continue on to the next part of Matthew chapter 26 this afternoon we'll be reading verses 47 through 56 Matthew 26 47 through 56 it's just the next scene in the story And while he, as Jesus, was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him. But Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus said, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen thus? In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. that all the disciples forsook him and fled. Big move for me. I went there for three months when I was right after I graduated college. And it was quite a big deal for me. I'd never gone across the ocean before. I'd been to Mexico. I'd been to Canada. I think I'd even been to Nicaragua. But that's not the same thing of crossing the ocean, especially going way over there to Kazakhstan, to a part of the world where Not many people in this part of the world know a lot about and so it was quite nerve-wracking in preparation for that and I remember I went to a sort of orientation for short-term mission trips with the organization with whom I went and They gave me a packet of what things what to expect what you might be going through What's the culture like there a bunch of different? items that would help me understand what life might be like there. And I remember being encouraged and thinking that this packet was so helpful because it kind of set a framework for my trip. It kind of made it easier for me to understand. It said beforehand kind of the course on which I would go as I went on this trip. And when I actually got there in Kazakhstan, things didn't seem as foreign as they could have seemed because I had read up about it and they actually set it out quite clearly and from a missionary perspective what you're going to experience. So from that point of view it made life a lot easier once I got there because I knew beforehand what to expect because of this packet that they gave me. Well, in many ways, but in a much greater way, Jesus understands the Scriptures as the framework from which he comprehends his own ministry. It's like Jesus, before his ministry begins, he reads the Scriptures, he understands the Scriptures, he knows that they speak of him, and so he understands and interprets his own mission In light of the Old Testament scriptures as I've been reading and studying and meditating on these chapters, especially Matthew chapter 26 It's occurred to me a few times and it's actually been written here how much Jesus is dependent upon the Old Testament in the way he Identifies himself and his own mission. It's quite striking It's actually said two times in these ten verses here in 26 47 through 56. He says it back and when he's instituting the Lord's Supper, he talks about his own mission, and then in verse 31, when he's talking, when they're singing hymns, I think it's quite obvious that Jesus, as he sings these hymns, is understanding these psalms, they were in light of his own ministry and his own mission. And again, in this passage, it's even clearer. Twice, he says, this is done so that the scriptures could be fulfilled. What I thought we'd do this afternoon is look at one such scripture. We're going to be going over Matthew 26, 47 through 56, but in light of one of the scriptures which it fulfills, and that would be Psalm 69. We read a portion of it earlier. We'll read a portion of it later. But I'm going to go through this passage here in Matthew, in light of what Psalm 69 says, and try to get some understanding as to how Jesus, what gave him the strength to continue, and what allowed him to continue on his mission, even though he's deserted by everybody, all of his close friends. He's betrayed by one of his friends, and he even calls him friend here in this passage, and ultimately he's left. alone to bear the curse of God. So, what gave him the strength to do that? I'm going to argue it's the scriptures. And finally, I'm going to argue that it is our duty to know and understand the Scriptures so that we too can have the strength to continue in the duty which God has called us to do. So, in order to get there, I think I'm going to break down the sermon into three parts. The first part is going to be betrayed, and Jesus is betrayed into the hands of sinners according to the Scripture. The second part is going to be deserted Jesus is deserted by all his companions, and this is also according to the scripture, and the third part will be victorious, the blessing that's promised according to the scripture. That's not here, but what I'm imagining is giving Jesus the impetus to continue. The first section here is betrayed. We get this in the first four verses here. I'll read them to you again. And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude, swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. And now his betrayer had given them a sign. Whomever I kiss, he is the one sees him. And immediately he went up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him. But Jesus said to him, friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. I want to know something right from the outset here. Judas does not simply betray Jesus. We oftentimes feel betrayal by friends and by those with whom we are close. But this is somewhat different. Judas betrays Jesus into the hands of wicked sinners. Okay, whether they be Jewish renegade Jewish people who are the leaders of the Jews aren't really following the Scriptures or Roman rulers who are people who are ruling over them. He's betraying Jesus into the hands. In other words, Jesus is going to be arrested here because of Judas's betrayal. It isn't simply that their friendship is somehow compromised, although of course that is true. It's much more than that. He's putting them into the hands of people who are enemies of God's people. And secondly, it's not just that. He does so with a sign of friendship. He betrays him with a kiss. In our culture, we don't use kisses in this way, at least in this part of the world. Kisses are normally set aside for, and we kiss our children, and sometimes we kiss our relatives, but it's just not the same implication. In the ancient Middle Eastern world, and to this day in the Middle Eastern world, people who are friends will kiss one another on the cheek. When I go to Cyprus, I do way more kissing there than I ever do here. It's just part of their culture. I happen to like it. Many people from the West are a little uncomfortable with it. It's just not exactly something we're used to. Now, in Cyprus, you do two kisses. You do one kiss on this cheek and the other kiss on that cheek. In Lebanon, you do three kisses. One, two, three. It shows they're a little more affectionate or whatever, but that's just the... That's just the other the the custom there that you do three different kisses there and anyway, it's a sign of friendship and a sign of Communion or fellowship with somebody you kiss them on the cheek. It's something you do to your friend and it signifies friendship and And this is the sign that Judas has come up with to betray Jesus. The irony is so heavy. He's saying, and he even comes in and says, greetings rabbi. And the word greetings there isn't simply just to greet you. It's almost hail or something like you are greater than I, but how you address the superior. And rabbi, of course, is a term which means teacher. And Judas is coming and he gives him a kiss and he greets him very kindly. All of this to betray him and to put him into the hands of those who were opposed to God and to God's will. So, this is not just an act of betrayal, this is something that's calculated, this is something that is from one of Jesus' friends, making it all the worse, something that uses a common sign of friendship for betrayal, and something that, as I said earlier, it's a predetermined sign, which is the kiss, and it really brings out the insidiousness of what Judas is doing here. using a supposed sign of friendship for this. Now, Jesus, in verse 50, gives a remarkably kind response to what Judah said. But Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come? And this word for friend isn't just a normal word for friend. It's something that is used for a close associate in the Greek version of the Old Testament. The story of David and Hushai the Archite in 2 Samuel Hushai is a great close confidant of David's, and he helps him in his time of need. And he's called by this word. It's actually not used that much. The word has to do with being a comrade or someone who's your opposite or your pair, your right hand man, we might say. And it's a very close term. And Jesus is using this still of Judas, perhaps laying on just to Judas how bad what he is doing. But Jesus is still remarkably kind in his greeting toward Judas. Why have you come? As if Jesus didn't know. He did know, but he is questioning on a deeper level, what is his motivation in doing such a wicked and insidious thing? And the result of what Judas is doing here is to be handed over to sinners. Again, we see this in verse 50 here. They came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. Notice how they do this at night. Jesus tells in verse 55, Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me. In other words, you're treating me like a common criminal, but I haven't been a criminal. I've taught in open, in public. Everyone saw me. I was in the temple. Why didn't you do that then? Why didn't you do all this then? The reason is for two reasons. One, they didn't want to cause a riot, first of all. And secondly, they were cowards. They knew at a deep level that Jesus was innocent. And somehow, as part of the human condition, Wicked deeds are done better at nighttime because no one can see. It's a way for humans to cover that up. And I think of, again, I've said last week how I'm reading Portia, the Narnia series, and they kill Aslan at night and they're having this great party and this feast. But the way Lewis writes, it's very insightful. You can see that even as they scream out in the light, they are still guilty, and they know what they're doing is killing an innocent person, and they do it at night to cover it up so that no one else sees, or their own consciences won't torment them. It's the same idea here. They arrest Jesus at night, even though they could have. Jesus has been teaching openly in the temple for the past couple of days, as we have seen, yet they didn't do it because of fear, fear of a riot, and fear of just plain cowardice, and that their own consciences would condemn them. And yet Jesus proclaims in verse 56 that this is all happening according to the scripture. But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. That's verse 56. Jesus' betrayal was clearly taught in the scriptures. We saw this last week or two weeks ago when we looked at Psalm 41. The one who dipped bread with me, this one has betrayed me, the psalmist says in Psalm 41. But I'm going to try to understand this in terms of Psalm 69, which is more directly pertaining to what happens with Jesus as we saw with the vinegar and as we saw with the extreme suffering. In Psalm 69, verses 1 through 4, the psalmist cries out, Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire where there is no standing. I've come up into deep waters where the floods overflow me." That's the metaphor often used in scripture, the metaphor of water. Water is seen as a representative of chaos because the sea is so oftentimes unpredictable. And when water is being used as a metaphor, usually the person is in great trouble who's saying this. The waters are coming up to your neck. I don't know if you've ever been in a situation where waters were up to your neck. I remember my brother. My brother was not very good at swimming, but we went to a wave pool once, and he was swimming in the deep end once, and he was bragging about it, and we were like, you don't do that, but we didn't have the guts to go out and go get him. So he was out there swimming away, and all of a sudden, the waves came on. It was funny. It wasn't funny. It was terrible. But looking back, it was kind of funny to see the one wave up and then see a big smile on his face. And then the next wave up and this look of utter panic on his face. And the fact that he could not get out and that he was just struggling in there with the waves. And my grandfather went out. None of us towers went out and got him. My grandfather, he was on the in the pool with the sunbathing, ran out and jumped and saved him. The waters if you've ever been in that situation, can be extremely powerful and terrifying. It feels like you have absolutely no control over your situation. And that's the way the psalmist feels here. He's in deep mire. He's in deep waters. The floods are overflowing him. And then the metaphor is interpreted in verse 3. I am weary with my crying. My throat is dry. My eyes fail while I wait for God. And here's the pertinent part here. Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They who are mighty, who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully, though I have stolen nothing, I must still restore. The idea is the psalmist is under duress for even though he has not committed any sin, even though he has done nothing to warrant this hatred, his enemies are more than the hairs of his head. They're around him and they've surrounded him and put him into custody. And that's exactly what's happened here with Jesus. He had done nothing wrong. He told his enemies right there, if I have done anything wrong, you should have arrested me back there and I was teaching openly in front of everyone. Why do this at night? Because they are doing it unjustly and without cause, as the psalm says. And Jesus understood this as a fulfillment of the scriptures. He understood his own ministry, his own message, and here his own journey to the cross as a fulfillment of scripture. He was betrayed according to the scriptures and his enemies outnumbered him without cause according to the scriptures. That's the first part, he's betrayed. Secondly, he is deserted by all of his companions, according to the scriptures. And we get this here in verse 56, the last one. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. Why was he deserted? Peter, in verse 35, I just read it earlier, was so confident that he would be able to stay when Jesus was under duress. What caused him, them, and not just Peter here, but all of them, to desert Jesus. In fact, all of the disciples after Peter said it in verse 35 of chapter 26 said, we will stay too. Matthew makes a point to say that. And yet all of them forsake him here. We get clues as to why he was forsaken. In verses 51 through 54, let me read them here of this chapter. And suddenly one of those who were with Jesus, we know that's Peter, by the way, from John, stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, put your sword in its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my father and he will provide me with more than 12 legions of angels? How then could the scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen thus? Peter had already received the lesson from Jesus about the kind of kingdom which Jesus was bringing in. You remember back in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus says to the disciples, who do they say I am? Some say the prophet, some say the Christ, etc. And then Jesus says, looking to all the disciples, who do you say I am? And then who answers? Peter does. He says, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And then Jesus gives Peter a great honor and says, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father who is in heaven, and I say that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. But then, right after that, Jesus is talking about how he had to suffer, and how he had to die, and how he had then to be raised from the dead. And Jesus says, no, no, no, never you, Lord, never you. And what does Jesus say? He says, get behind me, Satan, for you are not thinking of the things of God, but of the things of men. Peter had this idea that in order for the Christ to be exalted, he could never go through humiliation. You can never go through what he said he was going to go through. And we think this is so intuitive for us as Christians. But think about it. What king has ever won by dying? Many kings have died on the battlefield and are called heroic for that, but none of them express purpose was to go out there and die. This is not normal. And so we are so used to hearing this as Christians that somehow it's it's oddness escapes us. How could someone win by dying? And Peter, even at this time, misunderstands it. I think there was also a sense in which he wanted to defend Jesus. And he didn't want him, he loved him, he didn't want him to go into custody. But it's clear by Jesus' response that he still doesn't get it. How can a bunch of twelve people anyway go against Rome? But then again, you can think of Peter's thoughts after him and say, you know what? Jesus turned five fish or five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand. Maybe he can multiply men or something like that. I mean, he was doing pretty miraculous things. Maybe he could do it here. But Jesus responds in two ways, which no doubt would have been difficult for Peter to hear. And there are two responses here. And the first one is in verse 53. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my father and he will provide me with more than 12 legions of angels? First of all, Jesus says, if I wanted to do that, I could. I have the power to do that. This is very similar to what Jesus and Pilate are going through when they have their interchanges recorded in John's Gospel. Pilate's asking, Are you a king? And Jesus says, My kingdom is not from this world. And he says, if it were from this world, I can call down upon God and bring his angels and come and destroy everyone. But my kingdom is not from this world. In other words, my kingdom is not the kind that usually exists in this world. It's a kingdom that is won not through military victory, but through Christ's death on the cross. Jesus could if he wanted to. But secondly, he says in verse 52, put your sword in its place for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword. His kingdom is not earned and won through the sword. Now, Jesus here is not saying he's not advocating a strict pacifism. I think sometimes people read too much into that and say, oh, Jesus is a pacifist here. I don't think Jesus ever sat down and said, this is my belief about war in the abstract. That's just not the kind of things that was going on in his head at that point. He clearly was teaching you avoid war if you can. But the point here is that This is not the way that God has chosen that Christ's kingdom would come. The idea that there can be some kind of war to end all wars, that violence will ultimately bring about peace, is not what Jesus came to do. I think wars are... I don't think... I'm not advocating pacifism here. I mean, wars are necessary at some times, and there have been Christians who have fought long and hard about a just war. But here, what Jesus is saying is, this is just not what I've come to do. Because those who take the sword will inevitably die by the sword. It brings about more and more violence. The way you defeat fire is not with fire, but with water. You do so in a way that's different than the others too. And Jesus' way of doing it was going to the cross and bearing the curse of others. And when the disciples heard this, I think this was the impetus for them deserting him. Again, we get this at the very end of the passage in verse 56. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. I think that Jesus would have taken comfort in the words of Psalm 69, again, verse 20. Verse 20 reads, reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. Jesus knew that he had to do it alone, that there would be no one there to comfort him, as the psalmist says here. He knew that In a sense, Israel was being pared down to one, one faithful Israelite, and that he had to do it by himself. There would be no one there, not even his own father, to comfort him. And so these scriptures gave him hope. Thirdly, and now we move beyond this passage into what is motivating Jesus as he goes to the cross. victory and blessedness, according to the scriptures. Because Psalm 69 doesn't end with this scene. It ends with verses 34 through 36, which reads, Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. Also, the descendants of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it. Jesus knew that on the basis of this psalm, we can look at Psalm 22, we can look at all the other psalms, that there at the end, after all the suffering, after all the abandonment, after all the betrayal, there was God's restoration purposes there, that he would restore the cities of Judah, as it says here. And this is language of return from exile and restoration of God's covenant and bringing about the promises which God had promised earlier. Think about the term inheritance there in Psalm 69 in verse 36. This is a term that God used for Abraham and his inheritance that all the nations of the world would be his inheritance. And so this song and many, many like it end in this victorious note. that after the period of suffering there would be a time of exaltation and a time of victory. Interestingly, even Isaiah 53, which is so often used as talking about Jesus' suffering and humiliation, and that is true, it does, but in verse 11 it talks about my righteous servants by his knowledge will justify or vindicate the many, for he will bear their transgressions. And in verse twelve, it talks about how he will have a portion with the great kings and how he will receive an inheritance from God the Father. And then going into Isaiah chapter fifty-four, it talks about the restoration of God's covenant and its enlarging of God's covenant. It is victory after the war. There is exaltation after humiliation. There is blessedness after the curse. And so this is what keeps Jesus motivated as he goes to the cross. These Psalms and other parts of scriptures would talk about this blessedness and this exaltation. So as followers of Christ, as we try to understand these words for our lives, what does it mean for us? When we look at scripture, it can function in the same way. When we go through times, now, like I said earlier, none of us are going through what Christ is going through. And that is clear, and that is something we need to say. At the same time, as those who are being molded into Christ's image, our lives follow his patterns. So we will go through these hardships. We will go through times of betrayal and desertion. We need to remember that the victory is also ours, too, in the Lord Jesus Christ. It may not happen now. It's only promised at the last day, but happen, it will. So when we're going through these times and we're going through times of we think we're being abandoned by God, we think we're being abandoned by friends. Remember. God will be there with us and he will see us through to the end, because as he promises, there is exaltation after humiliation, there is victory after defeat, and there is blessedness after apparently receiving the effects of the curse. So, as we read these scriptures, particularly we think of Psalm 69 today, but the Psalms in general and the Old Testament and the New Testament in general. And you see them applied to Christ first, but then also to us in our lives. Important thing to remember to read the end of the story too. to know where we're all headed and to understand this is for us. And it motivates us as we live today to seek these things and to continue and to persevere today, knowing that the final victory is in the hands of God. And that means that our destiny, our final destiny is secure in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you that Jesus did persist in that he was given strength And that even though all deserted him, he continued, he continued to the death on the cross. Knowing that in because of the promises you made, the victory was his. And so we pray that as we live in Christ. Knowing that in Christ the victory is ours too that this would motivate us as we continue to live for him And it's in his name we pray amen