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Matthew: On Earth As It Is In Heaven The Betrayal, Arrest, & Trial of Jesus Christ * Matthew 26:47-68 Good morning and Happy New Year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday celebration like my family and I did. In fact, I thought I would show you a picture to illustrate how good it actually was. This is our vehicle coming back from my parent’s home in Indiana. My mom goes a little crazy at Christmas, and with 5 kids, luggage, and gifts it got a little tight in the vehicle so we ended up strapping nine Rubbermaid’s to the back of our truck and doing what you might call a redneck road trip. All right, go ahead and take your Bibles and turn with me to Matthew 26. And while you are getting there, I want to take a couple of minutes to give you an overview of our preaching schedule in the days ahead, one that I am pretty excited about. As you know, in our study of the gospel of Matthew we have finally arrived at the most significant events in the history of the world, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, our passages over the next two weeks will lead us right to those two events. This week we are going to study the betrayal, arrest and trial of Jesus, and then next week we are going to look at how he is handed over to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who will ultimately sentence him to death. So, that is this week and next. After that, however, before we specifically study the crucifixion we are going to take about 8 weeks to talk about salvation, or about what exactly Jesus accomplished on the cross. This will be a mini-series entitled Saved by Grace, and in it we will study topics such as election, regeneration, justification, and perseverance, just to name a few. It’s going to be a great series and one I have been looking forward to for a long time. So, as I encouraged you back in December, please do your best to be here for these messages as we study some of the most important and encouraging truths of our faith. With that said, let’s read our passage for today, picking up in v. 47. This is a little longer section of Scripture than normal, so hang in there with me as I read:

While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. [48] Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” [49] And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. [50] Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. [51] And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. [52] Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. [53] Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? [54] But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” [55] At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. [56] But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. [57] Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. [58] And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. [59] Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, [60] but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward [61] and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” [62] And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” [63] But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” [64] Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” [65] Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. [66] What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” [67] Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, [68] saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” (Matthew 26:47-68 ESV) 2

Drop down to with me chapter 27:1 which tells us that: When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. [2] And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. (Matthew 27:1-2 ESV) What We Learn From the Betrayal, Arrest, and Trial of Jesus Christ Ok, so today I want to talk with you about what we learn from Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and trial. As we do so, however, I want to give a little warning, one that I will likely give again in the days ahead. One of the things we need to avoid as we study the events surrounding the cross is that we don’t simply respond to them emotionally. What I mean by this is that it’s very easy to get caught up in the injustice of these events and the physical suffering Jesus experienced and as a result get distracted from what the gospel writers are trying to teach us through these events. Now listen, I’m not saying we shouldn’t respond emotionally to these things, but I want to warn you not to allow that to be your only response, or even your primary response. You see, it’s more important to understand why Jesus suffered than to be moved emotionally by it. In other words, our focus needs to be on understanding the theology of the cross, because our lives are ultimately transformed by truth rather than by emotion. Let me give you an example; most of you have watched the movie the Passion of the Christ. I remember when that movie came out there was a big push to use it as an evangelism tool. I attempted to use it as an evangelism tool. However, even though millions and millions of people saw it, it had very little lasting impact. Why? Because while the movie did a good job of depicting Jesus’ suffering, it completely failed to describe why he suffered. Pretty much everyone who saw it had an emotional response – it was almost impossible not to - but without the accompanying theological explanation of why he suffered, there really was little lasting power in it. So, do you understand my point? Yes, let’s be moved by what Jesus went 3

through, but let’s not substitute that for an understanding of why he went through it. That said, I now want to look at three things we can learn from our passage today, each of them represented by one word. In this passage we can learn about depravity, sovereignty, and deity. Got that? These events are about depravity, sovereignty and deity. Depravity Let’s start with depravity. This is a topic we are going to study in detail during our Saved by Grace series, but for now let me just say that by depravity I am referring to the depths and effects of human sin. One thing we can see in our passage today is the undeniable impact of sin on the human race. For example, consider Judas. Think for a minute about how evil it was to betray the Son of God, to be the means through which he would be given up to be crucified. I believe it’s important to consider how Judas got to the point where he was willing to do so. How do you get to the point where you are willing to betray God? Well, there are different theories on this, but for me it’s pretty simple. I think Judas initially followed Jesus because he believed that Jesus had a bright future and that by being an early adopter he would reap great rewards. When he heard Jesus’ teaching and saw some of the miracles that Jesus performed, he got to thinking that Jesus might just be the next big thing and if he got in early it was going to be very beneficial, especially from a monetary perspective. Judas got big ideas about wealth, fame, and comfort but when things didn’t turn out that way he became disappointed, and his disappointment turned into anger and bitterness. I think we can actually see this in our story today, because when Judas betrays Jesus, how does it do it? He does it with a kiss. When Judas arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane he could have very simply pointed to Jesus, but instead he greeted him with a mark of supreme affection, love,

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and respect.1 What’s going on here? Judas is mocking Jesus. He’s pretending to be his friend and brother, when in reality he despises him and is carrying out his revenge for his unmet expectations. Now, it’s really easy to look down on Judas here and be repulsed by his wickedness. I mean, he is, by far, the greatest pariah in history. But let me ask this: how many of us can say we haven’t done something similar? How many of us can say we haven’t turned on Jesus when he has seemingly failed to meet our expectations? I think if we were honest we would all have to admit that we have been there, done that. Whether it’s been in regards to our health, or our wealth, or our comfort, we have all had times when things haven’t gone as we expected them to go. And when Jesus didn’t give us what we wanted – regardless of the reason – our hearts started to go the way Judas’ did. We got disappointed and perhaps even allowed our disappointment to turn into anger and bitterness. Now, I’m not saying that any of us have gone to the depths that Judas did, but most if not all of us have been on his path. Our hearts go in the same direction his did. We are Judas. Of course, Judas is not the only one overcome by sin in this story. There are plenty of other examples as well. Take the religious leaders. Their issue with Jesus is different than Judas’, but their response is similar. They are jealous of Jesus and fearful they are going to lose their positions and popularity, and so they are willing to do whatever needs to be done to get rid of him. I won’t go into all of the illegalities in Jesus’ arrest and trial, but they are manifold. It’s not hard to see that Jesus’ trial is a sham; when you have to seek out false testimony to make your case you are on flimsy ground, but that didn’t stop these men. You see, Jesus threatened what was most valuable to them, and so they sunk to incredible depths in an attempt to do away with him. And again, it’s easy to judge these men, but if we are honest we have to admit that we often do the same thing. How many of us have shaded the truth, or compromised our integrity, or told just a little white lie 1

Frederick Dale Bruner. Matthew: A Commentary: The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28 (Kindle Location 12427). Kindle Edition.

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in order to protect our reputation, or save a little money, or get ourselves out of a tight spot? Yes, what the religious leaders do to Jesus is unconscionable, but all of us have done similar things ourselves. We all have hearts that are bent to do whatever we need to do to protect our interests. We are the religious leaders. Finally, in this story we see how sin affects even Jesus’ disciples. Look at the end of v. 56. Then all the disciples left him and fled. This comes only hours after the disciples had, to a man, declared that even if they had to die with Jesus, they would never deny him. There’s an important point here for those of us who are followers of Jesus. We need to realize that just like the original disciples, we too are still sinners. That while our salvation frees us from the penalty and power of sin, it doesn’t free us from the struggle with sin. Again, and I know I’m being repetitive here, it’s easy to think that we would have stood by Jesus as he was arrested, but the truth is that we are just as weak as the disciples were. We too lack courage. We too lack spiritual strength. We too have a tendency to fall away when the going gets tough. We are the disciples. Now, at this point you might be wondering what I am trying to prove here. Maybe you came looking for some encouragement today, and right now you feel like I am giving you anything but. So, here’s what I’m getting at. The reason we must see come face to face with our own sin is that it’s a necessary prerequisite to appreciating all that Jesus did for us on the cross. You see, it’s only when we understand how lost and sinful we are that we truly come to understand and know how great and wonderful Jesus is. That despite the fact that we are betraying, manipulating cowards, Jesus was willing to die for us anyway. You see, Matthew is trying to show us that we are more sinful than we ever imagined, and yet at the same time more loved than we could ever dare believe. That’s one of the reasons I said earlier that we have to be careful not to simply respond to these events emotionally, but rather to understand why these things happened and then personally apply these truths to our lives. Here we learn that the reason Jesus had to die was because of the depths of human sin, including ours. So, the first thing we learn in this passage is about depravity. 6

Sovereignty Second, in this story we learn about God’s sovereignty. And this is truly amazing. Despite the fact that he is the one being betrayed, arrested, and tried, it’s clear that Jesus is in charge of pretty much everything that is happening in this story. As Dale Bruner writes, even in his arrest it is Jesus who gives the orders, explains the events, and is in almost total control.2 For example, note in v. 50 that when Judas comes strolling into the garden thinking he is in charge, Jesus shows him right away who really is, by commanding him to do what he came to do. Also notice that when Peter cuts off a guy’s ear and things almost get out of hand, Jesus is the one who prevents that from happening. Jesus commands Peter to put his sword away and Luke tells us he then takes the guy’s ear and puts it back in place. He’s being betrayed and arrested but he’s giving orders and performing miracles. But of course, Jesus’ sovereignty doesn’t end there. Once he stands before the high priest he refuses to answer until the moment the trial has come to a stand still. If you read the passage carefully, there are really two parts to Jesus’ trial. The first was kind of like a grand jury where the religious leaders are essentially trying to indict him. They attempt to do so by bringing all kinds of false witnesses to testify. But since none of these witnesses agree, the trial almost grinds to a halt until Jesus finally decides to speak. Now, I don’t know if I’m making this clear or not, but what I am trying to get across is that Jesus ultimately is the one who gives the religious leaders what they need in order to convict him. Without his statement in v. 64, one we will talk about more in just a moment, Jesus would have been set free. I bring all of this up to point out the fact that these events were not an 2

Frederick Dale Bruner. Matthew: A Commentary: The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28 (Kindle Locations 12450-12451). Kindle Edition.

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unfortunate accident or a stroke of bad luck but rather something God sovereignly planned and orchestrated from beginning to end. This is made clear in v. 54-56. Look at them with me again: But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? [55] At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. [56] But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” So think through this with me. Who inspired the prophets, the writers of the Old Testament, to predict what would happen to the Messiah? It’s an easy answer. It was God the Father, working through his Holy Spirit. And so what is happening here in Matthew 26? It’s God himself sovereignly working to bring about what he had inspired the prophets to predict would happen hundreds of years before it happened. So let’s apply this. And I know I point this out on a regular basis, but I do so because I’m convinced it’s so very much where we all live. The application of the fact that God was sovereign even in the unjust trial and death of his Son is that no matter how bad things look, everything is going to be ok for those who are his. Did you get that? Some of you really need this today. All of you will need it at some point. God’s sovereignty over the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ means that for God’s children everything is going to be ok, no matter what. Let me flesh this out to make sure you understand why this is the case. There is no greater tragedy in history than the events we see in Matthew 26-27. No greater injustice has ever been committed than the murder of the Son of God. No greater suffering has ever been experienced than the suffering Jesus went through on the cross. As bad as your circumstances are today, and I don’t say this lightly, but they are nowhere near as bad as Jesus’ were. And yet, because he trusted that God was in control, he was able to face those circumstances and know that in the end everything was going to be ok. In fact, he knew it was going to be better than ok. Jesus 8

knew what was on the other end of his suffering. He knew that God was going to raise him from the dead and in the words of Philippians 2, give him a name that was above every name, a name at which one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord. You see, Jesus knew that soon roles would be reversed. He knew that instead of being judged he would be the Judge. And listen, I know you might be thinking, well, of course, Jesus knew that because he knows everything. But brothers and sisters, we can know what Jesus knew. We can know that God is working all things, even the really hard things, for our good. We can know that if God is for us no one can stand against us. We can know that there is nothing, neither death nor life, nor angels or rulers, nor things present nor things to come that can separate us from God’s love. And how can we know this? We can know it because it’s in God’s Word. We can know it because it’s in the Scriptures. And so just as God was in control of Jesus’ circumstances to bring about what the Scriptures promised would happen, we can know that God is in control of our circumstances to bring about what the Scriptures have promised us would happen. So listen to me closely here. If you are God’s child; if you have repented of your sins and placed your faith in Jesus and as a result have been adopted into God’s family, you can know that everything is going to be ok. That no matter what you face in life there is nothing that can take you away from God’s love and that one day Jesus is going to return in the clouds to turn your circumstances completely around and take you to live with him forever. And when he does the trouble you are facing today will be nothing but a very distant memory. (Rev. 21) And so to bring this point to a conclusion, here’s what we need to do in the meantime. 2 Corinthians 4: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to 9

the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV) In other words friends, we need to look to the cross. We need to look to the resurrection. We need to look to the 2nd coming. And as we do, we will be reminded that everything is going to be ok. All right, we could just end there, but there’s one more very important piece of the puzzle we need to learn about today. We’ve learned about depravity and sovereignty, let’s finish by learning about Jesus’ deity. Deity The key moment in our text, and really in all of chapters 26-27 comes in v. 63-66. It’s really hard to overstate how significant these verses are, so let’s look at them again: But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” [64] Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” [65] Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. [66] What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” As the religious leaders begin to run out of options in trying to condemn Jesus, Caiaphas takes one last stab at it. He challenges Jesus to answer under oath whether or not he claims to be the Messiah, the Son of God. And when Jesus responds in the affirmative, the religious leaders finally have what they are looking for. They can now charge him with blasphemy, which they do immediately, a charge that leads to a unanimous vote for a death sentence. Now, there’s a lot going on here, but the one thing we cannot miss is why 10

Jesus was sentenced to death. What is it about his response to Caiaphas’ question that seals his fate? Well, it was nothing less than the fact that he claimed to be God. It was the fact that he, a man, claimed that he was also the Son of God. In his book, Killing Jesus, Bill O’Reilly makes the claim that Jesus was killed he because he opposed taxation and the Roman political agenda. In other words, Jesus was killed because he was a Republican. Others claim that it was because in the turmoil of the first century Israel events spiraled out of control and Jesus was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. He just kind of got caught up in things and got himself killed. But neither of these could be further from the truth. Jesus was killed because he claimed to be God. Note an earlier interaction between Jesus and the religious leaders recorded for us in John 10: The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. [32] Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” [33] The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”(John 10:31-33 ESV) So, Jesus didn’t accidentally get himself killed. And he wasn’t killed because he was a revolutionary, or a powerful teacher, or even a mighty prophet. No, he was killed because he claimed to be nothing less than the very God of the universe himself. And here is the application for us. We have to decide what we are going to do with what Jesus says in v. 64. D. A. Carson says that the terminology Jesus uses here means he is claiming to be the undisputed King Messiah and sovereign Judge of the world.3 And make so mistake. The religious leaders understood perfectly what Jesus was saying, and they had him killed for it. So friends, just the like the religious leaders, we have to decide what we are going to do with Jesus’ claim. We have to decide whether or not we are going to accept it or reject it. Is Jesus the undisputed King and 3

Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 555.

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sovereign Judge or is he simply an impostor? Our answer to this question makes all the difference in the world.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. © 2015 by Chris Carr. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Harmony Bible Church’s website address (www.harmonybiblechurch.org) on the copied resource.

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