The fulfillment of God’s plan is near. Jesus has his last supper with his disciples and uses the “(todah), a sacrifice of bread and wine offered in thanksgiving to the Lord” to connect his body and blood with the covenant of salvation, our redemption and reconciliation to God through him. His body, the bread, is broken for our healing and his blood, the cup, poured out as payment for our sin. This is a work that he must face alone and even though all of his disciples agree in Matthew 26:35 “Even if it is necessary for me to die with you, I will never deny you!”, they are all scattered as he is taken. As he comes before the high priest he is challenged one last time in Matthew 26:63 “tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!” and Jesus answers in Matthew 26:64 “But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” They cannot bear to hear it and respond in Matthew 26:66 “He deserves death!”.
One Of You Will Betray Me
This Is My Blood Of The Covenant
Matthew 26:26–30
In his last few hours with his disciples, Jesus observes what we call the Lord’s Supper or Communion or the Eucharist. There are two main parts, the bread and the wine but these are only symbols of the work that he was about to do as he gave his life on the cross. Jesus first gave thanks for the bread, his body in
Matthew 26:26 Now while they were eating Jesus took bread and, after giving thanks, he broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, “Take, eat, this is my body.”
His body, broken for us, was part of the sacrificial offering, a part of the covenant God was establishing with us as described in
Isaiah 53:4–5 However, he was the one who lifted up our sicknesses, and he carried our pain, yet we ourselves assumed him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed.
Then, Jesus took the cup, his blood in
Matthew 26:27–28 And after taking the cup and giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
and it was his blood that paid the price for our sin. It was his blood that sealed the covenant as it says in
Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, nearly everything is purified with blood according to the law, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
And it is no surprise that “In the sacrificial system of the Jerusalem temple, the most common rite was perhaps the תּוֹדָה (todah), a sacrifice of bread and wine offered in thanksgiving to the Lord … More than a century after the fall of the temple, the Talmud records the rabbinic belief that in the age of the Messiah, “all sacrifices will cease except the todah sacrifice. This will never cease in all eternity” (Pesiqta, quoted in Gese, “Origin,” 133).1
You Will Deny Me Three Times
Matthew 26:31–35
Jesus knew his disciples and he wanted to prepare them for what was coming so in
Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me during this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
but he also steps right past this denial, which will be traumatic for them, and says in
Matthew 26:32 “But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Have you ever said this? “I will never …!”. It seems there are for all of us, times that test us and we fail. We often hear this account of Peter’s denial, and even though he said he would die for Jesus, in
Matthew 26:35 Peter said to him, “Even if it is necessary for me to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the disciples said the same thing.
and even though all of the other disciples also affirmed they would die! Peter did deny him three times just a few hours later. But Peter wasn’t the only one that fell away, the other disciples weren’t anywhere to be found when Jesus suffered the false accusations and physical abuse through his trial.
Not As I Will, But As You Will
Matthew 26:36–46
The Disciples All Abandoned Him And Fled
Tell Us If You Are The Christ, The Son of God!
Matthew 26:57–68
As Jesus stands alone before the leaders of Israel, they are looking for accusers that would justify their intent to kill him in
Matthew 26:59–60 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order that they could put him to death. 60 And they did not find it, although many false witnesses came forward. And finally two came forward
Then, there is this statement that Jesus did make in
Matthew 26:61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it within three days.’ ”
Jesus had not been talking about the temple in Jerusalem, he was talking about the temple, his body and his statement was a prophetic word about what they were about to do as they crucified him. Since Jesus doesn’t answer this, the high priest asks straight out in
Matthew 26:63 But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”
Jesus has already answered with the demonstration of power to heal, with the demonstration of forgiveness of sin, and answers them finally “you will see” in
Matthew 26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
They have not believed until now and they refuse to believe pronouncing sentence on Jesus in
Matthew 26:66 What do you think?” And they answered and said, “He deserves death!”
Study Verses
- Matthew 26:26–30 This Is My Blood Of The Covenant
- Matthew 26:31–35 You Will Deny Me Three Times
- Matthew 26:57–68 Tell Us If You Are The Christ, The Son of God!
Today’s Reading
- Matthew 26:17-68
References
- 1. Hahn, S. (2016). Lord’s Supper, Theological Issues. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.