Matthew 26

Notes for BSF

BE A MARY, NOT A JUDAS (Matthew 26:1-16; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-11)

Mary's faith was her salvation
Mary's faith was great. She put Jesus first, not money or things. The disciples saw that the perfume was expensive and admonished Mary for using it to wash feet. The disciples saw that the perfume was worth more than to wash feet. Mary, however, did not see it that way. She saw it as a way of giving her best to Jesus.

Matthew 26:10-13
He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Judas valued his faith at 30 shekels 
30 shekels was the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32; Zechariah 11:12-13). For 30 shekels, Judas agreed to sell out Jesus, a mentor who had sheltered and protected him for years.

Jealousy, pride... greed for self-glorification can overwhelm us and blind us to selfish wants. For 30 shekels, Judas traded his salvation, his eternity with the Lord, for eternal suffering.

Learn from Mary, learn from Judas. We are to offer our first fruits to the Lord, to offer the best to the Lord. And in return, we will rest in God's protection.


JESUS CALLS JUDAS OUT (Matthew 26:17-25)

In His death on the cross, Christ fulfilled the true meaning of the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover Lamb (cf. John 1:29). Christ, the Lamb of God, was crucified on Passover day, a celebration that began the evening before when the Passover meal was eaten (cf. Exodus 12:8).

This feast commemorates the time that God passed over households that were covered by the blood of the Lamb and withheld judgment from these households. Similarly, Jesus is our Passover Lamb, whose blood is shed to cover us, allowing God’s judgment to pass over us.


JESUS IS OUR BREAD, OUR WINE (Matthew 26:26-30)

The bread that we partake during communion is representative of Jesus' body; the wine, Jesus' blood, the blood of the Lamb (Luke 22:19-20; John 6:51-58; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:7)

1 Corinthians 11:26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Whenever we partake in communion, we should always remember that Jesus died for us.


JESUS PREDICTS PETER’S DENIAL (Matthew 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-38)

Peter was weak at his strongest point
Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him 3 times before the night was over. 

Peter thought he was better than the others 
Upon hearing Jesus' prediction, instead of heeding Jesus' words as a warning, Peter became defiant, saying, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble" (Matthew 26:33).

Peter entered Gethsemane in a dangerous attitude of mind
Instead of praying and keeping watch as Jesus had asked Peter and the rest of the disciples to, they all fell asleep, unable to support Jesus at this critical hour of His life.


JESUS PRAYS IN THE GARDEN (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46)

Jesus, as man, suffers pain and agony as we do. Taking the cup was a very difficult mission, to endure the wrath of God on behalf of the entire human race. This was why Jesus prayed to God that if there was any other way, please make it so. 

How difficult is enduring the wrath of God? Death is the result. This is why Paul said, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

Despite the hardship that He must endure, Jesus knew that He was here to accomplish God's will. And so, while facing the wrath of God, Jesus prayed for the strength to endure the sins of the world placed upon His shoulders.

Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane allows us a brief glimpse into the intimate relationship between God the Father and God the Son. Perhaps we cannot grasp the full extent of Jesus' prayer until we are reunited with God in body and spirit, but we can certainly sense the enormous burden this mission was for Jesus. Jesus prayed hard and prayed numerous times to gain as much strength as He could from the Father in order to persevere through this incredible mission.