Matthew 26:30-68

Verse 28 and 29,

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

The Lord said that He would drink the fruit of the vine again in the Kingdom. This evidently means that the Passover will still be practiced during the Kingdom, after Jesus Christ has returned and set up his 1000-year earthly Kingdom. It will look back to His death on the Cross unlike this Passover we’re studying now, which looked forward to His death and did so for centuries.

 

Here, we need to ask again, “What Is the New Covenant or New Testament which Jesus shed His blood for?”

 

The new covenant is a fulfillment of the promise God made with Israel to bring them back to the land and to help them obey the law.

As a result, this better testament would allow Israel to reap the blessings of God’s covenant made with their fathers.

Luke 1:67 -75 speaks of this at the birth of John the Baptist when Zacharias, John’s father, spoke under the influence of the Holy Spirit about the fulfilment of God’s promise to Israel and how they, Israel, would serve God without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

 

The beginning of this New Testament can be found in Deuteronomy 30:1-9, where God promises that he’ll have compassion on them verse 3, gather them together from among the nations and allow them to dwell in the promised land, verses 3-5.

He’ll circumcise their hearts so they can obey the commandments verses 6-8, and make their work plenteous verse 9.

 

This testament would finally provide for the redemption of the nation Israel and bring about what was needed to begin God’s strategy for blessing them through their priesthood. We see that in Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 22:18 and Acts 3:25.

What Israel would fail to accomplish on their own accord under the old covenant, God would provide for them under the new.

 

The prophets reminded the Jews of this promised new covenant.

In Jeremiah 31:31-32 we see,

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 

Jeremiah goes on to describe in verses 33 and 34 how God will put His law in their inward parts, and He’ll remember their sin no more.

 

Ezekiel also describes the supernatural empowerment that’ll accompany the new covenant as he writes in Ezekiel 36:27,

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

 

Ezekiel also mentions in verses 24, 28 and 30 of chapter 36 how God will gather them from all countries, allow them to dwell in the Promised Land and multiply the fruit of the tree.

 

The New Covenant is confirmed in Romans 15:8, where Paul says that Jesus was a minister to the circumcision to ‘confirm the promises made unto the fathers’.

Hebrews also tells us that Jesus came as the mediator of the new covenant. Jesus testifies to this during this supper with the disciples we’re studying. In describing the symbolism of the meal, he says in verse 28:

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

During his ministry, Jesus was preparing his followers for the coming kingdom and the new covenant when he taught them about obeying the law, and told them about the supernatural empowerment he would send from heaven. We see that in John 14:26 and Matthew 6:24-33.

 

The sign to all that men were part of the New Covenant blessing was if they bore fruit, were protected from harm, and spoke of the law written in their hearts. Therefore, Jesus taught in Matthew 7:20,

“Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.”

And in Mark 16:17-18,

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 

And in Luke 12 verses 11-12 and remember Jesus is speaking to the 12 disciples,

“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 

For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” 

 

Hebrews 9:16-17 tells us that the new covenant was not in force until after Christ died. We read,

For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 

For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 

And the next verse Hebrews 9:18 tells how even the first covenant was dedicated or consecrated with blood.

 

After Jesus died he sent down the ‘Comforter’ who would prepare the saints with the new covenant power to enter the kingdom and we see that in John 14 verse 26.

 

It’s this ‘better covenant’ that the author of Hebrews describes in Hebrews chapter 8 quoting the prophecy of Jeremiah 31, and in Hebrews 8:6 we see specifically,

But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. 

It was for this reason that Christ died for Israel so that their past transgressions under the old covenant would be redeemed and they could partake of the promise of the new covenant as Hebrews 9:15 reads,

And for this reason He (Jesus again) is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 

 

The enforcement of this covenant relationship with God was exclusive and severe. All of those who were part of the covenant were accompanied by the blessings of the covenant, while those of Israel who rejected or fell away from the covenant were denied salvation as Hebrews 10:26-27 make clear,

For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 

 

During the persecution of the early believers by Saul, later to become Paul, in the book of Acts, and Israel’s continued rejection of the Messiah, even after the great miracles that occurred after His death and resurrection, God’s strategy changed, and the implementing of the New Covenant was halted in order to implement a different strategy for a purpose that had never before been prophesied or revealed to man.

This revelation of the mystery given to Paul was information about God’s plan for heavenly places and a heavenly people. As a result, the New Covenant promises have yet to be realised. They have been put on hold and we currently live in that interlude in God’s timeline which has so far lasted for 2000 years.

 

Paul, in Romans 11:25-27 explains how those promises would be realized after the future ‘fulness of the Gentiles be come in,

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “THE DELIVERER WILL COME OUT OF ZION, AND HE WILL TURN AWAY UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB; FOR THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” 

 

Although the new covenant has been confirmed and established as a result of Christ’s death, the outworking of that covenant with Israel are in the future. Israel is not yet in the promised kingdom. No one could possibly say that national Israel lives in this new covenant today in the peace with its enemies as promised and with God’s laws in their hearts and minds. Neither is God’s plan for the earth complete today.

Instead, we’re living in the interlude in God’s timeline as we just said. It’s a dispensation of reconciliation to all the world, where Christ is offered apart from any covenant or special people status or nationality as we see in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

 

Now we move to Matthew 26:30-31,

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble (or be offended) because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I WILL STRIKE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK WILL BE SCATTERED.’ 

 

This is a quotation from Zechariah’s prophecy in Zechariah 13:7 and we see Matthew continuing, as he always does, to show us Jesus fulfilling prophecy.

 

To verse 32 now,

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 

Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

 

Again, the word stumble here means to be offended and turn their backs.

Peter suggests here that he didn’t trust the other disciples either but that the Lord could most certainly depend on him!

Peter’s problem was that he didn’t know himself, and that’s the problem with many of us today.

Matthew 26:34-35,

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 

Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.

It was early evening when Peter said he would never deny the Lord. He said he was even ready to die with the Lord, but that same night, before the cock crowed, Peter denied Him, not once, but three times.

Now we move to Matthew 26:36-39,

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 

Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 

We need to pay attention to the prayer that Jesus is praying here. “This cup” that He refers to is not a physical cup filled with liquid as we saw in the last episode. It’s a task, a great purpose that He must carry out in order to fulfill God’s eternal plan for the universe. The cup represents His cross and the contents are the sins of the whole world. More than the death itself and the terrible suffering of crucifixion is something else that we should never ever forget.

Jesus, Who was holy, harmless, and separate from sinners, was made sin for us.

There on the Cross the sin of humanity was put on Him and it wasn’t in some sort of symbolic act, but in reality.

We simply can’t imagine the horror Jesus felt when that sin was placed upon Him. It was a horrendous experience for this One who was holy and sinless, God who took on flesh.

Notice that in this prayer Jesus was not asking to escape the Cross, He was praying that God’s will be done. It’s impossible for you and me to really grasp the depth of what happened in that Garden of Gethsemane that night, but more than likely it was there that He won the victory of Calvary.

Undoubtedly, He was tempted by Satan in Gethsemane as truly as He was in the wilderness.

Look for a moment at Matthew 26:42,

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 

He was accepting what was before Him. To say that our Lord was trying to avoid going to the Cross is not exactly true.

He would have felt disgust, revulsion and an awful horror of having the sins of the world placed upon Himself, and He recoiled for a moment from it. But He committed Himself to the Father. After all, He had come to do the Father’s will and there was no other way but this.

 

Now let’s look at the disciples who were in the garden with Him—Peter, James, and John. After His first prayer, He came back to them and found them sleeping—

 

Verses 40 and 41,

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 

 

“Watch”—stay awake, be alert— “lest you enter into temptation.” What was the temptation? Who was going to tempt them?

Well, Satan was there. Jesus wrestled with an foe unseen by natural human eyes. He overcame the enemy right there in Gethsemane. The victory of Calvary was won in Gethsemane as we said.

 

Now to verse 42,

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 

Jesus completely commits Himself to the Father’s will.

 

Now to Matthew 26:43-45,

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 

So, He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 

Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 

Obviously, there’s an interval of time between this and the next verse. Jesus didn’t tell them to go to sleep and in the next breath tell them to get up. There was time for their nap, and they needed this rest. Notice how our Lord pays attention to the needs of their bodies.

After they’d slept awhile, He said in verse 46,

Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Then in verse 47,

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 

Judas, and also the enemies of Jesus’s enemies who were with Judas, had witnessed many of His miracles and there’s a fear that Jesus may turn that supernatural power and use it against them. So, when they come to arrest Him, they bring a whole crowd of armed men. Possibly the whole temple guard came to arrest Him.

To Matthew 26:48,

Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 

That kiss of betrayal is one of the worst things in recorded history.

Verses 49 and 50,

Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 

But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 

 

This kiss of betrayal upon the Lord Jesus, was one of the most despicable acts of man. Some scholars say that Judas was predestined to betray Jesus and could do nothing else. If this were true, Judas was nothing more than a robot.

Judas made up his own mind to betray the Lord and he had every opportunity to change his mind. Even after we accept that it was prophesied and Jesus marked him out as the betrayer, Judas could have turned. Jesus gave Judas one final opportunity to repent and accept Him. Even after he gave Jesus that kiss of betrayal, Jesus called him, “Friend.”

Later, when Judas went to the temple and threw down the silver given to him to betray the Lord, he could have changed his mind. As the priests were taking Jesus to Pilate, Judas could have fallen down before Him and said, “Forgive me, Lord, I didn’t know what I was doing.” The Lord would have forgiven him.

 

Some say that Judas, like the other disciples, having no real understanding about Jesus’s death and resurrection and the importance of that to humanity, still believed that Jesus would set up His earthly Kingdom at that time.

If that were true we can’t blame him for thinking that because the other disciples clearly believed that too. Judas was just speeding up the moment where the Lord would conquer the Roman influence over Israel and set up the Kingdom and in so doing, Judas could feather his own nest at the same time. He had no idea that Jesus would actually be put to death.

This could well be the case, but Judas’s deeper inner thoughts are not given to us in scripture so, this is supposition only along with the other explanations of why Judas did this thing.

What we are told however in Luke 22:3,

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.

And, also in John 13:27 we see,

Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 

However, this happened and whatever Judas did to allow Satan to enter in we see that this whole betrayal is satanic.

It’s very interesting here to see God’s absolute superiority over Satan in that Satan’s obvious motivation is to murder Jesus. But in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 we read this amazing revelation from Paul showing us that Christ had to die in order to complete God’s plan for Israel and the gentiles, and how if Satan had of realised this he would have done the opposite to what he did by indwelling Judas and setting in motion the events that blead to the cross.

Let’s read,

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

See, Satan has revealed his absolute ignorance of God’s plans and how he’s nothing more than an instrument to bring about the ultimate salvation of every person who wants it.

 

To Matthew 26:51,

And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 

We know that this was Simon Peter. Maybe Peter was trying to prove something. Earlier he’d boasted that he would die protecting Jesus, but Jesus told him that he would deny Him that very night.

Well, Peter got a sword from somewhere, and he intended to protect his Lord. But Peter was a fisherman, not a swordsman. He sliced off the man’s ear; but for sure he wasn’t after ears, he was after the man’s head, but he missed!

 

Verses 52 and 53,

But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 

Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 

In other words, Jesus says, “I don’t need your little sword, Peter. If a battle was needed I’d have all the power of heaven at my disposal in an instant. I haven’t come to put up a battle against the religious rulers. I’ve come to die for the sins of the world.”

Verse 54,

How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” 

You see, Jesus is fulfilling Scripture and yet again Matthew makes this very clear.

 

Verse 55 now,

In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 

Previously, His hour hadn’t yet come. But now His hour has arrived.

 

Verse 56,

But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. 

 

Exactly as Jesus had predicted, all of the disciples leave Him now. Even brave old Peter flees. Now we see Jesus bought before Caiaphas the high priest and the Council.

 

Matthew 26:57,

And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 

We find out later that the father–in–law of Caiaphas was really the instigator of all this. But Jesus must be brought to Caiaphas, the high priest, for the first charge. Because the religious rulers are going to ask Rome for the death penalty, they must determine that night what charge they can bring against Jesus when they go to Pilate in the morning.

 

Verse 58,

But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

Simon Peter followed but kept his distance. He initially fled in fear at the approach of the guard but now he’s following Christ, but keeping at a distance. It shows his love for Jesus. He couldn’t leave him. He wanted to know what would happen to him. We can understand the wrestling going on in Peter’s mind. He wants to stay close, but fear’s gripping him as well. We’re told in John 18 verses 15 to 16 that John went into the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus and that the high priest knew John and from there John got Peter into the courtyard as well.

 

To Verses 59 and 60,

Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward 

You see, because the religious rulers had no charge against Jesus, they had to find false witnesses, and the trouble with getting false witnesses was in finding ones that could stand up under investigation. Governor Pilate might be a little inquisitive (which he was) and ask a few annoying questions. Finally, they found two witnesses—

 

Matthew 26:61,

and (the witnesses) said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ” 

According to John 2:19-22, even the disciples misunderstood Jesus when He made the statement: “… Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They didn’t understand it until after Jesus’ resurrection. Evidently the false witness was a man who had been present at the time Jesus made the statement, but notice that he doesn’t quote Him accurately. Jesus said, “Destroy this temple…” in other words when you destroy this temple of my body.

 

To verse 62,

And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 

The high priest tries to get the Lord to answer to the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was as the supreme council of the religious rulers who handled religious, civil, and criminal matters.

They want Him to answer so that they’ll know what kind of an argument to use, but the accusation is so farfetched that the Lord doesn’t answer it.

 

Verse 63,

But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” 

Now the high priest puts Him on oath and asks Him the specific question, “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?”

 

To verse 64,

Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 

 

“Jesus said to him, It is as you said.”

This is Jesus saying, “Yes, you have said who I am.” Jesus has claimed for Himself the title “Son of man.”

This is a title the prophets used. It was the highest possible title. It was a statement of His deity, making Himself One with God. He couldn’t have claimed any greater position than to have said He was “the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

 

Now verse 65,

Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! 

The high priest tears his clothes, signifying extreme grief at hearing blasphemy. They think that they have a charge against Jesus now.

 

Finally, today to verses 66 to 68,

What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” 

Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” 

How they hated the Lord Jesus!

This is deep hatred of the human heart to His goodness, His righteousness, His holiness, and the fact that He is God. In spite of all the living proof these people had they reject Him in the foulest possible way.

The thing is though that if you and I had only our old natures, we’d also try to destroy God and remove Him from His throne?

The crowd today says that God is dead, He doesn’t exist! They say that because they’d like to destroy Him. Human nature hates Him. Romans 8 verse 7 tells us,

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

 

Here in the Sanhedrin Jesus, God the Creator in the flesh, was slapped, spit upon, beaten with fists, and ridiculed.

“Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

They played a game with Him. They apparently blindfolded Him, then hit Him in the face, and He had to guess who did it. They would never have let Him guess right, of course.

Until next time friends, when we see Jesus moves ever closer to His death, may God bring you to remembrance of all that He’s done for you.