Page 17 - Florida Sentinel 4-12-19

Religious
Called To Remember MATTHEW 26:1-13 (KJV)
The Scriptures
Matthew 26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these say- ings, he said unto his dis- ciples,
2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
3 Then assembled to- gether the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the peo-
ple6. NowwhenJesuswas in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came unto him a woman having an al- abaster box of very pre- cious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disci- ples saw it, they had in- dignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus under- stood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13 Verily 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.
Background
Matthew tells the ac- count of the woman anointing Jesus with perfume just days before the Last Supper. Bibli- cal scholars have concluded that this woman from Bethany who anointed Jesus was Mary, the sister of Martha and
Lazarus (John 12:1–3). This event of Mary anoint- ing Jesus soon before His death is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John. Luke relates a similar story of Jesus being anointed with per- fume by an unnamed sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50), but key details of the accounts dif- fer, leading scholars to con- clude that it was a separate
event.
The Plot To Kill Jesus
(Matthew 26:1-5)
Jesus was a masterful teacher. He wanted His disci- ples and the people to know what would transpire during the end times, despite what the Pharisees taught (see Matthew 24–25). Jesus’ teaching was so convicting and radically different from tradi- tional laws that the religious leaders couldn’t stand it any longer; they had to do some- thing about it. They were de- termined to destroy Jesus at all costs, no matter what they had to do.
Jesus knew that the time of His betrayal and crucifixion would come after the Feast of the Passover (Matthew 26:2). Therefore, He was de- termined to prepare His fol- lowers for the next phase of ministry. As Jesus spent inti- mate time with the disciples, His purpose was to give them hope even in the midst of con- fusing, troubling times. Matthew says that the chief priests, scribes, and elders conferred together with Ca- iaphas, the high priest of Jerusalem, for the purpose of destroying Jesus.
Matthew is seemingly pointing to the fulfillment of a prophecy attested by King David: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed...” (Psalm 2:2). The high priest supposedly served God and the people. But Caiaphas knew it would be expedient to get rid of Jesus if he was to maintain his posi- tion in the Jewish nation. How easy it is for people to manip- ulate the truth for the sake of expedience! Like Caiaphas, people are often more con- cerned about position and prestige than they are about truth.
The Pharisees were con- cerned about the holiday, and they intended to remain in good standing with the Jews,
despite their hypocrisy (Matthew 26:5). However, the religious leaders didn’t un- derstand that God would use their actions to bring about His much higher plan in the lives of all people. Believers will face opposition; some- times it may even come from within the body of Christ.
We also know that when- ever God begins to use a be- liever to promote His kingdom, Satan will plot to de- stroy that person. In spite of this, we can be encouraged be- cause we know that God uses our enemies to bring about a much bigger plan in our lives. As the Apostle Paul affirms, everything works together for the good of people who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
The Expensive Oil Used To Bless Jesus (vv. 6–7)
Some scholars suggest that Jesus was a guest of Simon be- cause He had healed him of his leprosy. Although Matthew doesn’t say specifically, there were likely many people at Simon’s house with Jesus and His disciples, since that was how they ate meals in those days. Among Simon’s guests was a woman whom God used to prepare Jesus for His burial, one of the most important events in history. Matthew doesn’t give her identity, pos- sibly because to him that is not as important as her actions.
While Jesus and His disci- ples shared one of their last meals together, the woman must have understood the im- portance of this opportunity to honor Jesus (cf. John 12:1– 2). She had in her possession an “alabaster box of very pre- cious ointment” (Matthew 26:7). The word “alabaster” describes a very compact and translucent material made of hard calcium that was often used to make carved vases in which to store perfume. The vases are usually made with- out handles and can be easily broken to remove their con- tents. Suddenly and without notice, the woman approached Jesus in the midst of supper and poured the anointing
“perfume” on His head (v. 7). The woman did not ask Jesus for anything. Instead, she rec- ognized the power of the mo- ment and decided to give the Savior her best.
How often do we come to Jesus asking Him to bless us instead of giving Him our best like this woman did?
While the disciples and Simon’s other guests ate their meals, the woman anointed the Lord recognizing Jesus as the Christ (“Anointed One”) of Israel. Though Jesus had al- ready shared what would hap- pen to Him, it seems as though the disciples had no clue about what our Savior would endure — but this woman did!
The Disciples Did Not Understand The Blessing (vv. 8–9)
Scripture indicates that the disciples were not pleased with her actions. In fact, Matthew uses the word “indignation” (26:8) to describe their atti- tude, which was marked by anger, scorn, and contempt. The disciples demonstrated insensitivity to Jesus and this woman. When the disciples saw the oil being poured on Jesus, they murmured among themselves, convinced that the oil was wasted (v. 8). How foolish of them to think it was a waste to give the Lord the best! They thought that in- stead of being poured out on Jesus, the oil should have been sold and profits generated so they could feed and take care of the poor.
John records the oil used as “about a pint of pure nard” (John 12:3), which was im- ported from India and worth about a year’s wages. The dis- ciples have a logical point to make, but they do not compre-
hend God’s will.
Jesus Explains The Blessing (vv. 10–13)
Amid the disciples’ criti- cism, Jesus quickly comes to the woman’s defense because she was willing to share with and minister to Him. Jesus is so impressed that He uses the woman’s actions as another teaching moment for the disci- ples. According to Moses, Is- rael would always have to minister to the poor and out- cast (Deuteronomy 15:11), so the disciples’ attitude did not carry weight with Jesus. In fact, Jesus made it clear that it was their duty to take care of the poor, whether or not the oil was sold for that purpose (Matthew 25:41–46).
However, Jesus affirms that this woman recognized the moment and took time to honor Him. Jesus was about to give His life as a ransom for many; therefore, it was more important to prepare for His death than it was to sell oil. Because of this woman’s sacri- fice and service, Jesus de- clared that wherever the Gospel is preached, her exam- ple of sacrificial giving would be told in memory of her. That is, as the story is told of Jesus’ death and burial, everyone would know that this woman of Bethany used her alabaster box of perfume to anoint the Lord (26:13).
Ask the Lord to help you recognize people He will use to bless and minister to you in your time of need. Don’t allow the fear of betrayal to destroy God-ordained friendships. Thank God every day for being in control of your life, and learn to see His hand in every situation you face.
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