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." (Matthew 26:27-28, ESV)
Jesus and His friends are feasting together in celebration of the Jewish Passover. The Passover is a time to remember how God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. It's a celebration steeped in rituals--a service meant to be held in a home (as Jesus and His friends did) rather than in a synagogue.
But no part of the ritual includes passing a cup and saying the words Jesus spoke here: "Each of you drink...this is my blood. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many."
His disciples were probably surprised and confused when they heard words that weren't part of the Passover ritual. But later, after His resurrection, they began to understand these words (John 2:22). They recognized that His blood had been shed to rescue all mankind from the bondage of sin.
We celebrate that deliverance and remember what He did for us every time we take communion in our churches. Just like the Jews were freed from physical bondage in Egypt, Christians celebrate their freedom from the bondage to sin every time they observe communion and remember Jesus' sacrifice.
And from that moment he [Judas] sought an opportunity to betray him [Jesus]. (Matthew 26:16, ESV)
Betrayed. Been there, felt that? It hurts...badly. You're often left wondering who you can trust and feeling like no one really understands you. You may think, "Why do all the bad things happen to me?"
Jesus understands betrayal. He understands what it's like to have someone close to you turn his or her back on you.
Judas was one of the 12 chosen disciples. This guy was hand-picked by Jesus to be part of the group. He walked, talked, and ate with Jesus. He heard His teachings and saw His miracles. Judas was one of the trusted few.
But tensions were getting high and Judas turned his back on Jesus. He decided to look out for himself instead. He went to the priests to strike up a deal to turn Jesus over to them.
Do you think Jesus was surprised by that? No, Jesus is God--He knows all things. Have you ever considered why Jesus would choose this guy and have him around, knowing that Judas would betray Him?
It was all part of God's plan to save you from your sin. Jesus intentionally suffered the pain of betrayal because His love for you is so great.
You may think that you're alone, that nobody understands or cares. Not true. Jesus knows exactly what you're going through. He is with you because He loves you.
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." (Matthew 26:10-11, ESV)
No matter what we do, it seems some people are always quick to criticize. You know what it sounds like: You didn't do it their way, you didn't use the money as they wished, you chose to do A instead of B, if you'd had a bit more experience you'd have known it really would work better like this...
Here an unnamed woman came and did a wonderful, sacrificial service for Jesus, giving up her best just to bless Him. And the disciples criticized it as a waste of good stuff.
Jesus quickly corrected them. "She's done a good thing," He says, "and she's done it for me."
Doing good is often misunderstood. Other people don't see or understand your motives. They don't recognize the sacrifices you make. And quite often the ones who say they'd have done it differently aren't doing it at all.
But Jesus always sees your heart. He recognizes and praises your sacrifice. And as long as you're doing it for Him, your heart is in the right place.
Did you notice that Jesus also said, "She's done it while there's still time"? His time was limited. He was about to face betrayal, injustice and death. And this woman, who probably didn't know what was coming, gave so much to bless Him and even prepare Him.
Life is short; you won't have endless opportunities to do good things for Jesus. Now is the time. What will you do?
"Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them." (Matthew 25:19, ESV)
This is the fourth story in a row Jesus told to urge His followers to watch and prepare for His return and the end of this age.
In the story a man goes on a long trip leaving his servants in charge. Before he leaves, he gives them some money: the first received five talents (a talent was equal to about 20 years of wages); the second, two talents; and the third, one talent.
When he returned, he asked them what they did with his money. The first two had invested it and earned more. But the third servant had buried his and had nothing more than the original coins. The master wasn't pleased with this "wicked and slothful servant" (Matthew 25:26, ESV).
What is Jesus saying in this parable? "Live your life on purpose. Invest your time and finances now to increase the number of men, women and children who will be in heaven." He's given us each resources we can use for Him. He wants us to use them to help others get to know Him.
What has God given you? Can you sing, draw, provide a friendly, welcoming environment for guests in your home, teach, preach? Maybe even give faithfully?
We can bury our resources and opportunities like the third servant in this story. We can even make excuses like he did. But the "wicked and slothful servant" was thrown into outer darkness while the other two were commended by their master and celebrated with him.
"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." (Matthew 26:2, ESV)
In these five verses we see two groups of people looking towards the same event: the death of Jesus.
In the first group, Jesus explains to His disciples what's coming--He would be betrayed and crucified in Jerusalem during the Passover celebration.
In another part of town, the leading priests and other leaders were discussing their plot--they would capture Jesus secretly and kill Him, but not during the Passover so as not to cause a riot.
A short time later, every word Jesus spoke was proven true. Judas betrayed Him to the religious leaders, and with a public outcry, a mob of angry Jews demanded Jesus be crucified.
We've talked elsewhere about why Jesus had to die--to forgive our sins--and how after three days He was resurrected and has paved the way for all of us to live with Him forever. But here, notice the difference between the plans of God and the plots of men.
We all have our dreams for the future and even some thoughts on how we'll get there. It may even be that God has the same future in mind--but a different plan on how to get there.
Maybe He wants you to be married just like you've always wanted? Or land that great job? But what if He has a different road mapped out for you? Something you don't see or think you'll want to do?
Will you trust His plan? Or will you fight for your own plot?
