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Monday 9/20/21
Do You Worship the Lord?

 1And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
 2Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
 3Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
 4And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
 5But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
 6Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
 7There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
 8But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
 9For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
 10When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
 11For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
 12For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
 13Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
 14Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
 15And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
 16And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
 17Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
 18And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
 19And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
 20Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
 21And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
 22And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
 23And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
 24The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
 25Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
 26And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
 27And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
 29But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
 30And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
 31Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
 32But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
 33Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
 34Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
 35Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
 36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
 37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
 39And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
 42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
 43And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
 44And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
 45Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
 46Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
 47And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
 48Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
 49And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
 50And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him.
 51And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
 52Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
 53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
 54But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
 55In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
 56But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
 57And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
 58But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
 59Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
 60But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
 61And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
 62And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
 63But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
 64Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
 65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
 66What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
 67Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
 68Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
 69Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
 70But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
 71And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
 72And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
 73And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
 74Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
 75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Matthew (Levi)
Date Penned: (60-65 AD)
Overview: Jesus Christ the King (c 1-28)
Theme: Death and Resurrection of Jesus, The King (c 26-28)
Message: Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus (v 1-75)

Matthew 26 Commentary
  
(26:1-5) Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus - Starting in this chapter and through the end of the book, we find the climax of Jesus’ ministry. Matthew recorded little teaching (as opposed to John who recorded lengthy teaching at the Last Supper) and instead focused on Jesus’ completion of the work that he had come to do. Jesus moved into the final days of his earthly ministry and to the act that he ultimately came to accomplish—death for sins. This was never a surprise to Jesus; in fact, he had already told his disciples on three different occasions that he would suffer and die (see 16:21-28; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). As if echoing these warnings, Jesus reminded his disciples that the time had come for these things to be fulfilled.

(26:6-13) A Woman Anoints Jesus with Perfume - Matthew sandwiched this beautiful event between two sections dealing with the plot to eliminate Jesus. Most likely, John’s Gospel placed this event in its chronological position. This act of devotion by Mary, who is a true heroine in this narrative, contrasts with the treachery of the villains—the religious leaders and Judas.

(26:14-16) Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus - The Bible does not reveal Judas’s motives other than gaining money. Judas knew that the leading priests had it in for Jesus, and he knew they would have the power to arrest Jesus. So that was where he went. Judas’s greedy desire for money could not be fulfilled if he followed Jesus, so he betrayed him in exchange for pay from the religious leaders.

(26:17-19) Disciples Prepare for the Passover - The Passover took place on one night and at one meal, but the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which was celebrated with it, would continue for a week. The chronology of the events of Jesus’ final week is as follows:
  • Thursday—Lambs were slain in the afternoon, Passover began at 6:00 P.M., Last Supper, Gethsemane, arrest
  • Friday—Official trial, Crucifixion, burial by sundown, Feast of Unleavened Bread and Sabbath began at 6:00 P.M.
  • Saturday—Jesus’ body was in the tomb
  • Sunday—Early morning Resurrection

(26:20-30) Jesus and the Disciples Share the Last Supper - On that evening, Jesus and the disciples arrived in Jerusalem. The Passover meal was supposed to be eaten in Jerusalem after sunset and before midnight. The disciples and Jesus took their places on the couches around the table.

(26:31-35) Jesus Again Predicts Peter's Denial - This is the second time in the same evening that Jesus predicted the disciples’ denial and desertion (see Luke 22:31-34; John 13:36-38). The disciples would turn away from him. Jesus would go to the cross alone.

(26:36-46) Jesus Agonizes in the Garden - After eating the meal, the disciples left Jerusalem and went out to a favorite meeting place (Luke 22:39; John 18:2). This gardenlike enclosure called Gethsemane, meaning “olive press,” was probably an orchard of olive trees with a press for extracting oil. The garden was in the Kidron Valley just outside the eastern wall of Jerusalem and just below the Mount of Olives.

(26:47-56) Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested - Judas, who had left the Last Supper at Jesus’ request (John 13:27), had apparently gone to the religious leaders to whom he had spoken earlier (26:14-16). The religious leaders had issued the warrant for Jesus’ arrest, and Judas was acting as Jesus’ official accuser. Judas led the group to one of Jesus’ retreats where no onlookers would interfere with them.

(26:57-68) Caiaphas Questions Jesus - The trial by the Council had two phases. This first phase occurred during the night (recorded here in 26:57-68); then another meeting was held early in the morning (27:1) to satisfy a law that allowed trials only during the daytime. That meeting was a mere formality held at daybreak, during which the verdict was given and Jesus was 
led off to the Roman procurator for sentencing. A death sentence had to be authorized by the Romans (John 18:31).

(26:69-75) Peter Denies Knowing Jesus - Peter’s experiences in the next few hours would revolutionize his life. He would change from an impulsive follower to a repentant and wiser disciple, and finally to the kind of person Christ could use to build his church.
Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Matthew with Chapter 26. In our text today we see the account of the death and resurrection of Jesus. What catches my eye is how the woman with the alabaster box worshiped Jesus while the Chapter ends with Peter denying Christ. In making application we see that we can choose to worship or reject the Savior. Today many are like Peter and deny Him but we should follow the example of the Women with the alabaster box who gave her all and worshiped the Savior with this most expensive gift. How about You? Do you worship the Lord? Let us learn from our text today and the example of the women with the alabaster box to see that if we truly love our Lord then we will worship the Lord.
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Sincerely,
Dr. Dave Burnette
Director, The United States Bible Society, Inc.