The Motley Crew

May 4, 2011

Christ is Risen Indeed!

Matthew 26:1-5

The Questions

Read Matthew 26:1-5

1. What day of the week is this?

2. Should the handing over to be crucified be a surprise to the disciples at this point?

3. What happened to the plan of the chief priests and the elders?

4. What are the requirements for an elder by the way?

5. Which Feast?

6. Why the concern about rioting?

Unless otherwise indicated, all citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, copyright 2011, used with permission.

The Motley Crew

May 4, 2011

Christ is Risen Indeed!

Matthew 26:1-5

The Questions

We opened with prayer, and had a discussion concerning the events that have transpired since the series of severe storms that swept through the region last Wednesday, April 27.

Read Matthew 26:1-5. The Plot Against Jesus.

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

1. What day of the week is this?

According to the Lutheran Study Bible, this is Wednesday of Holy Week (note 14:1 to Mark 14:1, p. 1688). Quoting Alfred Edersheim, Beth reminded us that the Jewish day began in the evening as soon as the first star could be seen in the sky (other sources state either sunset or when three medium-sized stars should be visible). In our reckoning, therefore, it could either be Tuesday night or during the day on Wednesday. The LSB note to Matthew 26:2 notes “Since the Passover began Thursday night (Maundy Thursday), this would have been spoken on Tuesday.” (p. 1640). As such, we would deduce that Jesus spoke these words on Tuesday evening, after the time when the first star could been seen in the sky.

Luke's Gospel only says “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching …” (Luke 22:1).

“The time was Tuesday night, after the Jewish Wednesday began; that is, after sunset. Compare Mr 14:1-11, Lu 22:1-6, John 12:1-8.” People's New Testament

We talked about John's Gospel, which is silent on this. But John had a much different purpose in writing his Gospel, as compared with Matthew, Mark and Luke. However, by putting the four Gospels together, we are able to see “the big picture” of His ministry, from birth through the Ascension, and to the Final Judgment that will occur after the Second Coming.

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread is observed from the 15^th to the 21^st of Nisan. The 15^th and the 21^st are Holy Days.

The information on this chart comes from the Lutheran Study Bible:

• “Feasts Appointed by the Lord,” p. 200

• “The Israelite Calendar,” p. 262.

2. Should the handing over to be crucified be a surprise to the disciples at this point?

No. Directly or indirectly, Jesus gave at least six warnings, three of which were explicit. The Lutheran Study Bible has this note to Matt. 20:17-19: “For a third and final time, Jesus predicts His Passion. Ironically, Jesus' three predictions match the number of Peter's denials.” (p. 1625). The other two instances identified by the Lutheran Study Bible were Matt. 16:21 and Matt. 17:22-23. In Matthew's Gospel, there are several other references to the coming trial.

The Concordia Self-Study Bible notes that “Jesus repeatedly foretold His coming death” and refers us to Luke 5:35, Luke 9:22, Luke 9:43-45, Luke 12:50, Luke 13:32-33, Luke 17:25, Luke 18:32, and Luke 24:7 (Note to Luke 17:25, p. 1583). Because the reference to Luke 24:7 is not a statement by Jesus of His coming death, but is, rather, a reminder by an angel, therefore, the total number of predictions in Luke's Gospel is seven. See “Predictions by Jesus of His Death as Recorded in Luke's Gospel”, below.

3. What happened to the plan of the chief priests and the elders?

They wanted to kill Jesus, but not during the Festival. God had a different plan, and in this we see that God rules, even in the midst of His enemies!

4. What are the requirements for an elder by the way?

Pastor Eddie referred us to 1 Timothy 3:1-7, the qualifications for “overseers:”

1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 3:4 Or him with proper

Paul wrote to Titus noting that “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint [or ordain] elders in every town, as I directed you.” The qualifications for these elders were outlined in Titus 1:6-9:

6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

The qualifications for deacons are found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13:

8 In the same way, deacons[a] are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

11 In the same way, the women[b] are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 3:8 The word deacons refers here to Christians designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in verse 12; and in Romans 16:1 and Phil. 1:1.

2. 1 Timothy 3:11 Possibly deacons’ wives or women who are deacons

Acts 6:1-7 gives us the background concerning the choosing of the first seven deacons:

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 6:1 That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture

From this we can see that the deacons and elders are those men who are charged with the day-to-day ministering to the needs of the people, while the disciples were those who took care of the ministry of the Word of God. The overseers were those who had oversight over the churches themselves; they would be bishops or a district president in today's practice.

There are three different descriptions of callings in the New Testament: deacons, overseers, and presbyters. These definitions come from The New Strong's Complete Dictionary of Bible Words (Thomas Nelson, 1996); the Bible verse citations comes from Hickie's Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament (reprinted Baker Book House, 1977; originally from early in the 20^th century):

Deacons (ζιάκονος / diakonos):

An attendant, i.e., a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specifically a Christian teacher and pastor (technically a deacon or deaconess): – deacon, minister, servant.

Hickie: A servant, a minister; John 2:5, 9; Matt. 22:13; Matt. 23:11; 2 Cor. 11:23; a deacon, 1 Tim. 3:8, 12; Philipp. 1:1; a deaconess, Rom. 16:1. (Hickie, p. 43)

Overseers (έπίσκοπος / episkopos) / Bishop:

A superintendent, i.e., Christian officer in general charge of a (or the) church (literally or figuratively): – bishop, overseer.

Hickie: An overseer, a superintendent; a guardian, 1 Peter 2:25; a bishop, Philipp. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7; Acts 20:25. (Hickie, p. 73)

Presbyters (πρεσβύτερος / presbyteros) / Elder:

Older; as a noun, a senior; specifically is Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively member of the celestial council) or Christian “presbyter”: – elder (-est), old.

Hickie; where two are mentioned, the elder, Luke 25:25; an elder, 1 Tim. 4:1; the elders, Hebr. 11:2; Matt. 25:2; Mark 7:3, 5; the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Luke 9:22; Acts 25:15; Matt. 21:23; Matt. 26:3; the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin, Rev. 4:4, 10. v. 8 etc. (Hickie, p. 159)

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (1940) has some lengthy descriptions of these words: Deacon, pp. 274-5; Bishop, pp. 130-1; Elder, pp. 360-1.

These distinctions have been blurred in the 21^st century, but these are what work for us in a time and a culture that is very different from that in the 1^st century.

We talked about the function and role of the Elder in St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and also, the responsibility of members who are friends with other members (and especially if a member is unhappy and leaving the congregation).

5. Which Feast?

Passover (Friday), plus the Feasts of Unleavened Bread (Saturday) and First Fruits (Sunday), as noted above. More than one commentator has observed that Jesus Christ is the First Fruit of Everlasting Life, the grace given to us by God's Resurrection of Jesus from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday.

6. Why the concern about rioting?

There were many, many people in Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits. We recall that “a great crowd” (20:29) followed Jesus and His disciples from Jericho, and that a large crowd enthusiastically greeted Jesus when He entered Jerusalem, shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!” (21:9) And after Jesus entered the Temple, Matthew records that there were “children shouting in the temple area 'Hosanna to the Son of David!'” (21:15)

The Lutheran Study Bible noted: “As Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem demonstrated, He had quite a following. His opponents did not wish to provoke the anger of these crowds.” Source: LSB, note 26:5, p. 1640.

Caiaphas (the chief priest), Annas (his father-in-law), and the other members of the Sanhedrin, ruled with the permission of the Romans who were occupying Jerusalem, and could hold them responsible for any uprising that their actions might occasion.

During the passover there were millions of Jews in Jerusalem. Josephus says that in A.D. 65, three million were present [Josephus, Wars, 2:14.3]. There were often tumults at the passover, and it was feared that the arrest of Jesus would arouse one. On such occasions the Romans suppressed the disturbance without mercy. People's New Testament

We closed with prayer.

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word.
After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
– Hebrews 1:3

Parallel Verses

Harmony of the Gospels @ Blue Letter Bible

Nevin, Alfred, and Blue Letter Bible. "Harmony of the Gospels," The Parallel Bible (Adapted by the Blue Letter Bible). Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 2002. 17 Apr 2011.
< http:// www.blueletterbible.org/study/harmony/index.cfm? >

Matthew 26:1-5. The Plot Against Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Mark 14:1-2. Jesus Anointed at Bethany

1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

Luke 22:1-2. Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

1 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.

Predictions by Jesus of His Death as Recorded in Luke's Gospel

In its note to Luke 17:25 (p. 1583), the Concordia Self-Study Bible notes that “Jesus repeatedly foretold His coming death” and refers us to Luke 5:35, Luke 9:22, Luke 9:43-45, Luke 12:50, Luke 13:32-33, Luke 17:25, Luke 18:32, and Luke 24:7

Note: the reference to Luke 24:7 is an error. These are the words of the angel who was guarding the tomb of the resurrected Jesus, and who was reminding the women who had come to properly prepare His body, that Jesus had made this prediction. The complete verses are reproduced below.

By this accounting, there are seven such predictions by Our Lord.

Source of Scripture Verses: New International Version, ©2011, used with permission.

Luke 5:35

But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

Luke 9:22

[Jesus Predicts His Death]

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Luke 9:43-45

43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

[Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time]

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

Luke 12:50

But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!

Luke 13:32-33

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

Luke 17:25

But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luke 18:32

[Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time]

He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;

Luke 24:7

‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

The context of this verse:

Luke 24: 1-8. Jesus Has Risen

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

Therefore, this is not a prediction by Jesus, but is, rather, the angels reminding the women of what Jesus had previously said (Luke 9:22).

For Additional Study

The Prayer And Study Resources web page has a listing of some research web sites that I use. In addition, Additional Research Resources is a page with a more complete list of Bible and Lutheran resources, plus there is the Research Resources Checklist, which is the web page I use when I first begin a Bible study. Both of these last two web pages are always growing, and please let me know if you are aware of other great sites.

I was unable to locate any sermon either by Martin Luther or by Dr. Harold Buls on the texts in Matthew 26.