February 29, 2006 Matthew 26:14-25
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."
Ecclesiastes 3 reads,
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
What time is it for you? Are you living in a loving time, a mending time, a searching time, a tearing time? Life is rather interesting because when we come together to worship we all - while living at the same time - are experiencing different times. Some are closer to dying, while others are in the midst of being born. Some are planting and some are being uprooted.
The problems we have with life is when we find ourselves in times we don’t want to be in. We’d rather be planting, but instead we’re being uprooted. We’re rather be laughing, but we find ourselves weeping. So we get angry or frustrated with life - because ultimately we don’t have control of the time we are in. We don’t know what times are coming. But we know they will get worse - that they will be troubling times. That’s the theme of our Lenten services this year - Troubling Times of the Passion. As true God - Jesus DID know what times were coming. It was almost time to die for the sins of the world - with the guilt of the world on His back. Instead of running from it - He embraced it. He called it -
Ho Kairos Mou - My "Appointed Time"
In the big picture of things - as we begin these Lent services it would be good for us to review a little bit of the history here before we get started. This was now the third year of Jesus’ ministry - and the height of his popularity had now come and gone. The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law had had their fill of Jesus - and were becoming more than hardened against Him. They were now actively plotting on how to kill Jesus - looking for their opportune time. Judas decided to help their time come. Our text for today reads,
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Judas was looking for an opportune time, but Jesus didn’t have to look. He knew that the time for Him to be betrayed was "appointed" - as the NIV says. "Appointed" isn’t actually in the Greek. It simply reads "ho kairos mou" - which literally translated means "the time of me." With the article "the," He seems to be referring to a well known time - a planned time - HIS time that had planned for many years - thousands of years. This can be seen from the way "kairos" is used - especially throughout the Gospels. John 7 is a prime example. The disciples were going to the Feast of Tabernacles, and they wanted Jesus to come along. But Jesus responded,
"The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. . . . you go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
But then, chapter seven continues by saying that a few days later Jesus snuck into Jerusalem unawares and started teaching anonymously - at first in the temple courts.
(He) cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me." At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.
Throughout these references you see that key term again - the time - HIS TIME - Jesus’ KAIROS - had not yet come - and Jesus KNEW it wasn’t yet HIS TIME. Kairos according to one dictionary actually means -
a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for
opportune or seasonable time
the right time
a limited period of time
Again, when you differentiate the way that JUDAS looked at time as opposed to JESUS, Jesus didn’t have to "look" for this time, because in His divinity He seemed to know when and where and even how it would happen.
This can be absolutely clear as we see Jesus operate around the nearing of "ho kairos mou." It’s really intriguing for me to read HOW Jesus had the disciples prepare for the Passover. Other texts collaborate the whole story in a more fleshed out manner. This is how it basically happens. He says to the disciples , "go to Jerusalem - and there a man carrying a jar of water will greet you. Follow him. When you get to the house, tell the owner of the house, ‘the Teacher says, my appointed time has come. We need to make preparations for the Passover.’ Then he will give you what you need." Wouldn’t you know it - it happened EXACTLY as Jesus said it would. The owner of the house let them use a large upper room for the Passover. Jesus knew the future before it ever happened. This shows us clearly a very important fact. Psalm 31:15 says, "My times are in your hands;" God is in charge of what happens and when it happens.
This whole text shows the weakness and limitations of man - especially those who decide to rebel against God. Judas could not pick the time when Jesus would be betrayed. He could only act on what he THOUGHT was an "opportune time." Why did he do it? Besides the obvious greed, many speculate that he also did it because Jesus was not following Judas’ plan as to what a Messiah should do. He wasn’t conquering the Roman government. He wasn’t using His power in the way Jesus thought He should - or when He thought Jesus should. So Judas decided it was TIME to hand Jesus over to the authorities - and maybe MAKE Jesus show His power and cause a revolt. The funny thing is that all the while that he THOUGHT he was pulling one over on Jesus and catching him off guard - Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. The time was determined long ago. God had predicted it way back in Psalm 41:9, "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."
How do we respond to such an awesome fact? When our puny human brains try to contemplate such an awesome fact, it leads some to despair. They throw up their hands and wonder, "Why try anything if God already knows what’s going to happen?" Other like Judas revolt and say, "I’ll show God who’s in charge. I don’t believe it. I am the master of my own destiny!" Then again, others just ignore this fact of the Scriptures and try not to think about it. But how do we respond in the right way? Is there a right way to respond?
We know there is a wrong way. I wouldn’t doubt that Judas was trying to control Jesus’ future - to make him either fish or cut bait by forcing his arrest. His guilt after Jesus’ arrest seems to show us that he didn’t fully think or realize that Jesus would not fight back. Judas was probably frustrated at the way Jesus was acting - and wanted to take matters into his own hands. When he stopped trusting God and tried to make his own actions - look at where it led him to - betrayal of the worst sort. When we don’t trust the fact that our times are in God’s hands - we do the same thing. When we try and force the issue with God - draw a line in the sand and say to God - "you have to answer my prayer NOW" - we end up like Judas. The times are not in OUR hands. When we try to make them ours, we only end up trying to play God! Imagine if a farmer planted his seeds in fall and then was bound and determined to gather his crop in winter time. All of the other farmers would call him a complete idiot - an impatient fool! A farmer has to wait for the appointed time - spring time and summer and fall - to gather his harvest. He is under the mercy of the sun. That is the way that God calls on us to live as Christians - you are under the mercy of the Son. You cannot achieve anything until God has determined that it is your time to happen. Riches, marriage, job, home - your times are in God’s hands.
So how do we live then? Do we not even think about the times or concern ourselves with them? No. Jesus rebuked the disciples in Luke 12 for NOT knowing their times.
He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ’It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ’It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
They should have known that with the coming of Jesus something earth shattering - life changing was happening. Yet they didn’t get it! They sat and wondered who Jesus was - when it was OBVIOUS He was the Christ. They should have been able to see the signs and know the times - that the Messiah had come as promised.
As we live in the times we live in, you would have to be ignorant or blind not to see how the times are progressing exactly as how Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 - going from "bad to worse." As we see the deterioration of our society, which is only following upon the deterioration of the European society, we can see a global meltdown of epoch proportions. You’d have to be blind not to understand and see that Satan is being loosed more and more, just as Jesus predicted. Know your times. Ignorance is not bliss. Don’t stick your head in the sand and try and convince yourself that things are only getting better. With terrorism and liberalism and the ecumenical movement on the rise - it’s not going to get better - even if partial birth abortion is repealed and conservative ideals are voted through in our government.
What else do we do? What else can we do? If we can’t beat ‘em, do we then join ‘em? No way! Look at what the disciples did throughout this text. Jesus warned the disciples that one of them would betray him. God’s Word says that in the end times MANY will fall away from the faith. These are the times we live in. How did the disciples respond? They were TROUBLED and they all started to say, "surely, not I Lord." In the time of trial, they sought confirmation of their faith from the LORD. They sought out Jesus and His fellowship prior to the troubling time of the cross. They prepared the Passover as He told them to, and they went to the Passover at His invitation and enjoyed a wonderful meal with him. As they did what Jesus called them to do, Jesus then went on to take care of their salvation - all at "ho kairos mou" - my appointed time.
We know that our times are in God’s hands. This shouldn’t give us stress. Worry only reflects a lack of faith. In faith, it should make us relax. "If God is for us, who can be against us," as Paul asked. If our times are in hands, then doesn’t God know what time is best? When people are plotting to take Jesus from our lives and our society, our natural reaction is to fight back - to send out the spies - put up the barricades and hunker down - fighting them off. Jesus’ words to his disciples are simply - don’t panic. Keep the Passover. Stay in the Word and sacrament. As you do, remember that the same God who protected the Israelites from being wiped out by the Egyptians over a thousand years ago - is still able to protect you.
So this is what we are doing here. We have come to this Ash Wednesday, in keeping with the church year of Lent - to start studying the Troubling Times of the Passion. Heaven knows what kind of times you are having right now - hectic times, sinful times, weak times, strong times, who knows what is going through your mind as you sit there this evening. As we live in these times, we quickly realize WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL. On this Ash Wednesday, we repent of our lack of faith in God. Yet we also cling in faith to the Promise that God is in control of our destiny - and it’s all connected to Christ. God wanted Jesus to go to the cross - to die for the sins of the world. As we live with this promise, instead of panicking - just keep doing what we do - keep worshiping God. Keep turning to His Word and sacrament. As you keep studying these troubling times, you will be reminded that God is in charge of time. The Holy Spirit will help you to keep trusting that He has your best interest in mind - your salvation in Christ. Enjoy the meal. Leave refreshed - full of faith - ready to see Jesus go to Golgotha - ready to see Him die - for you - just as God in His grace appointed Him to do. Romans 5:6 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Amen.
