposed to be a gospel for the poor good news for the poor. Let's be practical. He says not waste all this valuable perfume on Jesus. But make it useful.

To those less well-off. Come on. Gospel of John tells us that he was the one he was one of those crying for it to be used for the poor and He probably made a show of his so-called compassion for the poor.

So we care about right? What is this all about? But that gospel also tells us the gospel of John that what he really wanted was to help himself to some of that money. Of course, yeah, he would have a good excuse if you could talk to him.

You'd be able to give you a good reason you pretend after all he deserves he deserves some fees for his services. Some of that money makes us to the poor, but you know He needs to be reimbursed for his administration, right?

Judas could pretend his pragmatism was for the greater good a Chief priest pretended that they said that Jesus had to die for the nation for the greater good. It's all very practical. We are often surprised when we encounter real evil that is so easily justifies itself.

It's so popular. It's so able to pretend it is right it's so downright. Practical the plot is evil so popular and pretending and practical. But then there's the preparation preparation is first poured out and then the path to honor and finally provided.

The Preparation Is Poured Out, Honorable, and Provided

In verses 6 to 13, the Lord Jesus is prepared. There's the preparation prepared for for death. He is prepared by an extravagant gift. He was reclining probably sitting on the floor beside a low table.

Eating perhaps leaning on a pillow and a woman comes with an alabaster flask a very expensive Ointment it is probably an import from India. The container itself is special is sealed in such a way the ointment that contained in is no.

Nothing like to twist off to get it out. You actually had to break it and it's expensive itself. Just the container. It's it says it the Gospels say it's worth about a year's wage. They it says what 300 did there I threw but when he's about a year's wage.

And so in our terms a year's wage for a working person. Let's say about $30 ,000 poured out. Just like that. And it fills the house with this says of the gospel of John just filled the house with this wonderful aroma.

Flowing down Jesus's head into his body but $30 ,000 is it really worth that much? Think of all the think of all the good that could be done with $30 ,000 food for the poor that could be bought with that think of all the good you could do.

Scholarships whatever come on now. How many of us wouldn't like to have $30 ,000 because in our kids to college give them a future or give it to charity. You know get your picture in the paper handing over the one those huge checks.

$30 ,000 to whatever charity you get a tax deduction, too. But to pour it all away. Doesn't that seem like a waste? But it's not it turns out to be what some of the best uses of money ever spent and the reason is simple.

Jesus is worth it. That's why he says She has done a this woman has done a he says a beautiful Thing that's how Jesus described it. It's beautiful in verse 10 and here we see how uniquely how unique how Special Jesus is now if this had been done for anyone else It would have been an ugly thing for anyone else.

Any king or president for you or for me to splurge it this kind of money on perfume that would be frivolous wasteful or stupid. I'm offended when I see some CEO of some charity makes millions and millions of dollars.

That's offensive. If you believe in your charity, okay. Okay, we gotta have a nice house and be well taken care of. I understand you don't need millions if you believe in that charity. Why don't you take the millions and give it to the charity?

Okay, I find that offensive when Jim Baker had air conditioners on his doghouse that was selfish that was wasteful. That was ugly. This is you know. It's my dog deserves better comfort than a lot of people he was saying for people to spend so much on themselves and care.

Nothing for the poor is to be self-absorbed is to be a self worshiper that that is ugly, but to do it for Jesus is he says Beautiful to be extravagant in our sacrifices for him is worth it all. The Lord Jesus said that this was preparing him for for burial.

They had the custom that for most people except condemned criminals that they would be the body would be heavily perfumed after dying and before burial. Jesus may soon die as a condemned criminal, but he would be Also heavily perfumed anointed for burial and this lady this extravagant Lady who loved Jesus so much saw to that and this is how we prepare ourselves For our own death and burial by extravagantly pouring out our lives For Jesus and friends.

I assure you He is worth all the sacrifice every penny. He is worth you being broken and pouring out your life for him. This is what this wonderfully extravagant lady shows us the Lord Jesus said wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world.

What she has done will also be told in memory of her in verse 13 and here we are fulfilling Jesus's words. Telegate seeing in her Beautifully portrayed what devotion to Jesus means and in that is the path to honor.

We often think path to honor asserting our rights holding on to our Whatever our individualism. Demonstrating our greatness how much I've done accomplished. Demanding that our ego be protected in our reputation exalted pouring out our pouring out perfume and our lives on ourselves.

But Jesus says it's like being like like this lady pouring out our lives for him. That's the path to honor. Preparation. First his and ours second is poured out. It's a path to honor and it is it's provided here.

Somehow Jesus knows exactly where the Passover is to be prepared. Jerusalem is extremely crowded at this time. There's hundreds of thousands of new people there for the Passover. It should be nearly impossible to find an available room.

It would be like looking for a hotel room near the Super Bowl on the day of the big game, you know. It's probably all sold out. Just like his birth. There should be no rooms in the ends, but a but a room has been provided.

God has so ordered things here Jesus himself provides. That there will be the room that they need and that's because this is the crucial moment He knows notice Jesus sins there the disciples out go and tell there's the special one man that my time is at hand.

Right here so close you can reach out and grab it. This is the hour the time that the crucial time in which all of history either looked up to or now looks back on. So Jesus here says in verse 18 my time Is at hand.

This is the time in the hundreds of years of Passover Celebrations in the path that had passed from the Exodus until this time that the time that they had looked forward to this is the time that we now look back on when we take the Lord's Supper and We do it in remembrance of him and everything about it Has been provided by God.

Peter tells us in 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 3 that God's power has provided for us everything we need for life and godliness. We need to be raised from death to even believe God. He does that in us. Making us new creatures.

He prepared our hearts. We need the law written on our hearts. So we will know how to live for him. He does that in the New Covenant when he turns our hearts of stone Into a real source of life. We need the Holy Spirit to live as God wills to love to walk in the light and speak the truth to worship him.

Right, and he gives us that spirit. He has provided everything we need. He has provided what we need. For life and godliness for a life worth living. And all of that was provided at this time that is at hand.

The Passover, the Lord's Supper, and the Life Worth Living

Well, the preparation is poured out. It's a path to honor and it's provided. And then comes The Passover in verse 20 the Passover begins again. Jesus is reclining. He is surrounded by his 12 disciples.

He's been he had just spent three years with they they should be so close. But he tells them that one of them will betray him and looking back on it. You know having heard this story so many times. We think we think it's obvious if we were there we think we well everyone knows come on.

Come on. It's Judas. Right, we think we imagine he must have been sticking out. With horns on his head maybe and fang teeth like a vampire forked tail coming out from behind him. But he did he wasn't obvious at all to all here.

But Jesus he appeared to be just another faithful Disciple when Jesus said that one of them will betray him. They didn't all you know recoil back and it's Judas. We'd known it all along. No, I had no idea that it was him.

No, what no one guessed it. In fact, they were all questioning themselves before they thought to question whether it was Judas. Even Judas pretended like he didn't know. It was him and who knows perhaps he's hadn't admitted to himself that he was the betrayer.

You know, we're shocked. When evil is finally exposed we think it should be obvious it should just stick out. But Jesus said that evil people are like wolves in sheep's clothing. They look every bit every bit like the sheep.

Until suddenly they show some canine teeth and start to devour the true sheep and and to bite the shepherd. Here they are. Judas from the inside the rulers from the outside plotting to attack the Good Shepherd and They pretend everything as well.

They may even believe their own pretensions. They calculate everything by what is in it for them. They they look at gifts to Jesus and think what they could have done with it. They do the evil people thinking like this they use even their religion as a way to advance their cause.

It's all about them. They become so totally consumed with self-interest that they can neither see nor care about anything else. But in the end this this Judas is the first Judas will end up with a faith that makes his whole existence a total loss.

Here's one person. The Lord Jesus said that it would be better if he had never been born better for him. Anyway, look at verse in verse 24. Look at that. Some of you optimists there here may think well everyone's life is worth living.

Jesus it says here. Here's a person whose life wasn't Whoa to him. For three years he followed Jesus and he looked like what we would now call a good Christian. He was bearing the burden of following a poor teacher who often didn't have a place to lay his head.

But somewhere in his heart He still held on to the carnal. Hope. You know, there must be something in it for me. He thought perhaps I'd he thought I'd I'd get a place at the King's Court. When Jesus takes over Israel and drives out the Romans.

He thought that he would be the he would be the treasure in this new Empire. The Chancellor of the ex-checkers the British call it in the house of Jesus living in a palace and luxury rewarded for his years of service.

Jesus was his ticket to wealth and glory. He thought. And so okay after three years He got a little impatient and he sold out For 30 pieces of silver. Yeah, he thought at least I made something out of this.

It wasn't all for nothing. It wasn't a total loss. But Jesus says it was his life was a total loss whoa to him and There are those today whose life is a total loss for whom it would be better for them if they had never been born.

Whoa to them because they they sell out for sin and for self or for whatever short-term profit. They can get out of it and they end up with a long-term loss the longest term of all an eternal loss. Unless we are born again We will wish one day We had never been born at all.

Here was Judas and Jesus together at the Passover. The Passover was their Celebration of when the wrath of God passed over their homes in Egypt while they were in slavery. Every home that had the blood of the lamb on the doorframe.

The wrath of God passed over and all inside were safe. But those without the blood of the lamb who didn't believe didn't didn't think God's threat was serious and do anything they they lost their firstborn son, so the lamb was symbolic of a propitiatory sacrifice an atoning sacrifice that causes God's anger to Pass over without that blood over our lives the anger of God will not pass over us.

It will come to rest on us. It will abide on us. We will be people for whom it would have been better that we had never lived whoa Jesus says. If we want to be people who in the end it was better that we lived who are glad that we were born.

Then we must have that blood that blood of the lamb covering our lives not just a symbol of it like of the literal Lambs of in Egypt know the fulfillment of that the blood of the lamb that will make your life worth living.

Jesus Has provided that he and his disciples Have a last Passover together. Because he has planned to transform that Passover Into the Lord's Supper and it is in the Lord's Supper that we Christians celebrate the wrath of God.

Which we deserved that it has now passed over our lives and so that we won't regret having been born. Then he took some of the bread. And he blessed it and he gave it to the disciples and take Eat, this is my body now some in church history I've tried to interpret those words literally as though the bread literally turned into his flesh when the right words are spoken.

But obviously that's not what he meant. I mean, he's sitting right there in the body. You know, it's this is us obviously means this is a symbol of me. This is my body. I'm holding it the bread is a Symbol of that he the bread is a token of his body and he told them to take it to eat it to absorb it Into themselves.

We have so many in our day who think that being a Christian Believing in Jesus. It's just a matter of acknowledging some facts that that as long as I don't say I disagree With the idea that Jesus is Lord and I don't deny with my words that he rose from the dead.

Well, then I'm okay. Supposedly a believer as they take that they think that's faith. They're not gonna argue with you. Everything is fine with me they think but that's not really what the Bible means by faith here Jesus gives us a picture of faith.

It is taking it is eating. It's absorbing into ourselves gaining your life your sustenance from him. Then he took the cup full of red red wine. And he gave it to them just as he gives his blood today for his people and he and he told them Drink of it all of you.

Take it to yourselves. It's not a superficial thing. It's not something just on the outside of you a ritual you do that changes nothing about you. It is something that we absorb into our very being for he says for this is my blood of the covenant.

Which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins and here he ties together two prophecies from the Old Testament. The prophecy of Jeremiah 31 of the New Covenant that is no longer just written on stone.

Not not just written on stone, but now on our hearts. He takes that prophecy and combines it with the prophecy of Isaiah 53 where the Prophet sees the servant. Who was there quote poured out his soul?

To death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore the sins of many and this is what we hold in our hands. We're just now when we take when we took the Lord's Supper when we hold that cup now.

It's not literally the blood of Jesus, but it's a token a symbol that looks back to that covenant that he made with his people you. If you're one of his people. It is a representation of what Jesus did for us the pouring out of his soul to death bearing our sins.

Taking the wrath of God away from us and on to himself. That's the only way that sins could be forgiven. Yes. God has loved but he will not wink at sin. He will not just casually shrug his shoulders. Okay, I'll let it slide and forgive us for nothing.

His justice must be appeased. The original Passover only looked forward to that event those lambs never really caused God's wrath to pass over those homes, but only because they Anticipated the future the true Lamb of God whose blood was poured out for many for you if you believe.

So the Lord's Supper looks back in remembrance to what Jesus did. It also as we see here in verse 29 looks forward in anticipation. It is the pledge of his return. He says here that he has an appointment With us.

He's an appointment with his people with his disciples to drink of the cup. Again anew when his father's kingdom has come in full and so we see once again the now and The not yet now we have the Spirit.

Write the law in our hearts. But the kingdom the rule of God which is here is not yet fully here. That's why we still have sin and Satan to deal with. That's why the whole world is still under the power of the evil one.

That's why we suffer we have sickness and we must prepare to die. The father's kingdom is Not yet fully here. We still must wait and Jesus waits with us. Looking forward. He's looking forward. He says here to drink Again with us in his father's kingdom.

Do you want to have a life? That's worth living. Well, it all depends on what you pour out your life for. We all pour out our lives for something for self gratification. Maybe for money for business for ego for family, whatever thrill comes next for something.

Pour it out for Jesus. So you can drink with him and that begins By remembering his body and his blood so you look back. Not on your career on the money you made on your family and friends on a life that the world says was worth living.

You may or may not be given that. But you have a life worth living. You're prepared to die when you look back in remembrance of him. Or what he did for you in the past and you have a life worth living.

When you can look forward. Trusting in his pledge that he will what he will do in the future. He will bring his father's kingdom in full and you with it to drink with him. That's something to look forward to.

Jesus came preparing to die. So he could enable us. To be prepared to live. So come to him. Not because he's popular or practical. But because he's worth it. He's worth you pouring out your life extravagantly for.

So do that now.