[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey, thanks so much for listening to this message. My name is Jason, and I'm one of the ministers here at the Madison Church of Christ. It's our hope and prayer that the teaching you hear today will bless your life and draw you closer to God. If you're ever in the Madison area, we'd love for you to stop by and study the Bible with us on Sundays at 05:00 p.m. or Wednesdays at 07:00 p.m. if you have questions about the Bible or want to know more about the Madison church, you can find us
[email protected] dot. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast as well as our Sermons podcast Madison Church of Christ sermons thanks again for stopping by. I hope this study is a blessing to you.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: So we were talking before class.
You know, the way we've done the class is a lot of times Robert and I will play off of each other what we. How we.
I don't want to say interpret, but how we view certain scriptures. And we were both saying that we feel like as we move into 26, 24, 27, and 28, which are really now the end, right. The end of Jesus life, we don't know really quite how to put it into words. I said, maybe it's a bit more historical. We don't want to say it isn't teachable, but how would you put it, Robert? Or how were we saying it?
[00:01:18] Speaker C: We both struggled, and I think it's an indication of our struggle during preparation for the class.
I kind of feel like when you read through it, it's pretty straightforward and laid out very well for you. So I struggled to come up with anything that I felt like I could add to it to contribute to your understanding or your learning. So keep that in mind. I don't know how you guys feel about, especially these last few chapters. They're so important, they're so impactful, maybe even emotional as we get through these last chapters. But if you guys see it drastically differently, speak up.
That's one of the best things about this class, is we learn from each other.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: Yes. And I do think, and even as we said, that we both. We actually started with the start of 26, chapter 26, and we actually do have a difference in looking at it here.
I think it's funny. Robert probably doesn't, but I think it's funny. If you'll remember, when we were in chapter 24 and 25, and I think 24 was the class you helped me with. Brent, if you'll remember, that was where the disciples are starting to question Jesus about the end times. Jesus tells them some things about the end times, fairly plain language, and then he goes into parables. And last week we talked about those parables, but then what I thought was funny, and this probably says more about me than anything else, is how chapter 26 starts. And chapter 26 starts. And it says, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, you know, that after two days, the Passover is coming and the son of man is to be handed over for crucifixion. And I said, in my mind, it's almost like they're sitting there, they're on every word he's saying, and he looks at him and he's like, yeah, they still don't get it. And he's like, you know that I'm going to be killed in a couple of days, right? And that's the way I took it. Robert didn't.
[00:03:32] Speaker C: That's the way that you read it.
[00:03:33] Speaker B: That's the way you realize it or.
[00:03:34] Speaker C: Not when you read it aloud. That's the way.
[00:03:36] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the way I read it when I read it. But you had a different take on it, right?
Slightly different take, yeah.
[00:03:46] Speaker C: I guess I should have said earlier when I was talking about these three chapters, they're filled with Old Testament prophecy fulfillment. I mean, it's one thing after another, so we could note those. And, you know, it starts right off the bat with some of those things, and it's filled with reference to Old Testament, with the passover and that feast and what have you. So as we read these, I want to make sure we read the chapter tonight. So let's not get out of here without reading the entire chapter. But I would like for us to kind of listen and just consider ourselves in some of their shoes and their responses and think about what was going on. Maybe in their minds, it's not necessarily fruitful for us to learn or have a better understanding of it, but to appreciate what was going on and what these folks were thinking. There's a lot happening in these chapters, and, I mean, that starts right off the bat with, hey, you know, this is coming to an end.
Okay, go ahead. Go ahead. All right.
[00:04:58] Speaker B: Well, let's go ahead and look at verses three and four. And again, I'll read those. It says, at that time, the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the courtyard of the high priest named Caiaphas, and they plotted together to arrest Jesus covertly and kill him. But they were saying, not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people now, why did they think a riot might occur?
It was an event that happened. We talked about it a few weeks ago. What would have been fresh on their minds? What had just happened. If this is, it says two days, so five days prior, what had just happened?
Triumphal entry. Right? So that's fresh on their minds. And again, they're covertly talking about this and they're plotting to kill him, right. But they're scared because they know the people have given him, you know, a triumphal entry just a few days before.
[00:06:04] Speaker C: Now, as I'm not the first time that they've shied away because a fear for the crowd. Right. We've heard that multiple times already.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Now, the thing I wondered here, and this is a wonder scripture doesn't tell us, I wonder if at this now, certainly at the end, there were people that had been part of the triumphal entry, you know, praising and laying down palm branches, that sort of thing, that were there screaming for blood at the end. And I wonder, were there already people that were. That were peeling off of that and were a part of this? Scripture doesn't tell us, at least as far as I know, but that's the first five verses.
Did you have another thing you wanted to add there?
[00:06:50] Speaker C: Anybody have anything to add on those? They're pretty.
[00:06:53] Speaker D: Yeah, I think there's enough people there that they. There's probably a lot of opinions there. Some that were like Jesus or Jesus was Christ, and others just hated him, stuff like that. So I think there's enough people, people loving him and people hating him.
There was enough people to praise him when he came in, and there was enough people to go around and crucify him too.
[00:07:28] Speaker C: I would agree there was widespread feelings on that.
[00:07:33] Speaker E: I always wondered why they changed their timeline, because they said, let's not do it during the festival.
But, you know, they work it out with Judas to turn them over at an appropriate time.
[00:07:45] Speaker F: And it just so happens, yeah.
[00:07:49] Speaker C: There'S a lot of prophecy that is coming to bear in these couple of chapters.
Alright, let's go ahead and read the next section, if you will, starting with verse six.
Now, when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask, a very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at the table. When the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, why this waste for this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, why do you trouble the woman, for she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.
What comes to mind there? I mean, what hits you about that section?
[00:09:02] Speaker D: There's someone who gets it.
If you look through the rest of.
[00:09:09] Speaker B: The chapter, there's a lot of misunderstanding.
[00:09:14] Speaker D: But she gets it.
[00:09:17] Speaker C: She understands.
Yeah, I like that. In the dimension to the rest of the chapter, it's filled with misunderstanding. It's filled with unexpected responses.
People surprise themselves even.
I think the response from the disciples was fairly predictable based on a lot of the stories that we've read about this quarter.
But yeah, that's a good way to put it. She gets it.
[00:09:48] Speaker D: This reminds me of the Mary Martha story, right? Choosing the better.
The woman chose Christ while they were focused on something else.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: Alberta. Kind of interesting that all the people gathered there, she was the only one that served Jesus.
The disciples that had been with him didn't serve him. Even after all of the examples that he had given them up to this.
[00:10:17] Speaker D: Point, she was the only one that.
[00:10:22] Speaker B: Came and served him.
[00:10:25] Speaker C: Yeah, that's good, good point.
Any significance to the anointment, burial preparation?
I think it's interesting that he brings up that point after saying, hey guys, in a couple days I'm going to be crucified. So maybe more. I don't know that there's a right, wrong or known answer to that, but something to consider, thoughts.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: I might be way off here, but.
[00:10:56] Speaker C: I think didn't like when they, when Moses was setting up the high priest.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Didn'T they annoy their head with a.
[00:11:01] Speaker C: Wall and stuff like that? And kings? Yeah, something I thought. Yeah, that's true.
Move on.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: Sure. I'll read the next section. So.
And as I read this, I will say what always strikes me here, I kind of don't get. I don't get what's going through Judas's mind here because we're going to see in this passage, he actively sought this out.
And also keep in mind, if I remember correctly, from where they were to where he went, this was like, I think it was like less than a mile, mile, mile and a half. So this was very immediate. So he's been with Jesus. He's going to leave, go see them and then he's going to, he's going to come back. Okay. And so verse 14, it says. Then one of the twelve named Judas Iscariot. Went to the chief priests and said, what are you willing to give me? Disciples did as Jesus had directed them. And they prepared the Passover comments or thoughts.
[00:12:09] Speaker C: I would say, keep. Keep going through the 20 through 25. And it will tie the.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Now, when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve. Now, as I pointed out, keep in mind Judas would have left. And now he's back with them.
And as they were eating, he said, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray. Betray me.
Being deeply grieved, they began saying to him, each one, surely it is not I, Lord. And he answered, he who dipped his hand with me in the bowl is the one who will betray me. The son of man is going away just as it is written about him. But woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had not been born. And Judas, who was betraying him, said, surely it is not I, rabbi. And Jesus said to him, you have said it yourself.
[00:13:05] Speaker C: So my odd thoughts as I read or read and thought about this.
Why did Jesus approach this the way he did?
You've got the group together.
We've already had the little side story of Judas going. And on that note, to me it's interesting that Judas took the first action, didn't he?
I mean, you would have thought people would be trying to bribe him or one of his followers to give him up or to be a witness against him or something like that. And it made me wonder, well, did the leaders of that time think there's no way any of those twelve men would ever do that? So they didn't even try. But it's interesting to me that on Judas own accord now what? I'm getting way out in the weeds now. But what do you think motivated that?
[00:14:08] Speaker E: I think he'd seen Jesus, quote, escape the crowd many times. And I think maybe he thought it would be no different. And this is an opportunity for me just to gain some money.
And that in the end he would. Nothing would happen. Because he's seen all these miracles even, oh, he would just disappear through the crowd again or, you know, whatever. And then I will have just gained money. And nobody will even know I did this.
Because how would anybody know if that would have been the case?
And then we do see regret later when he realizes that Jesus is condemned. Basically, he tries to go back and undo it and give it back. And I think he was surprised. I think he was shocked that it was actually Jesus was allowing it to happen and that he didn't see the overall bigger picture when he was speaking about, I'm going to be crucified. I'm going to be crucified. He wasn't listening. Again, we weren't hearing it. So.
[00:15:23] Speaker C: I appreciate you for sharing that because that was kind of where my mind went, just thinking about why did he hate Jesus? Was there a confrontational relationship there?
[00:15:36] Speaker B: Yes, I agree with you. So as I've gotten older, I don't feel like when I was younger, I kind of felt like Jesus chose Judas to play a part.
As I've gotten older and I read the scripture, I don't believe that. I believe Judas had free will. Right. He had a choice to make. I will tell you all back what, ten or 15 years ago, when the Da Vinci code was really popular, there was, I think it was actually called the Gospel of Judas. And this got very popular for a while. And the idea was that Judas might have thought that he wasn't thinking spiritually, he was thinking earthly, and he thought, I'm going to start the revolution.
There's no scriptural basis for that.
But that was one of the theories put forward. In other words, Judas thought, he's going to be the king. I might as well make some money on the way. Not really understanding that they were going to kill him, that he wasn't talking about an earthly kingdom. And that particular. Again, I think it was called the Gospel of Judas. But again, it came out of that whole. All the sort of the misinformation around the da Vinci code, but that was really, really popular. And that particular gospel, and I believe it's one of the gnostic gospels, actually portrayed it as. That was part of the plan that, you know, Judas was. Was doing something that Jesus wanted him to do. And I. That's not correct.
[00:17:18] Speaker C: I don't agree with that at all.
[00:17:19] Speaker D: Lucas says that Satan enters.
[00:17:21] Speaker C: Yes, yes.
[00:17:23] Speaker D: Maybe that's symbolic, that Judas had these thoughts of maybe personal gain or whatever, or maybe it really was Satan taking control. There are many discussions of demon possessed people, but it seems odd that Satan would have a hand in fulfilling prophecy that would ultimately lead to his demise. So.
[00:17:47] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I think.
I think too, you know, as Robert pointed out, and I was saying it when I started reading, Judas sought it out.
This wasn't like a.
What I would call, like a classical, as Robert pointed out. Oh, there was a temptation. There was something laid out and he was like, yeah, I'll get a little bit of that. No, he looked for it. He went looking for it and said, I want to do this.
[00:18:16] Speaker C: And to your point of his demise, this whole story involves a lot of people that thought they were taking care of a situation, a problem getting rid of it. In the grand scheme, his demise was the plan. So it's interesting.
Oh, he took your comment.
[00:18:40] Speaker F: Instead of saying that Satan entered Judas, it was Satan prompted Judas, which to me goes back to he still had, it wasn't like a possession type thing. He still had free will, but he was prompted, or maybe the idea was.
[00:18:57] Speaker C: Entered into his head, attempted. Right. I mean, it could be that simple. We don't.
[00:19:03] Speaker D: Satan isn't all knowing omnipresent. He doesn't know, I assume doesn't know the entire plan.
[00:19:12] Speaker C: Oh yeah.
[00:19:12] Speaker D: That makes it more acceptable that there was an opportunity to do Jesus in. So I'll tell you.
[00:19:18] Speaker E: Yeah, I think he watches though, and he observes and he learns because I think he's preying on Judas's greed and love of money. Because somewhere, I'm not sure where, Judas, it calls his name specifically as being upset that some prized ointment, oil or.
[00:19:41] Speaker C: Something was broken or perfume, or perfume.
[00:19:44] Speaker E: And instead of giving money to the poor, but we get an insight of he was only saying this because he wanted to dip his hands in it, basically. So he's dipping his hands in the treasury or so to speak, of the disciples. And so that was already noted. And so I think he's, Satan like prayed on his love of money there.
[00:20:07] Speaker C: To try to quite possibly.
[00:20:09] Speaker E: What can you give me? What's in it for me?
When he went to try to ask for whatever to betray somebody, they could be betrayed, maybe going off of that too. I also wonder, given the whole section before, where they are all upset about this ointment. I wonder if this scenario, knowing that he's been upset before and who knows how many other times he been upset with Jesus if this wasn't just the straw that broke the camel's back and he sought them out out of anger. And also maybe that's why he had regret later, because he did this out of anger. And then once he had cooled down and realized his actions, he felt remorse.
[00:20:52] Speaker C: And continuing that thought just for a moment as this section unravels. And Jesus says, one of you twelve, you know, are going to betray me.
And he says that twice.
But it's interesting that after he says that, they're all, is it me? Is it me? They all ask, except for one. Until the story continues a little bit right when Jesus gives a little more meat on the story about what's happening. Then Judas follows up and said, is it I.
He's that last one. I thought that was interesting. Don't know why? Don't know.
It made me wonder what's going on in Judas's mind there. I mean, you know, we've all heard the guilty dog barks first kind of thing. Is it a guilt thing? He's like, well, if I'm silent here, they're all going to think it's me because he's, you know, just odd things that we'll never know the true answer to this side of heaven.
[00:22:04] Speaker B: Yeah. The only point I want to make sure we maybe drive home here and want to ask a question, as we've talked about all this, and I think everything we've said, it's all different ways to look at it. But the final question I have was, did Judas have to do what he did?
[00:22:24] Speaker D: Someone had to.
[00:22:26] Speaker B: But did Judas have to? No, Judas had the choice.
[00:22:31] Speaker E: He could have been forgiven.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: Correct? That's also correct.
But I do think that's very, very important. And I know we have tried not to jump around, but one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is Esther.
When Mordecai says to Esther, tells her what's going on, and Esther's like, I don't know if I want to be a part of this. And Mordecai tells her, you decide what you're going to do. The Lord's will is going to be done. The Lord has prepared a way. You can be part of it or you can not be a part of it, but the Lord's prepared a way. Okay? And I think that's the big point here, was Judas had a choice, okay?
And again, I think there is contemporary misinformation there that people try to get into that, try to paint it as, Judas did not have a choice. I don't believe that. I don't believe the scripture teaches that. And to the point that was made, he could have repented of that in the end.
[00:23:39] Speaker C: I think the rest of this chapter bears out some opportunities. Right.
And could be interpreted as Jesus obviously given opportunities for him to repent and not follow through with it.
[00:23:54] Speaker D: Can I have another question real quick? How did Jesus know to go to the chief priests to betray Jesus? Is that the devil prompting him? I mean, from the narrative, we know that they plotted to kill him and didn't like him. Right. And then we also know from previous chapters that Jesus put in heads with them, but how did he know to go to them?
[00:24:13] Speaker B: Specifically, who else would he have betrayed them to? I don't know. The Romans didn't care.
[00:24:19] Speaker D: Fair enough.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: You know, the Romans didn't care. And, you know, if you look at some of the history of what was going on around there, the Romans weren't particularly fond of those festivals because the Jews had rioted during these festivals before. So they had extra people there. So the Romans, they didn't. You get what I'm saying? They didn't much care. They would have also have seen the triumphal entry. And so Judas going to the Romans and saying, hey, I want to get this guy. They're going to be like, yeah, right. The guy that people were chanting and screaming for.
To me, that's kind of a.
It's kind of. It's obvious why. I mean, the Jews were the ones that hated him, right? The Romans didn't care. They didn't care. They didn't care if he said he was king of the Jews, they didn't care. As long as he did what they wanted, they didn't care. That's Dave's opinion.
[00:25:17] Speaker C: And it was Jews in positions of power who didn't want to lose their.
[00:25:22] Speaker F: I have another like, and this is. My voice is not good, but.
And this may be way off. I don't know. But I have a side note that the 30 pieces of silver was basically like the price of a basic slave in those times.
And it makes me wonder if, kind of going back to the Old Testament, when Jacob, not Jacob Joseph got sold into slavery, his brothers were jealous because Judas had been jealous because. Because he's seen all this, Jesus getting all this attention and, you know, he just. He was very self absorbed in certain ways. Maybe he did it because of jealousy. He thought, maybe, you know, if I sell him for this, maybe they'll use him as a slave or something.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: So I think everything that everybody said is very, very true. But what's the one common theme that we talked about?
Every person that's had a theory on why Judas did what he did?
[00:26:20] Speaker C: He had a choice.
[00:26:22] Speaker B: He had a choice, but what else? He was selfish. He was selfish. And what did Satan do with that? He used it. He used it. That was Satan's way in. Whether it was jealousy, pride, envy, doesn't matter. That's how Satan got to it.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: And he knows all of our weaknesses, and we'll use them.
Any closing comments, questions?
Thanks for being here. Thanks for your patience. Thanks for sharing.
