Motley Crew Matthew Bible Study

May 25, 2011

Matthew 26:17-30

The Questions

Read Matthew 26:17-30

1. Tuesday, He was in Bethany. Thursday, He was in Jerusalem. Where was He on Wednesday?

2. Why wouldn't Jesus reveal the name of the man in whose house they would celebrate the Passover?

(By the way, this is the only place where tov denia is used in the New Testament. It literally means “so and so.”)

3. We have pointed out many of the disciple's doubts – what does verse 19 say for them?

4. What do we know about the Passover meal?

5. Did Judas receive the Lord's Supper?

6. What do you think about that?

7. Did Jesus say this represents my Body?

8. Which cup of the Passover were they at in verse 27?

9. I wonder what kind of wine we will get in heaven?

10. What kind of hymn did they sing?

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

Motley Crew Matthew Bible Study

May 25, 2011

Matthew 26:17-30

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

Read Matthew 26:17-30. The Last Supper

 17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

 18 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.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 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.”

 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”

   Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 26:28 Some manuscripts the new

Question: Is verse 24 another prophesy of His death?

“The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.”

Pastor Eddie and Doug both think so, and this would then be the 10^th such prediction of either his death or his resurrection or both. The other nine are listed in last week's notes.

The Son of man goeth – Goeth: “Dies, or will die.” The Hebrews, Greeks and Latins all spoke in this manner of death; Psalm 39:13; Genesis 15:2; Joshua 23:14. Barnes' Notes on the Bible and Clarke's Commentary on the Bible. Also Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

We will be referring to the excerpts from the Gospels of Mark and Luke in answering these questions.

The excerpt from the Gospel of John is reproduced below.

1. Tuesday, He was in Bethany. Thursday, He was in Jerusalem. Where was He on Wednesday?

The Bible doesn't say. It is clear that He was not in Jerusalem since He directed them to “Go into the city.” Matt. 26:18; Mark 14:13, 16; Luke 22:10. The Commentators speculate that He spent the day in Bethany with His disciples, either at the home of Simon the Leper or the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary.

2. Why wouldn't Jesus reveal the name of the man in whose house they would celebrate the Passover?

(By the way, this is the only place where tov denia is used in the New Testament. It literally means “so and so.”)

Τον δεινα It is probable that this means some person with whom Christ was well acquainted, and who was known to the disciples. Grotius observes that the Greeks use this form when they mean some particular person who is so well known that there is no need to specify him by name. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

He wants to have this time with His disciples in peace, and without interruption. According to Mark and Luke, only two of the disciples – Peter and John – are told what to do to prepare for the Passover feast. The concern is that if Jesus tells everyone, Judas will direct the Jewish leaders to that location, disrupting the Last Supper. Lenski, p. 1016. It was very important that the Last Supper continue uninterrupted because this will be a tremendously important Sacrament for the next 21 centuries and beyond!

The name of the man was not mentioned. The "house" in which they were to keep the Passover was not mentioned. The reason of this probably was, that Christ was desirous of concealing from "Judas" the place where they would keep the Passover. He was acquainted with the design of Judas to betray him. He knew that if Judas was acquainted with the place "beforehand," he could easily give information to the chief priests, and it would give them a favorable opportunity to surprise them, and apprehend "him" without making a tumult. ... There can be little doubt that Jesus was acquainted with this man, and that he was a disciple. The direction which he gave his disciples most clearly proves that he was omniscient. Amid so great a multitude going at that time into the city, it was impossible to know that "a particular man would be met" - a man bearing a pitcher of water - unless Jesus had all knowledge, and was therefore divine. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Another reason was to protect the man at whose house the Passover dinner was held. It is speculated that his name is not given in any of the Gospels for the reason that those who hate Christ would not be able to find and punish the man who hosted the Last Supper.

Dr Lenski writes:

In all three synoptic accounts Jesus withholds the name of the man in whose house he intends to celebrate the Passover, and, of course, this means that Peter and John alone will know who the man is and where his house is located, and tht they will know this only after they have found the man's house in accordance with the directions given by Jesus (Mark and Luke). …

We have only one answer to the question as to why Jesus … kept the man's name and thus the location of his house secret: the traitor is not to know, is not even to be able to find out. Jesus keeps the traitor hopelessly guessing as to where this place may be found. Jesus will celebrate this Passover in perfect security, right in the city itself, and that at night, whereas ever since his entry into the city on Sunday he had left the city every night. Lenski, pp. 1014-1015.

In our discussion, it was noted that it would probably be easy for Peter and John to find the man that Jesus described, since he would be “a man carrying a jar of water.” This would be very unusual because this was a task usually reserved to women in that culture.

Pastor Eddie emphasized that Jesus was in control of the events of the day, and that this was probably not a pre-arranged event.

John 13:3. “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God ...”

The Holy Spirit gets the credit here, and this process is similar to when Jesus told His disciples to go into Jerusalem to retrieve a donkey and her colt. Matt. 21:1-3.

3. We have pointed out many of the disciple's doubts – what does verse 19 say for them?

Verse 19. “So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.”

That they were obedient, even though they didn't understand what was going on. They trusted Him. We should take our cue from the Disciples, and be as trusting and obedient as they were, even when we don't understand what the Lord has in mind. Mark and Luke both observed:

The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

No surprise there.

One of our guests drew a big laugh when he asked why all the tough answers weren't found in the Study Bible notes! And haven't we all wondered about that one!

4. What do we know about the Passover meal?

The Gospels give us an overview, and there is other ample evidence of the ritual that was performed during the Passover meal in the first century.

Dr. Lenski has this review:

“While they were eating” refers to a special part of the Passover. This followed a fixed order: 1) the first cup with its blessing; 2) the bitter herbs to recall the bitter life in Egypt; 3) the unleavened bread, the chasoret, the roasted lamb, and the chagiga (other sacrificial meat); 4) the housefather dips the bitter herbs into the chasoret with a benediction, then eats, and the others follow; 5) the second cup is mixed (wine with water), a son asks, and the father explains the feast; 6) the first part of the hallel is sung, Ps. 113 and 114, and with a prayer of praise the second cup is drunk; 7) the father washes his hands, takes two cakes of bread, breaks one and lays it on the unbroken one, blesses the bread out of the earth, wraps a broken piece with herbs, dips it into the chasoret, eats it and a piece of the chagiga, and a piece of the lamb; 8) then all join in the eating, and it is to this point of the feast that Matthew refers with “while they were eating.” At no previous point could the exposure of Judas have been made without spoiling the ceremonial. 9) The close came when the father ate the last morsel of the lamb, after which came the third cup; 10) the second part of the hallel, Ps. 115-118; the fourth cup, sometimes a fifth; the conclusion of the hallel, Ps. 120-137. This is the rabbinical description.

However, at the 9^th point, Jesus changed the ritual, when He instituted a new covenant with His disciples and all of His believers throughout time.

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matt. 26:28.

Because of the proximity of the fourth cup of wine and the singing of the second part of the hallel, the fourth cup is also referred to as “the hallel cup.” For Christians, this is especially apt: hallel means praise. Thus, for us, it is the cup of praise.

Psalms 113-118 are referred to both as the hallel and the Egyptian hallel (to distinguish it from other Psalms of praise). For more information about the hallel, see my web page on this subject, The Hallel.

We do not know what blessings Jesus recited over the bread and the wine. However, in current practice, those blessings are:

• Over the bread: "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth."

• Over the wine: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine."

Source: "List of Jewish prayers and blessings." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 7 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2010.

Note that in Matthew's Gospel, after the blessing of the cup, our Lord states:

“I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Verse 29. Emphasis added. Also: Mark 14:25 and Luke 22:18.

Dr. Lenski noted that “The expression 'fruit of the vine' is derived from the Hebrew pheri hagiphen, a choice liturgical formula for wine.” Lenski, p. 1028.

Pastor Eddie has a description of the Passover Seder meal, which gives us additional spiritual depth when looking at the Last Supper. I'll incorporate it into next week's Motley Crew notes.

5. Did Judas receive the Lord's Supper?

The Commentators differ on this, but the best opinion is probably that he did.

In both Matthew and Mark, the language of betrayal precedes the Words of Institution, but in neither of these accounts does it say that Judas left the dinner.

However, in Luke's Gospel, the Words of Institution are given beginning in verse 17, but is not until verse 21 that Jesus says that "the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table." From this, it seems clear that Judas was at the table during the Last Supper. Luke, also, does not say that Judas left the table.

In John's Gospel, after Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, He states that one will betray Him.

 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

   So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night. John 13:26-30

John does not include the Words of Institution in his account of the Last Supper, which makes it impossible to determine from his Gospel whether Judas left before or after.

It is important to note that this sharing of the meal is an act of cleansing and friendship. However, at this meal, the irony is that Judas was no friend of Jesus. The Concordia Self-Study Bible had this note:

In that culture [the Middle East], as among Arabs today, to eat with a person was tantamount to saying, “I am your friend and will not hurt you.” This fact made Judas's deed all the more despicable (cf. Ps. 41:9). Note 26:23, p. 1491.

Even my close friend,
   someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
   has turned against me.

Psalm 41:9

Dr. Lenski noted:

But let no man think that Jesus is at the mercy of some vile wretch; no “the Son of man goes away even as it has been written concerning him.” … It has been divinely planned and will surely be carried out just as Jesus now declares (“shall betray me”). … Jesus is indicating to the Twelve, including Judas, why he does not interfere and make this dastardly betrayal impossible. Jesus is in absolute harmony with what “has been written.” In order to have all that perfectly fulfilled he became “the Son of man.” Lenski, p. 1020.

In conclusion, Pastor Eddie felt that Judas received the bread and wine of the Last Supper, which leads us to question 6.

6. What do you think about that?

As God has reached out to us over all the centuries, so Jesus reached out to the Jews and Gentiles in Israel in the first century. Jesus was still reaching out to Judas, even though “the devil had already prompted Judas … to betray Jesus” (John 13:2) and that Judas was going to do was a necessary part of the His ministry on the earth. He loved Judas … and us … so much that even when we betray His trust, He still reaches out to us in love.

As noted above, throughout the day, Jesus was in charge.

John 13:3. “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God ...”

Dr. Lenski adds this interesting note concerning “he that dipped his hand together with me in the bowl”: “… it characterizes Judas as a second Ahitophel, the man who turned traitor to David and ended by hanging himself. He is the prototype of the traitor Judas …” Lenski, p. 1019.

7. Did Jesus say this represents my Body?

No. He said “this is my body.”

Pastor Chris pointed out that part of the confusion on this issue is the language from Luke's Gospel:

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

One of our members mentioned the older language of the bread and wine in the Holy Communion.

• When giving the bread: Take and eat, this is the Body of Christ, given for thee.

• When giving the wine: Take and drink, this is the Blood of the New Testament, shed for thy sins.

At the conclusion of the distribution, the minister would then say:

The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ and His precious Blood strengthen and preserve you in truth faith unto everlasting life.

In Matthew's Gospel, the Greek words for “Take, eat, this is my body,” is:

Δαβετε φάγετε τοΰ τό έστι τό σωμά μου

Pastor Eddie mentioned that the word έστι (estin) in the Greek means “is,” not “represents.”

It should be emphasized that when we take Holy Communion, we are active, living participants of that event and in that event, although separated by hundreds of years. That's what Paul means when he speaks about the bread and cup participating in the Communion.

“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

In this, the Sacramental character of the Holy Communion needs to have greater emphasis!

There was a discussion of the issue of bread and wine, body and blood. The beliefs of some other Christian churches were discussed, including the Roman Catholic tradition of transubstantiation where the body and blood of Christ are literally in the bread and wine. One of our members who had been raised in the Catholic Church recalled that a communicant was not allowed to touch the host if it was dropped … only the priest could do so.

But concerning the question “How could the Lord give his disciples his true and real body by means of bread?”, Dr. Lenski gives this response:

We refuse to answer the question in regard to the how because the Lord has withheld the answer. We probably could not understand the answer because the giving of Christ's body in the sacrament is a divine act of omnipotence and of grace that is beyond all mortal comprehension. The Lord declares the fact: “This is my body,” and we take him at his word. Lenski, p. 1026.

Pastor Eddie emphasized that when we discuss this issue with members of other denominations that it is important to do so in a respectful manner.

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” Galatians 6:1. Emphasis added.

We must also do so with humility, recalling 1 Cor. 13:12 (“... Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”).

We also had a discussion of legalism in the churches, including the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Pastor Eddie recommended The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It's subtitle is "Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-up, and Burnt Out" – the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. In other words, the ragamuffins. Pastor Eddie says that this book gives some unique insights into God's grace, apart from the institutions of Christianity. The Amazon.com review included this:

Grace is defined as "the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God." But, as Manning points out, we have "twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper." In reality, God offers us grace immeasurable. Brennan Manning gently encourages us to embrace that grace in the face of our greatest needs. And Manning certainly knows whereof he speaks, having taken a journey from priesthood and academic achievement through a collapse into alcoholism. Manning came face to face with his need, finally abandoning himself to grace. And he invites us now to join him in a life of grace.

We stopped here as we ran out of time. We'll continue with the last three questions the next time. Feel free to read ahead (including those terrific “below the line” notes!). The answers to these questions might also be found in some of the discussions above.

8. Which cup of the Passover were they at in verse 27?

9. I wonder what kind of wine we will get in heaven?

10. What kind of hymn did they sing?

We closed with prayer.

Parallel Verses

John 13:1-30.

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

 1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

   Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

    18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned[a] against me.’[b]

   19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

 21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

   So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Footnotes:

1. John 13:18 Greek has lifted up his heel

2. John 13:18 Psalm 41:9

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.