#1316 Matthew 26 Part 2 Must But Woe

 

14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” Matthew 26: 14-25

Matthew 26: 14-25 Passover and Betrayal

Then one of the twelve - One very close to Jesus, in His group of disciples, one who had been in Jesus' School for the last 3 years. This man had witnessed the miracles, knew the teaching about the kingdom, had been sent out with authority to preach, cast out demons, and carry the purse as the treasurer for the group.

Judas Iscariot went to the priests - His name will forever be associated with the greatest betrayal ever known. Remember, we just read about his disgust with the woman who anointed Jesus for His burial. He was mad about the money, but he spun it as a virtue signal, as if this greedy man loved the poor. This is his reaction, his response to that prior episode, Jesus is going to the cross, has promised that His followers will be persecuted, and Judas did not sign up for that. The priests, especially Caiaphas, have been plotting to kill the Messiah, and He is coming willingly because this is His destiny. Before time began, from eternity past, an agreement was made between the Father and the Son, sealed by the Holy Spirit, that Christ would be the Lamb without spot, the Passover. Every breath that you or I take as believers or unbelievers has only been allowed because it was under this note, for those before Christ it was the promise, and for those after it was still contingent upon this one moment in history. The flood revealed God's opposition to sin, His loyalty to His holy nature, and the ark revealed His mercy to those who believe. You can see the cross from here, the pace is rapid now. The stakes are high, if God does not give His Son to be killed then sin has been allowed to prosper without reason, and all of history must come to an end. If Jesus did come to die for our sins according to the Scripture then the implications are eternal. 

…21In the same way, he sprinkled with blood the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship. 22According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.… Hebrews 9: 21-23

They paid him thirty pieces of silver - Not much, that's not even the worth of the nard that Judas was so angry about. All of his treasure, everything Judas wanted was here; he had no eternal perspective. This was foretold by the prophet Zechariah.

…12Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. 13And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”— this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD. 14Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.… Zechariah 11: 12-14

More on Zechariah 11

The Teacher says, My time is at hand - He had come to be the Passover, every year they celebrated the commemoration of the supper that their forefathers had in Egypt, the night of the Angel of Death, the night the angel passed over the houses marked with the blood of the lamb. History has waited for this day, has hung upon this day, the angels have stared in wonder at this moment, closely following every step their Lord has made. It is right around the corner, and He must be lifted up, yet there are no words to exhaust the explanation of these moments. He says, "My time is at hand", what an understatement, how have we become so hard of heart? 

…13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.… John 3: 13-15

The Passover

More on the Passover

Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me - Jesus knows what has been prophesied about Him, and He has chosen to come here willingly. 

And they were very sorrowful - They weren't sure even of themselves, yet Judas knows what he has already committed to. Our confidence should not be in ourselves, all their confidence needs to shift to Him, yet they still haven't fully comprehended the necessity of His death. Judas, I think, understands that it's close and he wants no part in suffering. He is willing to walk into a kingdom, but not into persecution. He would fit in well as a preacher in many of the evangelical churches today, where they are all for prosperity, but if the true gospel brings opposition, then they fold and preach another gospel. 

…23But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.… Romans 7: 23-25

Woe to that man - Jesus has to go to the cross, but this does not negate the evil of Judas' actions. He acts upon the idols of his heart, the love of money, the love of comfort, the pride of life. In his twisted mind, as in so many, he probably feels as though he is the one being betrayed because this is not the Messiah that he wants. He doesn't hate, and so he doesn't sorrow over his own sin. 

If he had not been born - Please think about eternity, don't be so easily swayed and dazzled by what you see here. Don't think lightly of this moment, all of eternity hangs upon the sacrifice of Christ. 

12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. 13But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.… Hebrews 3: 12-14

You have said so - I am not sure what to say here, it's such a cryptic table to sit at, and yet the rest of the disciples still don't suspect him. 

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#1315 Matthew 26 Part 1 For The Love of God

 

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Matthew 26: 1-13 ESV

Matthew 26: 1-13 Anointed

6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat. Leviticus 16: 6-10

20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness. Leviticus 16: 20-22

You must know that after two days the Passover is coming - Jesus has let His disciples know several times now that His death is approaching, that He has to go to the cross, it is His destiny. They should make the connection of this with Passover. For those unfamiliar, Passover is the feast that they celebrate every year, commemorating their release from Egypt, Egypt representing the former master, sin, and the thing that finally caused Pharaoh to release them, yet not without struggle later, was the death of his firstborn. Now the houses of all those who lost their firstborn did not have the blood of the Passover lamb applied to their door post. The angel of death "passed over" the houses marked with the blood. This is both a historical and ongoing festive picture of Christ, the festival or feast is the ritual that points to the reality of Jesus, He is the Passover Lamb for all those who believe in Him. Sin is the object of God's wrath and in this way Jesus becomes sin on our behalf, the righteous dying for the unrighteous. He receives the penalty due us.

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9: 11-14

…6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.… 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8

…20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21

In the place of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas - The ball is rolling quickly down the hill now, and there's no way to quantify the full weight of what Christ is walking towards. Caiaphas is one of the longer standing high priest of this time, which wreaks of compromise with Rome. 

House of Simon the Leper - His disciples would not be in the house of a leper because that is unclean, which means that this is the house of a leper that Jesus has healed. 

A woman came up to Him - We learn from the gospel of John that this woman is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. 

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12: 1-8

Very expensive ointment - People anointed guest back in those days with perfume, and they would also have a servant or other provisions made to wash the guest's feet. It is dusty and people would be rather stinky, this is before deodorant and bathrooms with running water. In John we find that it was pure nard which Judas of course knows the worth of, and states it as 300 denarii, about a year's wages.  

She poured it on His head - In John we see that she also put it on His feet which she wiped with her hair. She was basically anointing Him head to toe for His burial. She recognized what the disciples had not yet grasped. Her theology was more advanced in that she saw her savior. He was her Passover, her scapegoat, upon him was poured out the anointing of everything she needed to have removed, and we get a real sense of this from the account in Luke 7.

…38As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume. 39When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him— for she is a sinner!” 40But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, Teacher,” he said.…

…41“Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?” 43“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied. “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.…

…44And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not greet Me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing My feet since I arrived. 46You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume.…

…47Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49But those at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”… Luke 7: 38-49

Why this waste - John lets us know that it was Judas who vocalized this, and of course everything sounds great in the ears of virtue signalers, yet John also comes to understand it as coming from the one who carried the purse. Judas later sold Jesus for much less than this.

She has done a beautiful thing to Me - She knew Who He was and was overwhelmed with gratitude, she worshiped Him. Some run off to do without knowing, but Mary had come to know from learning, from seizing the rarest moment in history, God With Us, on His way to Calvary to pay for her sins.

38As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”…

…41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things. 42But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 38-42

You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me - If they cared about the poor then nothing was stopping them from helping the poor, and Jesus had just taught that very thing. Mary wasn't trying to get out of working when Jesus was teaching either, she just recognized the greater thing, from where all else must flow. When will you get to sit at the feet of the Son of God and hear Him teach again? It's marvelous what she knew. No one else has seemed to comprehend this yet.

She has done it to prepare Me for My burial - This is the Son of God's take on it, enough said.

Wherever this gospel is proclaimed - And here we are discussing the woman that anointed Jesus for what was to follow. She was already mourning Him, and blessed are they that mourn for she could take great comfort in that her sins would die with Him, be buried with Him and that He Who had no sin would not be held by the grave, but would rise again. She hungered and thirsted for righteousness, and she recognized it before her, and she looked forward to being filled with that righteousness, that death would have no hold on her, that she would also rise again. That we all might know what this dear sister knew, how meek we would be.

“She probably did not know all that her action meant when she anointed her Lord for his burial. The consequences of the simplest action done for Christ may be much greater than we think…She thus showed that there was, at least, one heart in the world that thought nothing was too good for her Lord, and that the best of the very best ought to be given to him.” (Spurgeon)

iii. “Mary’s name now smells as sweet in all God’s house as ever her ointment did; when Judas’ name rots, and shall do to all posterity.” (Trapp)

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#1314 Matthew 25 Part 3 Sheep and Goats

 

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25: 31-46 ESV

Matthew 25: 31-46 Christ's Judgment

When the Son of Man comes - This is Jesus, Who Matthew has established as King, both by lineage as the Son of David, and the fulfillment of OT prophecy as the One Who paid in stripes the Kinsmen's redemption. It was men who offended the infinite God, and so Jesus must come as a man, but He must satisfy the infinite and eternal Being, so He must be God. He has already come as the humble servant that we should have been, and He has already been rejected as we should be, and He has already given His life on the cross, rose again, for death cannot hold the One Who is without sin. 

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

…9He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail. 10Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.” 1 Samuel 2: 9-10

…63But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.… Matthew 26: 63-65

Then He will sit on His glorious throne - This is the Second coming, the judgement of those on the earth. This is at the end of the Tribulation. Jesus will sit on the throne of His father David, which is in Zion, which is Jerusalem. 

…37“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.” 38“What is truth?” Pilate asked. And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against Him. 39But it is your custom that I release to you one prisoner at the Passover. So then, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”… John 18: 37-39

…4On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south. 5You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. 6On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.… Zechariah 14: 4-6

Before Him will be gathered all the nations - This is prophesied in the OT. 

…12Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side. 13Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great. 14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.…

…15The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. 16The LORD will roar from Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

17Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, never again to be overrun by foreigners. 18And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will run with water, and a spring will flow from the house of the LORD to water the Valley of Acacias. 19Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.… Joel 3: 12-19

And He will place the sheep on His right - He distinguishes between believers and unbelievers, the right hand is the place of preference. 

…13And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him. 14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. 15Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,… Genesis 48: 13-15

…8For the One who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles. 9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John— those reputed to be pillars— gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.… Galatians 2: 8-10

…43Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says: 44‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’ 45So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”… Matthew 22: 43-45

Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world - Note, God made this for them from eternity, it is His blessing not their merit, nor any foreseen act originating within them. He chose them in Christ.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 4For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,… Ephesians 1: 3-5

For I was hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked - We learned about virgins with oil and without, about wheat and tares, about servants who produced fruit and those that did not. Those servants did what they were supposed to do, as did the virgins who acquired the oil for their lamps, and now we see the fruit of those who God has called. They are performing very god-like tasks, in doing for those that can do little or nothing in return for them, and they are doing it out of love for Christ and His people.

…8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.… Ephesians 2: 8-10

Lord, when did we see You hungry - Note the way the righteous answer, they did not set out to earn roll over minutes or miles, they were not checking off a box. This was so intrinsic and a delight to their new natures that they just did it, without fan fair and from a heart made willing. They are obviously trusting in Christ, what He did, and not in their own works, yet faith without works is dead, and so they are found to have a living faith. There is fruit on these trees.

…8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,… 2 Timothy 1: 8-10

As you did to one of the least of these my brothers you did to me - He has taught the disciples for some time now, and He drives home that if we love Jesus then this will be manifest in our love for each other. The most annoying convert, the one that takes up so much of our energy, maybe that's me and I just see it as someone else, but even the very least of His little ones, whatever we do for them is as unto Christ. He so identifies with His sheep that He tells Peter 3 times to feed His sheep. For the pastor it is to bring the whole counsel of God to his congregation, for the husband it is to wash his wife with the word. For the father and mother it is to teach their children the Scripture, to teach them that it is more blessed to give than receive. For the rich it is to help the poor, not the lazy as some would teach, for this only compounds the problem and aids them in sloth. For the poor it is to pray, to give of what they have and trust in God to multiply it like the fish and the loaves. If I see a need that I cannot personally meet it should drive me to my knees, and the one who thinks little of this knows very little of God. 

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.… 1 John 4: 7-9

…25So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors. 26But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.… Luke 22: 25-27

As you did not do it to one of the least of these - This comes up in very practical historical instances as OT examples. Even the nations that God sent against Israel when they were being judged were still punished for their lack of mercy. Some of Israel's closest kin were often least favorable to them. God will also remember those who have persecuted His church now as well. In the southern states here it is illegal to refuse anyone water, even someone who has come into the country illegally. 

…20But Edom insisted, “You may not pass through.” And they came out to confront the Israelites with a large army and a strong hand. 21So Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their territory, and Israel turned away from them. Numbers 20: 20-21

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, 3 and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;

I will stretch out My hand against you,

And make you most desolate;

4 I shall lay your cities waste,

And you shall be desolate.

Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

5 “Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end, 6 therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7 Thus I will make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it the one who leaves and the one who returns. 8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. 9 I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; then you shall know that I am the Lord. Ezekiel 35: 1-9

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#1313 Matthew 25 Part 2 Return On Investment

 

13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25: 13-30 ESV

Matthew 25: 13-30 With Interest

For it will be like a man going on a journey - Our Lord is getting ready to depart soon. He will finish His business with the cross, beat down death and sin, rise from the grave and make Himself known to His followers, but that is only a short time and coming soon. After that He will ascend to heaven which will usher in the church age, the time of the Holy Spirit, the time before Christ's second coming. It is a long time and the disciples do not realize just how long, in every age we anticipate Christ's return. He doesn't just leave them without expectation though, but rather commissions them to carry on His work, to spread the gospel, which is the good news, the story of God's redemptive history and extended grace. They are to do this with the guidance and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  

9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1: 9-12

15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.… John 14: 15-17

…18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”… Matthew 28: 18-20

To one He gave 5 talents - So a talent is a unit of measure, it is used with metals, and He doesn't say which metal in this case, but to each was given a significant sum based upon their ability. He hasn't given anyone more than they can rightfully handle, and so He expects a return on His investment from everyone. It should be noted that from the perspective of God, this is life, breath, mental capacity, physical ability, your money and even your aptitude for acquiring it all come from Him. Everything you have is borrowed. 

“The talent was not a coin, it was a weight; and therefore its value obviously depended on whether the coinage involved was copper, gold, or silver.” (Barclay)

ii. “The English use of ‘talent’ for a natural (or supernatural) aptitude derives from this parable…But of course the Greek talanton is simply a sum of money…it was generally regarded as equal to 6,000 denarii.” (France) “If a talent were worth six thousand denarii, then it would take a day laborer twenty years to earn so much.” (Carson)

Went at once and traded with them - This is the proper response, and the difference between the virgins with oil and without. The greater servant is the one that doesn't need his Master standing over him to do the right thing. The five virgins without oil also waited till it was too late to acquire it. It took 120 years of hard work and diligence, but once the ark was sealed it kept Noah and his family through the flood, but in all that time no one else came to enter.

…15As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” 16For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?… Hebrews 3: 15-17

Hid his Master's money - He did nothing with it, and in so many of the parables there is a lesson about being fruitful, not clinging to what doesn't ultimately belong to you. "A tree is known by it's fruit", the head or fruit of the grain distinguishes wheat from tares. 

Now after a long time - This is consistent with the parables and this latter end of the time of the gentiles, it has been a long time. He comes to settle accounts, to judge. Remember the wicked servant from before, he thought well my master tarries, so then he proved himself unfaithful, greedy, a tyrant. The virgins did not know the day that the bridegroom was coming, only that He was coming. Don't be foolish with things that carry eternal weight. 

45But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.… Luke 12: 45-46

Well done good and faithful servant - Both the man with the five and two talents hear the same praise. It is interesting that both were considered faithful over "little" regardless of the difference, and both were put over much. It does not matter whether you have the same talent, if we use the word in that sense, or the same amount of possessions, capital, as someone else, it matters that you are faithful with what God has put in your trust. 

“It is better to be faithful in the infant-school than to be unfaithful in a noble class of young men. Better to be faithful in a hamlet over two or three score of people, than to be unfaithful in a great-city parish, with thousands perishing in consequence. Better to be faithful in a cottage meeting, speaking of Christ crucified to half-a hundred villagers, than to be unfaithful in a great building where thousands congregate.” (Spurgeon)

…9I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?… Luke 16: 9-11

Master, I knew you to be a hard man - His assessment is more accusatory in nature, and it won't help his case. It's as though he sets the stage, after hearing the triumphs of his fellow servants, he would like to lower the bar and place the blame upon his master. If you weren't such a mean boss, if you didn't expect so much, then I wouldn't have been so afraid to try. 

Here, you have what is yours - Wow, this is arrogant, and the Master could have left it with the other two, with money changers, and received some return. Of course it's His, but the servant was supposed to do something with it. It was a talent worth of opportunity and he instead buried the opportunity.

You wicked and slothful servant - He now gives His assessment, and He destroys the argument, "you admitted that you know that I reap where I do not sew", so the servant knew the expectation. "You come blaming me though the truth is that you are lazy." He even told him something the servant should have easily know to do. The others doubled the investment, but the Master would have been satisfied with what is apparently somewhat less, interest earned in savings. Why didn't he at least do that? 

“It is the genius of wicked men to lay the blame of their miscarriages upon others, oftentimes upon God himself.” (Poole)

“If we cannot trade directly and personally on our Lord’s account, if we have not the skill nor the tact to manage a society or an enterprise for him, we may at least contribute to what others are doing, and join our capital to theirs, so that, by some means, our Master may have the interest to which he is entitled.” (Spurgeon)

But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away - Well, the Master is no socialist, the man does not get to share in the other's reward. His talent is taken and entrusted to the one who will work with it. What good is a lamp without oil?

…34Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. 35A king delights in a wise servant, but his anger falls on the shameful. Proverbs 14: 34-35

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