Matthew 26:1-16

“When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” ³ At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, ⁴ plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.⁵ “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.” ⁶ Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. ⁷ While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. ⁸ The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. ⁹ “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? ¹¹ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. ¹² She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. ¹³ I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” ¹⁴ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests¹⁵ and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.”

Our last disciple, Judas Iscariot, is one of the most famous disciples because of his betray of Jesus and it’s here in Matthew 26 that we see his:

1. Rebellious heart

Judas conspired with the chief priests to deliver Christ for the cost of thirty pieces of silver. He personally live and fellowship with Jesus for three and a half years and still betray Him.He heard Christ’s words and witness His works, yet he still wasted his life. Why did he betray Jesus, what would compel a man to sentence his closest friend to one of the most horrible deaths imaginable? The why leads us to the who – Who was Judas Iscariot? Well like many of the disciples we don’t really know all that much about him. We do know that his father was Simon (John 6) his surname Iscariot was probably a combination of two Hebrew words which would then be translated, Man of Kariot. Being from Kaerrioth Judas would have been a Judean and the only non-Galilean in the group. Acts 2 reminds us that all the other disciples were Galileans. He was the treasurer of the twelve and also a thief and a traitor. In Matthew 26:6-9 sandwiched between the plotting of the Jewish leaders to take Jesus by trickery and Judas’ offer to betray his Master, there is a suggested possible motivation for Judas to betray Jesus. After the anointing of Jesus with oil in Bethany and the criticism of the disciples (John reminds us Judas was upset over the waste) Judas then went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus to them. Judas saw Mary’s sacrifice as a waste because he was focused on the money not the Master. Judas chose riches over the Redeemer, because greed was his God. As Mary’s generous, selfless act of love for Christ filled the room with a sweet aroma Judas was filled with betrayal. Our attitudes can affect and sometimes infect our actions. Mary served the master while Judas’ behavior was one of betrayal. Does your attitude reveal a sweet or a sour aroma? Second in Matthew 26:20-25 we see a:

2. Revealed heart

Matthew 26:20-25 – ^“When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table^[c] with the Twelve. ²¹ While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” ²² Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?” ²³ He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴ For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” ²⁵ Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”

Jesus revealed his rebellious heart at the last supper, ironically the Passover meal was supposed to remind them of Gods rescue and redemption. How the lamb’s blood protected them and made a way out of slavery and bondage. This is the story of God’s grace that we take for granted. Jesus washed Judas feet, but Judas wasted the washing. He was called, and he could have been clean, Jesus confronted this fact when he said in John 13:10 not every one of you is clean. He missed the opportunity to be changed as Jesus instituted communion, God’s continued plan to rescue and redeem. While Jesus poured the wine Judas chose to profit, as Jesus broke the bread Judas chose betrayal. What has Jesus revealed to you about your heart? Is there any rebellion that you need to confess and repent of? Third in Matthew 26:45-50 we see the:

3. Results of a Rebellious heart

Matthew 26:45-50 – ^“Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” ⁴⁷ And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” ⁴⁹ So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss. ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.” 

The first casualty we see of a rebellious heart is relationship. Instead of pursuing Jesus, Judas was pretending. “Oh, innocent victims of Cupid, remember this terse little verse to let a fool kiss you is stupid But to let a kiss fool you is worse.” – Yip Harburg. In the end all he has to offer is the fake kiss of friendship. Today many are faking friendship and in doing so are missing the richness of a real relationship. Look at the crowd that Judas had joined, he had traded the Savior for the sword. Fakers look like friends in the same way wolves look like dogs. Proverbs 27:6 says“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than kisses from an enemy.”What about you are you a follower or a faker?

Matthew 10:4 – ^“Simon (the zealot)”

After talking about personality and political passion we now come to:

• People Passion

As we discover what really changes people’s hearts, we discover what lets people walk and work together. Simon reminds us that the disciples were not a cookie cutter bunch all cut from the same cloth, these were very different men from very different backgrounds. So, the second lesson we see in Simon’s life is in contrast with who he was called to serve with and care for. Simon hated everything, and everyone associated with Rome, especially the taxes. Jesus calls him to join a group of men that has a former tax-collector for Rome in their midst. Matthews political views are the exact opposite of Simon’s. Simon is an anti-Rome, anti-government, anti-tax. Matthew is a pro-Rome, pro-tax, and yet here they are two very different men with very different political persuasions. I wonder what their conversation was like around the camp fire? What is surprising is that this group of disciples that Jesus called together didn’t implode or explode. That their political views didn’t become a thorn in their flesh. Why? Because again they realized that their political persuasion was not nearly as important as putting their faith in the Prince of Peace. There are some things more important than their personal views and they realized that. As a church we need to realize that as well. What is important is our identity in Christ, it’s not our politics but our position in Christ that is the glue that holds us together. While the Disciples were from different backgrounds, they came to have the same belief. Different ideologies but the same identity. When we follow the same Savior, we end up heading down the same road. Today we like the feel of being an individual, different and separate from the pack, yet when we are following Jesus we can come together and work together not because we see everything the same but because we all see the same Savior. Unity is not uniformity,we aren’t all meant to be alike in every way.We are a diverse people, God loves variety and has created us to be different and yet to be unified.So, our goal must be to have unity in the midst of diversity.That means that in the church, we have the freedom to be unique, but not the freedom to be divided. To work with nor war against our spiritual siblings. Sadly, today we want to be defined by who we are instead of Whose we are.  It’s not about our independence as a culture but our identity in Christ. God calls very different people to follow and serve the same Savior. Lastly we see a:

• Passion for Preaching

Imagine the shock he experienced when Jesus was asked about paying taxes and He answers by saying, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Or, how about this man who believed that it was only the edge of the sword that the Romans would heed and understand, but one day he hears Jesus say, “All who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Simon and all those who believed as he did were anxious for the Kingdom of God to reign down and for the descendant of David to viciously expel the invaders. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven would not spread rapidly, but that it would work slowly, invisibly like yeast when He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks (24 quarts) of meal, until it was all leavened.” What Simon came to know and understand was that there was a great and vital war to be fought, but that war was not a war of the flesh, but a war between the light and the darkness, between the truth and the lie, between God and evil, between the Savior and sin. Simon came to understand that our battle is not against flesh and blood and that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. When Jesus one day said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”(Matthew 10:34). Simon surely believed that this indeed was the time when Israel would rise up and once again be a force to be reckoned with in the world. Only later did he come to realize that the sword Jesus referred to was the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and that wherever and whenever that Word was preached, there would be a battle engaged. The zeal and passion that Simon felt for his nation Jesus transformed into a zeal and a passion for the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 9:6 says “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” This may be the most familiar Old Testament prophecy about the birth of Christ. Unfortunately, we seem to pull this passage out of the box only during the holidays. It’s like one of the ornaments we use to decorate our house. But have you ever thought about the rich truth this single verse teaches concerning the King of kings? Though we still await the full realization of His kingdom, the promised Messiah is the greatest political ruler ever.  Isaiah wrote this prophecy at least a hundred years before Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity and nearly 600 years before the birth of the Savior! Looking at a long line of failed monarchs, and sitting in the rubble of Israel’s monarchy, Isaiah looked across the centuries to a time when God would rule on earth through His Son. What kind of kingdom is it? What distinguishes the Messiah’s kingdom from the other kingdoms of this world?

• No Confusion—He Is a Wonderful Counselor
• No Chaos—He Is the Mighty God who in creation brought order out of chaos.
• Uncomplicated—He Is the Father of Eternity
• No Conflicts—He Is the Prince of Peace

Simon went from a revolutionist and political persuader to a preacher of peace and righteousness. We must be dedicated to doing the Father’s will. Our business is to be ambassadors who represent the will and character of God who stands at the head of the government. So, what are you zealous and passionate for, is it Jesus or something else?