As Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper with His disciples at the Passover, Jesus took that fruit of the vine, and He said these words in Matthew 26:28 “This is my blood of the new covenant shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
We welcome you today to our final lesson in the life and teaching of Jesus from the gospel of Matthew. Today we're going be studying that powerful section of Christ going up to the cross and dying for us in Matthew 26 through 28.
We hope that if you haven't got your Bible handy that you'll go ahead and do that right now, so that we can search the Scriptures together and be impacted by what Jesus did for each one of us.
As we open to Matthew 26 we see the plot began to unfold to sellout the Lord and ultimately point Him toward and push Him toward the cross. Matthew 26:1-14 we have several events that are going to happen. The Jewish leaders are now going to come to Judas, and they're going to offer him certain amount of money, 30 pieces of silver, set up a plot to tempt Jesus. Judas is going to agree to that, and he eventually is going to sellout the Lord for that little amount of money- which he's eventually going to greatly regret.
One of the first lessons we see in the opening pages of Matthew 26 is this, don't be like Judas and sellout the Lord. You may say, ‘What do you
mean? I don't have the opportunity to sellout the Lord. He’s already been sold out, and He died and has gone back to heaven.’
In a figurative sense, can't each one of us if we're not careful sellout the Lord today? You say ‘what do you mean by that?’ If we put things before God: greed, worldliness, sin, pleasure, false, religion and false ideas, family, friends-have we not in essence sold-out the Lord for something else?
We need to make sure that in this life we don't commit the sin that Judas committed. That is he was willing to put money and greed in the place of the Savior, and Jesus took a backseat to his own personal interest and ideas at that time.
Now another lesson that we're going to learn in Matthew 26, as Jesus knows the things that are about to happen and He realizes that His how hour has actually come in preparation for that, Jesus is going to spend time in prayer with the Father. He's going to take His disciples into the garden of Gethsemane. They're going to stay and wait. Jesus says “Watch and pray lest you fall in temptation.” He's going to go away and pray. The Bible will teach us that He's in great agony.
One of the things that we really learn from this, really two lessons, we learn about the power of prayer. You know Jesus was the Son of God. He was God in the flesh, but He knew how important it was to communicate with the Father- especially in these times of great anguish.
Friend from the life of Jesus here and His teaching, we learn also about the power of prayer. Luke 18:1 Jesus said, “Men ought always to pray and never lose heart.” Don't get discouraged. Don't give up. Do like Jesus and turn to God in prayer. Remember the words of Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we might find grace and mercy to help in time of need.” It was Peter who said in 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares upon Him.” Why? “He cares for you.”
Then there's a second, and it's a very powerful lesson, that we learn from the life of Jesus about submission to God's will. Notice the words of Matthew chapter 26, and I want you to look with me in verse number 39. The Bible says “He went a little further,” that is Jesus “and fell on His face
and prayed saying, ‘Oh my Father, if it's possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.’”
Jesus no doubt knew and saw He was aware of the agony that was about to happen. He realized that His human life was going to be snuffed out. The human side ‘if there were any other way let this cup pass from me,’ it was His anguish and His desire no doubt in the impending up agony that He would face. Then you hear these words, ‘Not my will but thine be done.’
As we think about the things that often fight face us in this life, as I think about the struggles I have, as I think about the decisions I've got to make, as we think about the constant fight with sin, and sometimes the things that occur in this life, what needs to kind of override everything we do? Let me illustrate it from another passage. James 4:13-17 is a context that is directly relative to what we're thinking about today. Certain man or certain people are going to take part in the business venture, they say to themselves ‘We'll go to this place for year. We'll buy. We'll sell. We'll make much gain.’ It wasn't a problem with any of that necessarily, but there was a problem. James says “Instead you ought to say ‘If the Lord wills, we'll do this or we'll do that, we'll buy and sell, and make much gain.’” Thus James will say in James 4:17 “For him that knows to do good and does not do it to him it is a sin.” Putting God's will above every action and above every decision has to be the overriding banner of my life. That statement ‘Not my will but thine be done,’ has to encompass and control everything that I do in this life.
I want to make sure that in being submissive to God that we're submitting to the teaching of Christ as it relates to letting God control and govern our life.
Now as we think about Matthew chapter 26 there's another very powerful and practical lesson that we learn in this text, and it's about the apostle Peter. I want you to look in Matthew 26:69-75. Notice what the text teaches us here. The Bible says, now as this is after Jesus has been taken. He's being questioned. Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard and a servant girl came to him saying ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee.’ But he denied it before them all saying, ‘I do not know what you're saying.’ When he'd gone out to the gateway another girl saw him and said, ‘To
those who were there this fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ But again, he denied with an oath ‘I do not know the man.’ A little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter ‘Surely you also were one of them for your speech betrays you.’ Now watch this, “Then Peter began to curse and to swear saying, ‘I do not know the man.’ Immediately a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the words of Jesus who had said to him ‘Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.’ So he went out and wept bitterly.”
As we think about what happened to Peter here, the relationship between Peter and Jesus, as Peter is you know sometimes striving to step up and take a leadership position Peter here is challenged with his commitment to Christ. How strong was Peter's commitment to Jesus at this point? Not as strong as it needed to be. How do we know that? Peter had already said ‘Lord if I have to die for your name, I'll go with you.’ “No, Peter you're not ready yet.” ‘You were with him weren't you?’ ‘Oh no! Not me!’ ‘You sound like him surely.’ ‘Oh no! No, I don't even know the man.’ And then you imagine this in your mind? Peter begins to curse and swear. Can you imagine the apostle Peter cursing? Curse and swear ‘I don't even know who you are talking about. I don't even know the man.’ Then the echo of that rooster crowing in Peter's ear, and he went out and wept bitterly.
What did Peter have to learn? His commitment wasn't quite what he thought it was. There were areas he needed to develop and grow in to really make the commitment to Christ that he should have. I believe this is a big part of why Peter will say in 1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow bear thereby.” In 2 Peter 3:18 “Grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” When everything's going good, life is going so smooth; it's easy to commit to Christ. It's when the difficulties come, it's when confrontation arises, it's when our life might be on the line that we really have to ask ourself- how committed am I really to following Jesus? Like Peter, are there some areas that I definitely need to grow in to make my commitment stronger?
We then turn our attention to a statement in Matthew 27:2. I want you to notice this statement. The Bible simply says ‘When they come to Jesus to take Him, and when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.’ Mark 15 then tells us they bound the hands of Jesus. Here we've got people, promoted by Judas in
his kissing Jesus and denying the Lord as well, who are willing to take Jesus and bind Him. They bound the hands of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Could He have broken those bonds? Absolutely! Could He have called down a Legion? Absolutely!
Jesus willingly allowed himself to be bound by evil men. Now friend I want to make a practical application to this. They bound the hands of Jesus physically there to take Him ultimately to try Him and to crucify Him, but figuratively do we not sometimes bind the hands of Jesus today? Do we not limit what Jesus can do by binding His ability?
Friend when we're not as evangelistic as we ought to be, are we not binding the hands of Jesus? When we don't give to the local congregation, like the Bible teaches we ought to give on the first day the week, aren't we binding the hands of Jesus? When we don't study and we don't pray, when we're not as benevolent and as helpful, and we don't love God like we ought to- aren't we binding the hands of Jesus figuratively today and not letting His full power and His will take place in our life?
Now as we think through the rest of today's lesson, we just simply want to focus on what the Lord and Savior did for me and what He did for you in going to the cross and dying. While we think about these passages, I want you to keep this in mind the Bible says Jesus “tasted death for every man,” Hebrews 2:9. If for every man for this man and for you as well, Jesus did the things we're about to notice so that I could have the hope of eternal life and so that you can have the hope of her life.
Listen to the personal nature of 1 Peter 2:24 “He, Himself bore our sins in His own body upon the tree that we having died to sin might live for righteousness by whose stripes we were healed.” Well what exactly did Jesus do? Let's turn our attention to Matthew 27:15-21. Jesus so that I can have the hope of eternal life, He took the place of a common criminal.
Matthew 27, look at verse 15. The Bible says, “Now at the feast of the governor at the feast of the governor it was a custom to release unto the multitude one prisoner whom they wished, and at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore when they had gathered together Pilate said to them ‘Who do you want me to release to you? Barabbas or Jesus who was called the Christ?’ For he knew they had
handed Jesus over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat his wife sent him saying ‘Have nothing to do with that just man, for I've suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.’ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?’ And they all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified.’
A notorious criminal, we don't know exactly all the details, but when you think of notorious you can imagine in your own mind a thief a murderer or rapist a killer an extortioner. Jesus took the place of this common criminal and that man was let free, able to live his life again in freedom. Why did He do that? He committed no crimes of His own, 1 Peter 2:21. He committed no sin, Hebrews 4:15. He took the place of that common criminal for me and for you.
What else happened to Jesus? Our Lord and Savior is now going to be scourged, and the Bible doesn't say a whole lot about it. But listen to the words of Matthew 27:26. The Scripture says “Then Pilate release Barabbas to them, and when he had scourged Jesus he delivered Him to be crucified.”
What exactly is a scourging? A scourge is basically a whipping a very abusive and tormenting whipping us- something like a bullwhip- except it's got more tails on it, is used it's usually held in the hand not a long ribbon held in the hand it contains leather strips multiple leather strips coming down it. History reveals from evidence they found in archaeology that many of these whips had sharp pieces of bone or glass or metal embedded into the end of that whip, and then that that person's back would be made very tight. Maybe sometimes they would hang them and tighten their back from the ceiling. Other times that would take them and wrap them around the pole where the muscles and the skin on their back are as tight as you can make it, and then they would bring that whip over and over again across the back of that common criminal.
Jesus was beaten with that scourging whip, with the metal, with the bone, with the glass embedded in it. Over and over again they raked it across the back of Jesus. Why? He was beaten for our transgression. The
chastisement of our peace was upon Him, Isaiah 53:4. Every stripe that was laid on the back of Jesus, I deserved and you deserved because of our sin, and yet Jesus lovingly did that for me and you.
Friend I’ll promise you nobody's ever loved you like Jesus loved you.
Watch what happens next. Matthew 27:29 the Scripture then says “When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and a reed in His right hand. They bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him saying ‘Hail King of the Jews.’”
Let's talk about this crown of thorns. Maybe you've seen vines or branches like this in your area. Maybe like a honey locust tree you've got these really long thorns on vines. We're not talking about just up a little thorn. We're talking about these long thorns. They made a crown out of that. They twisted all that together, put a crown with those long thorns on Jesus' head.
Now how gently do you think they placed that on the Lord's head? Well already mocking Him. They're going to spit on Him. They're going to make fun of Him. They're trying to inflict the maximum amount of pain they can on Jesus. As they take that crown of thorns, imagine as the thorns press in to the head of Jesus. They then they then according Matthew 27:30, they will bow the knee. They will mock Jesus ‘Hail King of the Jews.’ And then the Bible says “They spit on the Lord and Savior.”
Not only is Jesus already in humongous or a major amount of agony and pain because of the scourging, not only are the thorns piercing into His brow, now His own creation, who He came to save spits in His face. Can you imagine how degrading and humiliating? Have you ever had anybody spit on you? Can you imagine how horrible of a feeling that? Not only, you know somebody might spit on you and you might deserve it. I don't know for sure, but maybe.
Not Jesus! The very people He came to save from the worst problem ever- their sin and an eternal torment-spit in the face of Jesus.
Then they take that reed that they're going to give Jesus as a kingly staff to mock Him. They take that reed and they beat Him on the head with
it. Now imagine already Jesus has this crown of thorns on His head, they take that reed and when they hit Jesus on the head with it- what happens to all those thorns? They press further into the skull and the scalp of Jesus. Imagine the pain and the agony that must've been for the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Now as you follow the events that occurred in Matthew 27:31 they then they then the Bible tells us, they put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they take that robe off. Now I want you to stop right here and think about this.
If you've ever had a bad cut on yourself and you take and put a Band-Aid on it that Band-Aid will stop that bleeding, and it will adhere to it. But how much fun is it to take that Band-Aid off after everything is dried and stuck to it? You take that Band-Aid off is like starting all over again.
The bloody back of Jesus that that robe adheres to the blood and the back and it begins to dry it sticks to the skin, and then imagine as they rip that robe off again- all the blood, all the pain, all the flesh is torn all over again!
Why? He did that for me and you. He tasted death for every man.
And then listen to the words of Matthew 27:35. The Bible then records this “Then they crucified Him and divided His garments. Casting lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets ‘they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots.’
Friend this is one of the great things about the inspiration of the Bible. Men would like to write volumes about the crucifixion. How long does it take the Bible to tell us about that event? One sentence. “Then they crucified Him.” Just four or five words.
What happened in the crucifixion? Men's the Bible tells us Psalm 22 and John last chapter in John will tell us Jesus had nail prints in His hands. Psalm 22 prophesied that Jesus hands through the wrist bones that are very strong would have been nailed to a cross. His feet then were also nailed to a cross through His ankle bones which are very strong. Then that cross is raised up with Jesus hanging on it. You can imagine in your own
mind for every breath that you take in you push against the nails in the ankle, for every breath that you let out you pull against the nails in your in your wrist. For every breath Jesus had to push on the nails in His ankles and the nails in His wrist, and it was torment and agony just to breathe.
Jesus took the curse of the cross, Galatians 3:15-20, upon himself so that I wouldn't have to bear that cross. He was beaten. He was mocked. He was spit upon. He was crucified.
According Matthew 27:50 Jesus shouted out with a loud voice “It is finished.” He gave up the spirit, returned it to the Father eventually. Why did He do that? Why did Jesus endure such torment and agony and pain? For me and for you. Listen again to 1 Peter 2:24 “He, Himself, bore our sins in His own body upon the tree that we having died to sin might live by right you might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.”
Jesus didn't do that because He had sin. He did that so that I don't have to go to hell and suffer the eternal condemnation and the judgment of my sins. That's how much God and how much Christ loves you!
Now think about this. You hear the words of John 3:16 and it's a lovely verse but think about it in view of Matthew 27. “God so loved the world He gave.” What do you mean He gave? He gave Jesus to suffer everything we just heard about. “He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Aren't you glad the story doesn't end with Jesus dying on the cross? According the Bible Jesus would stay in the cross or stay in the grave for a period of about three days, and then He would rise out of the grave.
We open our Bible to Matthew 28:1 and notice what the Scripture says. “Now after the Sabbath as the first did day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Behold there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning. His clothing as white as snow and the guard shook for fear of him and became like dead man. But the angel answered and said to the women ‘Do not be afraid. I know you seek Jesus who was crucified.’” Listen to these words, “He is not here. He is risen.”
Death didn't break Him down and end it. The grave did not contain Him. Jesus conquered death. He conquered the grave, and He is right now living at the right hand of God. Proof positive again Jesus is the Son of God.
Now the soldiers are bribed, according to verses 11 through 15, to tell a story- but even their stories didn't mesh. And the risen Savior, He comes back to His disciples, and He gives them this charge “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Go into all teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Here's the application. In the few moments we've got remaining, I want you to realize today- God wants us to realize today- just how much He loved us. He sent His Son to die a horrible death of torment and agony, so that I can have the hope of heaven. What He asked of us is to obey Him and to live for Him.
Have you done that? Have you obeyed the gospel of Christ?
Here's what Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved,” Mark 16:16.
Are you living for Him? Friend imagine what God wants of us, if He would do that for His Son, imagine how wonderful heaven's going to be for each one of us!
If you've never obeyed the gospel, in view of the great sacrifice of Christ, we beg you- obey the gospel of Christ, before it's too late!
Study Questions for: “Matthew: Lesson 8”
1. According to Luke 18:1, what must men always do?
2. According to Hebrews 4:16, what do we find at the Throne of Grace?
3. Why should we cast our cares upon Jesus according to 1 Peter 5:7?
4. Whose will was Jesus concerned about in Matthew 26:39?
5. What does James 4:17 say about someone who knows to do good and doesn’t do it?
6. What should we grow in according to 2 Peter 3:18?
7. According to Hebrews 2:9, what did Jesus do for every man?
8. According to 1 Peter 2:24, whose sins did Jesus bear?
9. What did Jesus say before giving up his spirit in Matthew 27:50?
10. According to John 3:16, God gave us what? Why?