Matthew 26:20

Matthew 26:20

In Matthew 26:20-25 the Bible says, “Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they ate He said, Truly I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say to him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dips his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goes as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It had been better for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas who betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, You have said.”

At this point Judas has already made his decision to betray Jesus. Back in verse 15, the Bible says that the chief priests made an agreement with Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Because Jesus was the Son of God, He knew what Judas had decided to do. The other disciples did not know. They were exceeding sorrowful when they heard that one of them would betray Christ. The disciples also did not know that it was Judas, which means that he must have blended in well with the group, evidence that he was a master of deceit. Judas even tried to deceive Christ. Judas had just come from his infamous meeting with the chief priests, and yet he looked Jesus Christ in the face and said, “Master, is it I?”

You may be able to hide the truth from all humans, but you will not be able to hide it from God. “You can be sure that your sins will find you out.” Even wise Solomon recognized this great spiritual principal 1,000 years before Christ. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 28:13, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.”

In the next 5 verses Matthew finishes his account of what is commonly called the Last Supper. The last supper is a good name for the meal because it is the last meal that Jesus had before He was crucified. Jesus taught several things while seated at this meal. He used the example of bread and wine to teach the disciples about the significance of His own body and blood. Just as a human must eat and drink to have physical life, Christ would give His own body and blood so that humans could have spiritual life. Whoever receives Christ in a spiritual sense, receives eternal life. Jesus said the same basic thing in John 4:14 where He said, “But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The best examples of what this last meal meant to Christ may not be found in churches as they try to represent it, but may be found in prisons in the cells of men that are on death row. Even though His arrest was still a few more hours away, Jesus was a condemned man. This was His last meal. Only a person on death row could possibly know some of the emotions that Jesus was experiencing at that time. It is no wonder that Jesus included prisoners on his list of those who needed to be served and helped by believers. When Jesus condemned the ungodly, He said in Matthew 25:43, “I was in prison, and you did not visit me.”

Matthew 26:26-30 says, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But 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. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.”

It was very common for Jesus to use the physical and material things around Him in order to teach a spiritual lesson. Jesus looked at a farmer sowing seed, and taught the lesson of the Word of God being sown in the hearts of men and women. Jesus looked at flowers growing in a field and birds landing in a field and finding food, and He taught the lesson of God’s care and provision for us. This time Jesus looked at the food on their table as they sat at a feast and He taught the lesson that His own body and blood were to be given for the sake of the forgiveness of our sins.

Spiritual things are the true reality because they are eternal and closer to the divine. Material things are images, and sometimes imperfect images of the spiritual. Second Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Almost everything that is material can be used to illustrate a spiritual truth. Jesus certainly often did this, and He did it also at the Last Supper.

Jesus said, “This is my blood of the New Testament...” The New Testament means the new covenant or new agreement. It was new because it was in addition to and in contrast to the Old Testament. The old covenant was largely based upon the concept of human responsibility, but humans proved that they were incapable of keeping the law of God. They were incapable of upholding their side of the bargain in an agreement with God. It was impossible for man to become justified before God through the keeping of the law. Therefore, a new covenant; a new testament was created by God that would result in humans becoming justified before God. The whole purpose of the new agreement was the forgiveness of sins.

And the forgiveness of sins is possible for one and only one reason: the blood of Jesus Christ was shed. The life of the flesh is in the blood. We know what it is like when prisoners are ransomed. A price is paid for the ransom, and Jesus paid the ultimate price: His own blood. When He was clubbed with hand and fist and whip, when a crown of thorns was beat into His brow, when His hands and feet were nailed to the old rugged cross, and when His side was pierced with a spear: He was paying the price for your sins. Jesus rose from the dead, and anyone who prays to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, is forgiven because Jesus paid with His blood. The New Testament is directly related to the blood of Christ. If Jesus had not shed His blood, there would be no New Testament, and there would be no forgiveness of sins. It is no wonder that Jesus said that as often as we sit down to a meal, we should remember that the food and drink that gives our bodies physical life is really symbolic of His body and blood that were given so that we could have spiritual life.

Matthew 26:31-35 says, “Then said Jesus unto them, All you 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. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of you, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Truly I say unto you, That this night before the cock crow, you shall deny me three times. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with you, yet will I not deny you. Likewise also said all the disciples.”

Nothing happens unless God allows it to happen. Peter’s failure and denial of the Lord was used to teach him a lesson, and also to teach us because most of us have failed in a similar way. Notice that the other disciples made the same mistake as Peter because verse 35 says, “Likewise also said all the disciples.” But Peter’s case is detailed for us in the Scriptures so that we might all learn from it. From Peter’s failure and then restoration to the Lord, we are taught the patience and love and kindness of God toward His children who are sometimes weak. Don’t ever think that God is done with you because you have failed. Remember Peter. Once you become a child of God, He will use everything that happens to you for good, even your failures because His goodness is greater than our sinfulness. The forgiveness of God is greater than the sinfulness of man.

Peter failed because he boasted. “Pride goes before a fall.” He also failed because he trusted in his own strength instead of the Lord. That’s why Jesus reminded us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” The Scripture also says, “Any man who thinks that he stands should take heed lest he fall.”

Matthew 26:36-39 says, “Then comes Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and said unto the disciples, Sit you here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then said he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry you here, and watch with me. And 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 you will.”

We see that Jesus suffered greatly even before he was arrested and tortured. He had reached a crisis in His life, and His soul was tormented. None of us will ever have as much at stake as Jesus did, nor will we face the same level of spiritual opposition and attack; but we will have crises in our lives also. If Jesus had to struggle and agonize in prayer with God the Father in order to properly resolve this crisis in His life, how are we going to be able to sustain our commitment to God and His will, without also struggling spiritually, without also reaching out to God in desperation? How do the people of this world face life without depending upon God, and without having God to rely upon during the difficult times that come upon all of us? It’s no wonder that they turn to drugs and alcohol, anger and frustration, greed and a mean competitive spirit: they only have themselves and their own abilities.

Not only did Jesus come to die for our sins, He also proved that it can be done: a person can trust in God in any trouble, and find strength to help in time of need. There is no excuse for not living by faith, no matter how great the sorrow or how great the trial. If we want to trust in God bad enough, we can do it in spite of whatever happens.

How greatly Jesus suffered inside His soul! Verse 37 says that He “began to be sorrowful and very heavy.” He could have died of a broken heart even before He was arrested and crucified. That seems to be what He meant in verse 38 when He said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” Actually, some people think that Jesus did die of a broken heart, that the crucifixion did not kill Him, but that while He was on the cross His heart may have literally burst from the sorrow and agony of having been made sin for us, and having been separated from the love of the Father in order to taste spiritual death in our place. To think that His sorrow and suffering resulted in our joy and happiness! What a great Savior this is, who loved us that much!

Matthew 26:40-43 says, “And he comes unto the disciples, and finds them asleep, and says unto Peter, What, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He 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. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.”

Jesus showed us by His example the secret to following God. God gave humans a free will, and the free will of a human can be one of the most powerful and stubborn forces on the earth. It does not sound so hard to say to God, “Thy will be done,” and to mean it. But when the chips are down and there may be suffering or loss at stake, or when you really wish that things were different, then see if you can say to God, “Thy will be done,” and to mean it. If you want to learn to walk with God consistently, then you must learn to watch out for your will getting a hold of your heart and your motives. If we can die to our self, and our own will; then and only then can we serve God.

In Matthew 26:41 Jesus told Peter to watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Avoiding temptation is an important part of following God. The more that you are tempted the more that you are likely to sin. Although, God will never allow a person to be tempted above that which they are able to withstand, even so a wise person will avoid situations when possible that will lead to greater temptation. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

It’s not easy to avoid temptation because temptations are almost everywhere. You’ve got to put blinders on sometimes and be careful where you look, and be careful where you go. If you are wise, you will make a determined effort to avoid temptation. Temptation is so powerful that you cannot avoid it in your strength alone: you must depend upon the help of God, and so Jesus said to not only watch but also to pray that you enter not into temptation. It’s important to avoid temptation because the consequences of any sin can be very serious. Some sins even result in death. It’s important to avoid temptation, because one day you will be judged by God for the things done in your body. It’s important to avoid temptation because God is holy, and He wants us to be holy. If you love God, there is nothing that will bring you more sorrow than to know that you failed your Savior. But one of the wonderful things about Christianity is that even if we fail, we know that the Lord has the mercy to forgive us and give us a fresh start. First John 2:1 says; “My little children, these things I write unto you, that you sin not. But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.”

Matthew 26:44-50 says, “And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then comes he to his disciples, and said 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. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that does betray me. And while he yet spoke, 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. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign saying, Whoever I shall kiss, the same is he; hold him fast. And he came to Jesus and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, why are you come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.”

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