Matthew 26: 1-16

Matthew 26: 1-16

We now come to the point of the Gospel. Someone once said that the Gospels are the drama of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ with a very long introduction. That's not far from the mark. Jesus is not a hapless victim; but rather, the willing participant in the Father's plans. The circumstance rather than being the designs of men are the arrangement of God for His purposes. This section, verses 1-16, has three themes. The first and the third reflect the evil of men and in between the love of discipleship.

Theme one: the self-serving bias of the priestly delegation. Jesus’ repudiation of the temple convinces the priestly delegation that He is a threat and must be removed. They fear a rebellion. If He is not taken during the Passover, He might slip away or even start a rebellion. But his popularity makes a public arrest too dangerous.

Theme two: an act of simple, radical love. In contrast to the devious self-serving plots of the priests is a loving, extravagant gift of the woman. A careful study of the exchange might take weeks, but a few points are rather pronounced. Sincere, extravagant love for the Lord is a beautiful and noble thing. Judgment of another's worship is inappropriate. This woman was prompted to anoint the Anointed One in preparation for the burial of the Christ. Giving to the poor, while good, must not become a legalistic, mandated act. Of all the events surrounding the life of Christ, the simple act of extravagant love and great devotion is the one that is going to be told in and with the gospel’s proclamation.

Theme three: the betrayal of Judas. Whatever Judas' motivations were (all we can do is conjecture) it is set in contrast to the loving anointing. Judas provided for the priests the perfect solution: a secret arrest before Jesus could escape in the Passover throng. Once the deed was done it was only a matter of time until the conspirators could fulfill the purposes of the Father. Each step we take moves us in a direction and makes the next step in that direction all that much easier.

"Jesus, help me so that all of my motives and actions will be directed at loving You my Lord. AMEN"