I. Introduction
A. The outline for this message came from “The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible’” by Leadership Ministries Worldwide
B. Lets begin by turning to Matthew 26:1 - 5
Matthew 26:1-5 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, {2} "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." {3} Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, {4} and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. {5} But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
1. What we have been going through in the past 8 weeks we have been going through what is commonly called the Olivet Discourse, Matthew chapters 24 and 25
a. All of this happened on Tuesday and Jesus is not yet finished teaching His disciples
2. It was apparently still Tuesday of Jesus' last week before His crucifixion
a. He would be murdered on Friday, just a couple of days away.
b. In these few verses Matthew gives a glimpse into the drama that was going to end this phase of His life
c. Two scenes are pictured
(1) Jesus was intensely preparing His disciples for His death
(2) And the religious elite were behind closed doors demonically plotting His death
C. What Jesus explained about His death is explicit
1. He was to be betrayed and crucified
2. What the religious elite plotted was explicit: they were going to kill Jesus
a. We have talked about this before
b. This is not the first time Jesus predicted His death
c. This is not the first time Jesus let His disciples know precisely the who, what, where, and when of His execution
(1) Turn to Matthew 26:1 - 2
II. Body
A. Jesus' death was explained to His disciples
Matthew 26:1-2 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, {2} "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
1. He was to be arrested quietly after the pilgrims had left the feast
a. Jesus Christ. Death: Jesus' death was explained to His disciples
b. In just two days He was to be crucified
c. The disciples had to be strengthened for the hour of trial lest their dreams become dashed upon the rocks of despair and they loose faith
(1) Remember, their thoughts were focused on the Messiah restoring the kingdom of David to Israel
(2) They were thinking that He, the Messiah, was going to deliver Israel from Roman bondage
(3) The Messiah would free the nation and establish it as the greatest nation on earth under the rule of God Himself
d. There was the very live possibility that the apostles could lose faith when they saw Him being put to death by the hands of mere men
(1) It could appear as though He was being forsaken by God
(2) Christ had to do everything He could to prepare them
2. Christ’s death was tied to the Passover
a. He was foretelling the disciples the exact day He was to be killed, and it was to be the very same day the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed
(1) Turn to John 1:29
b. We should understand that Jesus was telling His disciples that His death was tied to the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb And note, He was tying His death to the sacrifice of the lamb.
John 1:29 (NKJV)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
c. Go down just a few verses here is John to verse 35 & 36
John 1:35-36 (NKJV)
Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. {36} And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
(1) Turn to 1 Peter 1:18 & 19
d. Here the Apostle declares Jesus as the Lamb of God
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV)
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, {19} but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
(1) Turn to 1 John 2:1 - 2
e. The Apostle John also declares Jesus as the Redeemer
1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. {2} And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
(1) Lets read Matthew 26:1 - 2 again
3. Jesus’ death was the Son of Man dying.
Matthew 26:1-2 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, {2} "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
a. Often we do not comprehend the “Son of Man”
(1) It means that He perfectly identified with man in human flesh
(a) Turn to Hebrews 4:15
(b) But it means more, much more
(c) It means that He is the Ideal Man
(d) The Man who lived a perfect and sinless life
(e) By living without sin, He has become the Ideal and Perfect Man, the Pattern Man for all men
Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV)
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
(f) It is the Son of Man who knows our trials and hurts, pain and suffering
(g) It was the Son of Man who lived a perfect life and who secured a perfect righteousness-the Son of Man who died for us
(h) And because He died, His Ideal righteousness and Ideal death can stand for our righteousness and death
(2) The Ideal man, the “Son of Man” was crucified for the redemption of man
(a) Lets take a close look at verse 2
Matthew 26:2 (NKJV)
You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
(b) Jesus says after two days is the Passover
i) This might be Wednesday and Thursday
ii) Passover began on the 15th the Jewish month of Nisan, the beginning of Spring
iii) Which would have been Friday, Thursday evening
a) Please turn to Matthew 26:2 again, this time I am going to read this verse in the old King James
Matthew 26:2 (KJV)
Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
4. Jesus’ death was caused by betrayal
a. Now see the word betrayed in the old King James
b. This is rendered delivered up in the New King James
c. The New International says
Matthew 26:2 (NIV)
"As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
(1) We know that Judas was going to betray Jesus to the religious elite
(2) Judas was going to deliver Jesus up
(3) Judas was going to hand Jesus over
(a) And he was going to do it for the prophesied 30 pieces of silver
(b) We know that Jesus knew which of the 12 was going to sell Him out
(c) We know that Jesus confronted Judas at the Last Supper
(d) Jesus still loved Judas
(e) That must have hurt more than anything else
i) 3 years of living and working together
ii) 3 years of ministry together
iii) 3 years of seeing the power of Jesus
(f) And Judas still sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver
d. Is there a stronger word than betray?
e. If there were a stronger word, we should use that
(1) The worst thing is the army is a deserter
(2) The worst thing in a government is a traitor
(3) The worst thing in a marriage is a cheater
f. All of these words are used to describe a betrayer
5. Jesus’ death was to be by crucifixion
a. Is there a need to describe the horror of crucifixion?
(1) Turn to Galatians 3:13
b. We know that it is possibly the cruelest means of execution ever conceived by man
c. God had intended that Jesus be murdered by crucifixion
Galatians 3:13 (NKJV)
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
(1) Written in Deuteronomy 21:23, we won’t turn there but know that in the earliest writings of Moses, this curse was written and intended to apply to the Messiah
(2) Consider this’ the Passover clearly shows the glorious preparation of God for salvation, for taking away the sins of the world
(a) The Paschal, that is the sacrificial, lamb was given by God as a picture of the giving of His Son for the sins of the world
(3) Jesus died for us
(a) He has taken away the sins of the world
(b) He is the propitiation for the sins of the world
(4) Jesus did all He could to prepare His disciples for the great trial they were to face in witnessing His death
(a) Jesus does all that is necessary to prepare us for whatever lies ahead
(b) Just think of the things He has told us that lie out in the future
(c) How well He has prepared us~lest we be caught off guard
(5) Jesus' death not only saves us, but it encourages us to bear the trials of life
(a) Turn to Matthew 26:3 - 5
B. Jesus' death was plotted by the religious elite
Matthew 26:3-5 (NKJV)
Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, {4} and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. {5} But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
1. First Jesus’ death was planned by all the leaders
a. There are exceptions Joseph of Armithia and Nicodemus were not party to this plan
(1) I would say that the priests and Sanhedren knew of Joseph and Nicodemus’ favoring Jesus and so excluded them from this nocturnal, clandestine meeting
b. Notice that the High Priest was a party to this planned murder
(1) As a matter of fact Caiaphas was the instigator
(a) He is the one who prophesied that one should die for the nation
2. Secondly, Jesus death was to be by deception, He was to be taken surreptitiously
a. He was to be arrested on false charges and crucified
(1) Let the Romans do it
(2) Then the Romans will know that this itinerant preacher was no longer a threat to their rule
3. You know even the most religious individual can be gripped by the fear of losing position, power, recognition, esteem, and security
a. How worldly, how attached to the things of the world even the most religious become
b. Religious people are like the heathen they despise
C. The High Priest was Caiaphas
1. The office of High Priest began with Aaron and his sons
2. The office was hereditary and was for life
a. But when the Romans conquered Palestine, they made the office political.
b. They chose their own man, a man who would cooperate with the Roman government
(1) Finding such a man was often difficult
(2) For example, between 37 B.C. and 67 A.D. there were at least twenty-eight High Priests
(3) These men were greatly respected and highly honored throughout life, and even when they were removed from power by the Romans they were still consulted by other Jewish leaders
(4) The ex-high Priest, Annas, was a prime example.
(5) He still wielded unusual power. He and the others who had served as High Priests or else held the top positions of leadership were also called chief priests
c. The term of office for a High Priest was determined solely by the Romans
(1) The Romans let a High Priest reign so long as he pleased them
(a) The reign of the twenty-eight spoken of before, averaged only about three years, except for Caiaphas.
(b) Caiaphas was High Priest for about eighteen years
i) Apparently he was a master at intrigue and compromise
ii) This throws great light on his fearing an uproar and wishing to wait until the feast was over to arrest Jesus
d. There was the danger that the people might rally to support Jesus if they saw Him arrested; so many believed Him to be a great prophet that a serious uprising was a real possibility
(1) Caiaphas knew the Romans would hold him responsible and remove him from office
(2) He would lose everything he had
(3) The shrewdness of the man was seen in the strategy he laid. They were to arrest Jesus quietly after the masses had left the feast
(4) To avoid any trouble with those who believed in Jesus as Messiah or even just a great prophet
III. Conclusion
A. And so we see the beginning of the end
1. Jesus was going to be arrested after the feast of Passover
a. After the pilgrims had left Jerusalem
b. After His arrest He would be tried over trumped up charges
c. Lies and deceit, false witnesses, false charges
(1) Just think, we could consider these trials as when Jesus was accused of the crimes you and I and every other person in this or any other time has, is, or will commit
2. The Jews could just have taken Jesus and stoned Him to death
a. This was the prescribed means of execution for a blasphemer
b. But instead, Jesus was turned over to the Romans for execution
(1) Turned over to the Romans to be hung upon the tree and executed
(2) We can only observe and believe
(3) God had all the details worked out and the “right” individuals in place to see that His plan of Salvation was accomplished just as He had designed
(a) Good people
(b) And evil people
(c) And today we are the beneficiaries
