Our Daily Bread Today Matthew 26 ++

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Matthew 26:1-75
The Plot to Kill Jesus
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he said to his disciples, 2"As you know, the Passover celebration begins in two days, and I, the Son of Man, will be betrayed and crucified."
3At that same time the leading priests and other leaders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, 4to discuss how to capture Jesus secretly and put him to death. 5"But not during the Passover," they agreed, "or there will be a riot."
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy. 7During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful jar F144 of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. 8The disciples were indignant when they saw this. "What a waste of money," they said. 9"She could have sold it for a fortune and given the money to the poor."
10But Jesus replied, "Why berate her for doing such a good thing to me? 11You will always have the poor among you, but I will not be here with you much longer. 12She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory."
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15and asked, "How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?" And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16From that time on, Judas began looking for the right time and place to betray Jesus.
The Last Supper
17On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover supper?"
18"As you go into the city," he told them, "you will see a certain man. Tell him, 'The Teacher says, My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.'" 19So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover supper there.
20When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples. 21While they were eating, he said, "The truth is, one of you will betray me."
22Greatly distressed, one by one they began to ask him, "I'm not the one, am I, Lord?"
23He replied, "One of you who is eating with me now F145 will betray me. 24For I, the Son of Man, must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer. Far better for him if he had never been born!"
25Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, "Teacher, I'm not the one, am I?" And Jesus told him, "You have said it yourself."
26As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God's blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take it and eat it, for this is my body." 27And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it, 28for this is my blood, which seals the covenant F146 between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many. 29Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." 30Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31"Tonight all of you will desert me," Jesus told them. "For the Scriptures say,
'God F147 will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' F148
32But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there."
33Peter declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will."
34"Peter," Jesus replied, "the truth is, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."
35"No!" Peter insisted. "Not even if I have to die with you! I will never deny you!" And all the other disciples vowed the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go on ahead to pray." 37He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he began to be filled with anguish and deep distress. 38He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me."
39He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." 40Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? 41Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"
42Again he left them and prayed, "My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done." 43He returned to them again and found them sleeping, for they just couldn't keep their eyes open.
44So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45Then he came to the disciples and said, "Still sleeping? Still resting? F149 Look, the time has come. I, the Son of Man, am betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Up, let's be going. See, my betrayer is here!"
Jesus Is Arrested
47And even as he said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a mob that was armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent out by the leading priests and other leaders of the people. 48Judas had given them a prearranged signal: "You will know which one to arrest when I go over and give him the kiss of greeting." 49So Judas came straight to Jesus. "Greetings, Teacher!" he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
50Jesus said, "My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for." Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51One of the men with Jesus pulled out a sword and slashed off an ear of the high priest's servant.
52"Put away your sword," Jesus told him. "Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword. 53Don't you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands F150 of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?"
55Then Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I some dangerous criminal, that you have come armed with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn't you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures." At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Jesus before the Council
57Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and other leaders had gathered. 58Meanwhile, Peter was following far behind and eventually came to the courtyard of the high priest's house. He went in, sat with the guards, and waited to see what was going to happen to Jesus.
59Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council F151 were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, there was no testimony they could use. Finally, two men were found 61who declared, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"
62Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Well, aren't you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?" 63But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God."
64Jesus replied, "Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God's right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven." F152
65Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror, shouting, "Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66What is your verdict?" "Guilty!" they shouted. "He must die!"
67Then they spit in Jesus' face and hit him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?"
Peter Denies Jesus
69Meanwhile, as Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, a servant girl came over and said to him, "You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean."
70But Peter denied it in front of everyone. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said.
71Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."
72Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. "I don't even know the man," he said.
73A little later some other bystanders came over to him and said, "You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent."
74Peter said, "I swear by God, I don't know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. 75Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went away, crying bitterly.
FOOTNOTES:F144: Greek an alabaster jar. F145: Or The one who has dipped his hand in the bowl with me. F146: Some manuscripts read the new covenant. F147: Greek I. F148: Zech 13:7. F149: Or Sleep on, take your rest. F150: Greek 12 legions. F151: Greek the Sanhedrin. F152: See Ps 110:1; Dan 7:13.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. F

~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~ Today
Again Jesus is setting His disciples up for a great symbolism beyond human understanding. They know sacrifice, they live it. Without it they’d die eternally separated because of their sins. It is Passover time, the time of sacrifice, the time when their sins are forgiven by sacrifices bought, brought and made for them by priests, Holy men of God, on an altar.
Even the leading priests are preparing the sacrifice Lamb- Jesus. They had no idea, yet God is using them in a mighty magnificent way. Only priests offered sacrifices for people. It is the priests who want to capture Jesus. Judas bought, the people brought, and the priests sacrificed Him on the altar, the cross.
Before His death, a lady who was in love with Him showed us how to love Him, she saw ahead with the eyes of her Father God. She saw the extent of His love for her, that He forgave her of her grave sin of prostitution, where she’d sold her body over to unholy unrighteous flesh craving man of the world, where she’d taken what was meant for intimacy and used it to gratify flesh outside of covenant. She knew what her sin was and she knew no one can forgive sins except God, or so they’d told her. This man had forgiven and cleansed her from her grave sins, she was free, did not have to go again for forgiveness, she was free. The only thing she knew to do to express her gratefulness and to pour love on the one who forgave her and would offer forgiveness to the rest of the world, was to give everything she had to and for Him. She gave Him everything of that year. What she poured out was worth a year’s wage. The Passover sacrifices were made once per year for the “year’s” sins. She collected her year’s life’s wages (the wages of sin are death, and the gift of God is eternal life in Christ) and poured it out on Him, He was the sacrifice Lamb of and for all time. She knew that or she would have saved her money to buy a lamb, take it to a priest and have him lay it on an altar. She knew who He was by spiritual revelation, and understanding given her soul. She’d been listening and believing by the proof of His great love for her. She knew this love was not only for her.
I wonder if the poor had enough money to buy their sacrifices? I wonder if Judas gave his 30 pieces of sliver to help the poor buy sacrifices for their sins?
The festival of unleavened bread was celebrated for 7 days in conjunction with the Passover. 7 = complete. Passover was about the offering of sacrifices for sins. Unleavened bread was symbolic of the haste that was made in leaving Egypt. Egypt was the place where the Israelites were in bondage and symbolizes our lives before Christ. They had to leave that place, the place where sin abounded day in and day out. It is/was bondage and death, they had to get out of there, or they’d die there. In their packing, gathering etc, they did not have time to tend bread and let it rise etc. Sin had no power to hold them, because they were leaving it behind. This is what we do when we accept Christ and live a sanctified life. We leave the life of the practice of sin completely=7, all the way! No leaven in eating the bread of life, which is Christ’s body. No life of sin there, all left behind.
Notice Jesus now calls Himself a Shepherd of sheep? Hmmm, what does THAT connotate? The disciples are sheep? Aha, sheep are for sacrifice, for sins. People need someone to stand in for them for their sins. Jesus did that once for all, we must lead them to Christ and show them the way to Jesus by being a demonstration of living sacrifices. Are we willing sacrifices for other people as Jesus was? Do we daily give our lives for others? Do we practice by laying down personal opinions and desires and ways of doing things?
I was thinking of betrayal and of Judas and the spirit he was of. I realized God’s forgiveness and love were so great that even when Jesus knew Judas would go ahead and do this, buy His arrest, kiss His face, eat with Him, yet “stab” His heart through, Jesus loved Him and went ahead on to the cross anyway. I call this ultimate love. The God-kind of love, which gives all no matter what.
Jesus said NO man can take My life. Now men were taking His life away, they were beating, betraying and tormenting His body, soul, and spirit. Yet He said no man takes My life. I give it away, to them, as a ransom of their ignorance. I Am the Lamb of God sent to take away the sins of the world.
I give My life to take away sin’s effects on these people. He knew ahead of time how some of it would play out. In that garden I believe agony was overcoming the dread or thoughts of the betrayal of love and how persons can be ripped from the heart, yet love remains for the persons. It was not only Judas who would not stand with Him, all of the disciples were afraid and left Him there alone to His accusers. I see that as a time of judgment, where each of us will stand before the judge alone. Sin will be judged and Jesus was about to become sin.
He told the disciples He could protect Himself, if he really wanted to, but He wasn’t going to. They probably wondered if He’d protect them, because apparently He wouldn’t even protect Himself. They may have been a bit angry or confused at His actions, they possibly thought He should fight this war as a flesh and blood man. Maybe they thought He would argue His points, they couldn’t see He was fighting without words, just prayers of the silent type and obedience to God. Even before His earthly judges He would not speak on His own behalf, there was nothing to be said about self. This was not about Him alone, it was about saving the world. When He did speak up, it was about the Father and His plan for the earth.
What do we regularly speak about? Ourselves? Our own defense? Or God’s plans?


Daily Repetitive Verses:

Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.