The Motley Crew Bible Group
Matthew 26:6-16
May 18, 2011
The Questions
Read Matthew 26:6-13
1. So how many Mary's are there anyway?
2. What do you think about the disciple's reaction?
(By the way … Matthew and Mark say what she has done will be told in her memory. However, Luke and John do not say it.)
3. What does verse 11 mean?
4. Is Jesus giving them another clue about what is about to happen? How many is this?
5. I wonder if this lady knew what she was doing?
6. How do you feel about being a part of Scripture being fulfilled?
Read Matthew 26:14-16
7. How could he do it?
Unless otherwise indicated, all citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, copyright 2011, used with permission.
The Motley Crew Bible Group
Matthew 26:6-16
May 18, 2011
Some Suggested Answers
We opened with prayer.
Pastor Eddie mentioned that he thought that Josh McDowell really hit the mark in the recent reading from The Unshakable Truth, Chapter 9, “Evidence that God's Word Is Reliable,” which discusses textual criticism of the Bible, and emphasizes what immense care was taken in creating copies of the Bible before the discovery of moveable type in Europe.
The McDowell's wrote:
They established detailed and stringent disciplines for copying a manuscript. ... A scribe would begin his day of transcribing by ceremonially washing his entire body. He would then garb himself in full Jewish dress before sitting at his desk. As he wrote, if he came to the Hebrew name of God, he could not begin writing the name with a quill newly dipped in ink for fear it would smear the page. Once he began writing the name of God, he could not stop or allow himself to be distracted; even if a king was to enter the room, the scribe was obligated to continue without interruption until he finished penning the holy name of the one true God.
They also established a long list of rules concerning the transcribing of the holy text onto a new scroll.
• The scroll must be written on the skin of a clean animal.
• Each skin must contain a specified number of columns, equal through-out the entire book.
• The length of each column must extend no less than 48 lines or more than 60 lines.
• The column breadth must consist of exactly 30 letters.
• The space of a thread must appear between every consonant.
• The breadth of nine consonants had to be inserted between each section.
• A space of three lines had to appear between each book.
• The fifth book of Moses (Deuteronomy) had to conclude exactly with a full line.
• Nothing—not even the shortest word—could be copied from memory; it had to be copied letter by letter.
• The scribe must count the number of times each letter of the alphabet occurred in each book and compare it to the original.
• If a manuscript was found to contain even one mistake, it was discarded.
Finally, they discussed how the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 verified the accuracy of these scrolls. They wrote
Once the Dead Sea Scrolls were translated and compared with modern versions, the Hebrew Bible proved to be identical, word for word, in more than 95 percent of the text. (The variation of 5 percent consisted mainly of spelling variations. For example, of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, only 17 letters were in question. Of those, 10 letters were a matter of spelling, and 4 were stylistic changes; the remaining 3 letters comprised the word light, which was added in verse 11).
In other words, the greatest manuscript discovery of all time revealed that a thousand years of copying the Old Testament had produced only excruciatingly minor variations, none of which altered the clear meaning of the text or brought the manuscript’s fundamental integrity into question.
Read Matthew 26:6-13
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Footnotes:
Matthew 26:11 See Deut. 15:11.
Deuteronomy 15:11
“There
will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be
openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in
your land.”
1. So how many Mary's are there anyway?
In looking at the events in Bethany and Jerusalem in the last two week's of our Lord's earthly ministry, there are four women identified by the name of Mary:
Mary, the mother of Jesus (John 19:25)
Mary Magdalene (Matt. 28:1, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:10, John 19:25; John 20:1-18; regarding the seven demons, see Mark 16:9 and Luke 8:2). It was also mentioned that Mary Magdalene was thought to be a person of some wealth, and she is identified as one of the women who were helping to support Jesus and the disciples “out of their own means” (Luke 8:3).
Mary, the mother of James the Younger & Joses (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40, 47; Mark 16:1). Authorities identify her as the the wife of Clopas / Alphaeus (John 19:25)
Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus & Martha (the anointing, John 12:3; the incident when Jesus described Mary as having chosen “what is better,” Luke 10:38-42).
Three other women were identified in these passages:
Joanna (Luke 24:10)
The sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus (John 19:25), whose first name is unknown.
Salome, the mother of James and John (Matt. 4:21, Mark 3:16–17). I had originally identified her name as Mary based on a very quick glance at the four Gospels, although even then I was uncertain due to the reference to “the other Mary” by Matthew at the Burial and the Resurrection, which implied that there was only one Mary, not two. After checking several authorities, the correct identification is that of Salome. See Mark 15:40; Mark 16:1-2; Matt. 20:20-24.l.
Two other Marys found in the New Testament include:
Mary, the mother of Mark John, who ministered with Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 12:12, Acts 12:25, Col. 4:10, 2 Tim 4:11)
Mary, a Roman disciple. (Romans 16:6)
2. What do you think about the disciple's reaction?
(By the way … Matthew and Mark say what she has done will be told in her memory. However, Luke and John do not say it.)
They were human. One member mentioned that some thought with their heads, while others thought with their hearts. Another member mentioned that they were probably in shock – Jesus was changing things on a very frequent basis and the Disciples were always playing “catch-up.” It was also thought that the guys didn't get it, because they were in serious denial. Mary, alone, grasped what Jesus had been saying in recent days, and responded in love.
The ordinary anointing of hospitality and honour was of the feet (Luke 7:38) and head (Luke 7:46). But Mary of Bethany, who alone of our Lord's disciples had comprehended His thrice repeated announcement of His coming death and resurrection, invested the anointing with the deeper meaning of the preparation of His body for burying. Mary of Bethany was not among the women who went to the sepulchre with intent to embalm the body of Jesus. Scofield Reference Notes
It was the "property" of Mary. She had a right to dispose of it as she pleased, answerable not to them, but to God. "They" had no right over it, and no cause of complaint if it had been wasted. Barnes' Notes on the Bible
A memorial - Anything to produce "remembrance." This would be told to her honor and credit, as a memorial of her piety and self-denial; and it is right that the good deeds of the pious should be recorded and had in recollection. Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Only John's Gospel identifies an ulterior motive on the part of Judas, writing that he was a thief and had been using the common funds for his own use:
John 12:6. “He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”
3. What does verse 11 mean?
That while the poor would always be around, He wouldn't be …
Compare:
2 Thess. 3:10: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
Matt. 25:35: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,”
Pastor Eddie expressed his frustration at trying to balance these two passages. For many years, whenever asked, he would fill up a gas tank, etc. However, after a time, he realized that there were some who were abusing this generosity, and has been less inclined to do so in recent years. He mentioned the case of a man who said that he needed a pair of boots so that he could go to work. Pastor went to a local store and purchased the boots. He found out shortly after that the man had attempted to return the boots for cash.
One member mentioned the old adage: if I give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if I teach a man to fish, he will be able to eat for the rest of his life.
We talked about the distinction between the poor and the lazy. It was mentioned that there are many people who work very hard, but who can't seem to break out of poverty. It was also pointed out that there are people who a disabled – mentally or physically – who are incapable of working.
It was observed that many immigrant groups have worked hard to maintain and support each other, and working very hard to do so.
A member mentioned the Didache, the 1st century Christian writing that counseled that if a stranger comes among you, it was okay to feed him for a few days, but if he wouldn't work after three days, he needed to be “shown the door.”
12.
But let every one {that cometh in the name of the Lord} be received;
and then when ye have tested him ye shall know him, for ye shall have
understanding on the right hand and on the left.
If the comer is a
traveller, assist him, so far as ye are able; but he shall not stay
with you more than two or three days, if it be necessary.
But if
he wishes to settle with you, being a craftsman, let him work for and
eat his bread. But if he has no craft, according to your wisdom
provide how he shall live as a Christian among you, but not in
idleness. If he will not do this, he is trafficking upon Christ.
Beware of such men.
(The
Lightfoot Translation)
These people were termed a “a trafficker in Christ,” “one who makes gain from Christ,” or a “Christ-monger” – that is, people who talk the talk, but who won't walk the walk, even if they can.
4. Is Jesus giving them another clue about what is about to happen? How many is this?
Verse 12 “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.”
Yes, he is again telling them that he is about to die. The most recent time before this was verse 2 of chapter 26:
“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
One member did some poking around and came up with this list … if anyone can improve on it, let Doug know so that he can post updated lists.
In Matthew's Gospel, there are three predictions by our Lord of his death and resurrection. There are another six predictions of either His death or His resurrection, but not both. The three predictions of both events are:
Matthew 16:21
Matthew 17:22-23
Matthew 20:17-19
Here is the listing of these three, plus the six additional predictions of either event.
#1. Matthew 16:2-4
2 He
replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather,
for the sky is red,' 3 and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy,
for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the
appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the
times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous
sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah."
[the Resurrection after 3 days] Jesus then left them and went away.
#2. Matthew 16:21
From
that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go
to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief
priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on
the third day be raised to life.
#3. Matthew 17:9
9 As they
were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't
tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been
raised from the dead."
#4. Matthew 17:12
12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
#5. Matthew 17:22-23
22
When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of
Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will
kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life."
And the disciples were filled with grief.
#6. Matthew 20:17-19
17
Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples
aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and
the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers
of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him
over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the
third day he will be raised to life!"
#7. Matthew 26:2.
“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
#8. Matthew 26:12.
“When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.”
#9. Matthew 26:32
31
Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on
account of me, for it is written:
" 'I will strike the
shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But
after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
5. I wonder if this lady knew what she was doing?
There was a difference of opinion on this one, but most seemed to think that she was doing this out of her love and devotion for the Lord, lead by the Spirit, and not necessarily cognizant that she was preparing Him for burial, at least not before He told them so.
6. How do you feel about being a part of Scripture being fulfilled?
Verse 13. “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Because we are reading the memorials contained in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, we're connected to Jesus and Mary in this moment. How does this feel? Pretty cool! Also very humbling.
We talked about how were are connected in other ways to those earliest Christians. The Bible certainly is the best connection. Our worship is also a connection, since it often contains direct quotes from the Bible, or language that is inspired by the Bible.
Another connection within the worship is represented by the language from the Preface to the Holy Communion:
Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of
Sabaoth,
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory,
Hosanna in
the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
We are connected not only with the hosts of heaven, but also with the millions of Christians for over 2,000 years that have sung these same praises. In this we affirm our connection with the saints and, importantly, affirm our belief and reliance upon the Bible.
In recent months, Art Gaertner has been adding the Scriptural bases of our worship to the Worship Folder. Doug has also recently come across an interesting history that contains additional background of our worship. The article is titled “The Sources of the Morning Service of the Common Service” by Rev. R. M. Smith. The article is one of 56 from the Memoirs of the Lutheran Liturgical Association; the files are at http://tinyurl.com/63ar2ou
One member asked if the Bible is still being copied like it was in the Old Testament times. Pastor Eddie said that he didn't think so, at least systematically. It was also asked if the Jews were still keep track of the lineages as they had in the first century. Pastor Eddie had asked this same question of two Jewish friends of his, and they said that the lineages were not being maintained in the same way.
Beth observed that the Second Coming won't come until all Jews keep the Law perfectly. Pastor Eddie promised to preach the perfect sermon the Sunday after all members of the Motley Crew keep the Law and the Gospel perfectly, which got a good laugh.
Read Matthew 26:14-16
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
7. How could he do it?
In Matthew's Gospel and in Mark's Gospel, Judas did it for the money. In both Luke and John, “Satan entered Judas.” Luke 22:3, John 13:2. In John's Gospel, it was also written that
“He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:6.
This has been debated for centuries. The Gnostic (non-Nicenian) “Gospel of Judas” – asserting that Judas' action was in obedience to a direct command of Jesus himself – was believed to have been written between 130 and 170 AD.
In the Jewish thinking of the time, there was a large number who believed that the Messiah would lead the revolt against the occupying Romans. In this view, Judas is a disillusioned disciple betraying Jesus not so much because he loved money, but because he loved his country and thought Jesus had failed it.
Another possibility is that Jesus allowed Judas to betray Him because it would allow God's plan to be fulfilled.
“And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD.” Zechariah 11:13.
“If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.” Exodus 21:32
Beth mentioned the commentator Barclay who gave three possible reasons for Judas' actions:
He was disillusioned.
He was greedy.
He was forcing Jesus' hand.
Insofar as we are concerned, the question is always not what I want to do, but what does Jesus want? What is the Will of God?
We closed with prayer.
|
Mark 14:1-11 |
Luke 7:36-50 |
John 12:1-11 |
Mark 14:1-11. 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.”
3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Footnotes:
Mark 14:5 Greek than three hundred denarii [Note: a denarius was believed to be a laborer's daily wage in those times.]
Mark 14:7 See Deut. 15:11. (above)
Luke 7:36-50. Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Footnotes:
c. Luke 7:41 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).
John 12:1-11. Jesus Anointed at Bethany
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b]” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,[c] but you will not always have me.”
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
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.