Countdown to Betrayal, Part 1

The first century villains who hated Jesus concocted a plan to take his life.

This is Jesus because he had the audacity to expose the hypocrisy of the chief priests and the scribes and Pharisees select plan is murder. What they don't realize is that this depth was planned before the foundations of the world as we see God at work bringing his son to the purpose of his coming from January until now. Chuck Swindoll has been guiding us through a fascinating eyewitness account of Jesus life. The gospel according to Matthew today on Insight for living here in Matthew chapter 26. In this passage we find the tension building among powerful politicians and religious zealots who conspired to take Jesus out.

They hated him because Jesus was gaining in popularity. Little did they know that Jesus life and death had been predestined for the foundations of the world will begin by reading the passage together, titled his message countdown to betrayal. Matthew and that's not important.

What's important is it. Matthew goes through lots is a difference is is one thing, just to gather information kinda move from one chapter to another to another. Another thing entirely for what we glean from what Matthew was written for Alliance, so there were different this week than we were last week because of something that stood out from what we heard or saw the Lord showed us where Matthew 26 be reading these first 16 verses and you will observe a sharp contrast in brief vignettes, no missing you move from one scene to another and they are in sharp contrast to each other. I'll be reading from the new living translation.

You may have another version which will follow along in the much the same. This one reads a little easier for those who don't bring a Bible or are not familiar with their Bible.

But once you have found Matthew 26 please stand together. Out of respect for the word of God. When Jesus had finished saying all these things he said to his disciples. As you know Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified at that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him, but not during the Passover celebration. They agreed or the people. My riot.

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy while he was eating a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

The disciples were indignant when I saw this waste. They said they could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor, but Jesus aware of this replied what criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me.

You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.

She is for this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth wherever the good news is preached and throughout the world.

This woman's deed will be remembered and discussed Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples went to the leading priests and asked how much would you pay me to betray Jesus to and they gave him 30 pieces of silver. From that time on Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus study the book of Matthew X window. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures inside world on war/study another message from Chuck titled countdown to betrayal. The stench of death was in the air. No one knew it better than Jesus.

The disciples had no idea. A few men met in secret planning a murder not just any murder but the murder of the Messiah, the disciples were still caught up in the pleasant scene that admin bears along the slope of the Mount of olives.

Remember Jesus and sat down in the gun to review the plans for the future.

They had asked a few questions and he if you will, unloaded the truck of information not only about immediate future, but the ultimate future in their heads must've been swimming will they realize that they were only really only hours from his breathing.

His last. All he knew he knew it all. Matthew looking back and recording the events remembered the salient issues that were worth recording. And so when he sat down to put his account together.

He reviewed his mind seems that he had lived out. What an amazing thought the things we read about. Centuries later, Matthew had lived out just a little before you wrote about, and when he gets to the what we know as the 26 chapter of his account. Everything is riveted to the cross. Everything was explains the length of the chapter is the longest in Matthew's account. Chapter 26 chapter 27 he covers it all in just two chapters, beginning with well what we might call the secret counsel for a conspiracy is being planned and he takes us all the way to the mailing of the Savior to the cross is burial in the tomb seal shot and must've been anguishing for Matthew in writing some of this to relive it when he writes of the Jesus having finished saying those things, he was there when the rights of the Passover that was that was upon them. He remembers and Jesus makes the comment in verse two, as you know Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified didn't register and get it if I count correctly. This is now the third fourth time he's mentioned this one time he even said I will be crucified, and I will rise the third day from the dead and get it.

So underwear worthy of the whole scene that when they got to the tomb that was empty. Stone rolled away and there was nobody. They stared wondering where the taken wheat we can be so like that before we look with condemnation on those men.

Let's realize how many messages have come and gone and we've long since forgotten. Could you even recall what was said two weeks ago, or one week ago.

Do not forget this day. Don't forget this time Matthew was preparing us for the most gruesome grizzlies see the dead known to mankind. A body hanging on the cross alive held by spikes until he breathes his last and left there many cases until the vultures came and insects fan upon the body. This is this is that edits were because were familiar with it, we can't smell it if were not careful, we won't even remember.

So let's be careful when Winston Churchill prepared his memoirs around World War II. Beginning around 1948 and beyond to look back and ultimately it covered six marvelous volumes. Some of my most treasured in my library. I love the name of the fourth volume, the gathering storm the gathering storm volume. Early on he introduces us to the twisted depraved mind of Adolf Hitler and how, through his deception and the maneuverings of events. He broke treaties and lied as he lay the groundwork for wiping out one country after another that had no idea what was coming.

This conspiracy is is like that. This is the gathering storm if you will, and Matthew ways no flags.

There are exclamation points along the way but he trusts us as readers to enter into the scene and to feel it out wrong to read this and not feel it so for some time. I've felt and now I invite you to feel this countdown to betrayal feel what what it must've been like to have been a disciple for you what that meeting was like the Caiaphas led in that secret chamber. Every time Caiaphas is mentioned in the New Testament. He's working against Jesus.

Every time he hopes to weaken his his message.

He hopes to question his integrity. He hopes to spread doubt about his message Caiaphas this blindness Jesus because he has the audacity to expose the hypocrisy of the chief priests and the scribes and Pharisees had dared do that to us so they plan is murder. What they don't realize is that this death was planned before the foundations of the world and the beautiful mysterious plan of God now dovetails with the hatred of men, as we see God at work bringing his son to the purpose of his coming busy. I like you and like me, unlike the two of us wouldn't wouldn't wouldn't airborne morning were were being born to live RRR. Our hope is to live a full life Jesus came, knowing his life would be short. He came to die in the light of that ordained plan. He knew we would never live to CH 35 older than most of us are younger than most of us I should say younger than most of us, so Matthew changes the tone from one scene to another with a very simple smooth transitions that you'd miss if you didn't really feel what he's writing.

After Jesus had finished saying all those things that he said on the Mount, the disciples were caught up in all of those things he says to them as you know Passover begins in two days the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified at that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. Your magic act as though you don't know the story through the only way to read it for its impact you. Here is one who is never done one thing wrong in his entire life.

Here is a man who is only healed those who were sick, administered to those who were broken Touchstone encourage lives that had come to an end and fewer people ready to kill so shortsighted or they that the one thing they can imagine is revenge getting back thinking that pipe killing him. It's all over, when in fact it it sent the message around the world from a human point of view, it appears tragic but from a divine point of view is exactly as the Lord God planned his son when he came he was to be crucified. So we read in verse three that they were they were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas. If this were a movie scene would fade from verse two and blend into the beginning of verse three as were brought into the scene where there is the planning of the murder and the one who carries the conversation is Joseph. Caiaphas listened to a few background comments from one New Testament student Caiaphas was high priest, we know very little about him, but we do know one most suggested fact in the old days, the office of high priest had been hereditary and had been for life. But when the Romans took over high priest came to came and went and rapid series for the Romans erected and depose high priests to suit their own purposes between 37 BC and A.D. 67, when the last was appointed before the destruction of the temple.

There were no fewer than 28 high priests. Caiaphas was high priest from A.D. 18 two A.D. 36 an extraordinarily long time for high priest to last and Caiaphas must've brought the technique of cooperating with the Romans to a fine art. The go back to verse three.

At that same time leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas. There was our man. He's a good divide as the high priests. What concerned them. They were plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and killing but not during Passover you live. Most of us being Gentile don't understand Passover is at the festival on our calendar, but in those days it was the major festival preparation in Jerusalem was extensive and population in the city swelled in normal sleep at Passover. According to Josephus, Jewish historian, some 256,500 sacrificial lambs were slain during a typical Passover Festival and because tradition required that no fewer than 10 people were DE one land. Do the math. The number of celebrants could've exceeded 2 million 2 million people swelling the ranks of the little city little in our estimation of Jerusalem since it came from all over, including Galilee, many admirers of Jesus, who had witnesses, miracles, and heard his teaching would have been in the crowd. They were sympathetic to his calls. It would be too risky to arrest him with so many of them around. They would write it and that's the last thing Romans allowed no public riots. In fact, their preference was no public meeting of any size. Suddenly the scene changes from a hostile group making dark plans to a gathering of joyful celebration become Matthew writes he moves from this room were murderers being arranged to a little village named Bethany for one Simon is hosting a meal. Simon known as Simon the leper here again is strange to our ears because we don't deal with leprosy in our culture today.

Very little of it is ever even mentioned in our lifetime. Most of us could say we live and die and never knew one person with the disease. Not so in the day and what one was a leper. One was an outcast for life not even varied among the family and the thought of his being cleansed of leprosy, never refer to what is being healed of it but cleansed of it was so impossible once you got it you died, but Simon in the middle of Simon's gathering someone burst into the scene and will pick up the story right here on our next program you're listening to Insight for living and we're midway through a message from Chuck Swindoll that is titled countdown to betrayal.

Please stay with us through the remainder of the study because Chuck will help us understand the gravity of Jesus suffering on our behalf and to discover a variety of resources available on this topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org will did you know that in addition to these daily studies together. There's another way to find strength from God's word Insight for living would be pleased to send you Chuck Swindoll's daily devotional by receiving these inspirational emails. You'll have the promises of God's word fresh on your mind throughout the day to sign up. Just follow the simple instructions@insight.org/devotional for those who are ready to dig deeply into the Bible on your own.

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I don't know that I would've made it today and I'm not found your message. Thank you well in reading this note, our hope is that our monthly companion are encouraged. Your faithful month by month generosity is making an impact on those who rely on church teaching every day and if you're prepared to become a monthly companion. Just give us a call listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org/monthly. In March, 20, 22 insight for living ministries is hosting an unforgettable journey to Israel carefully planned to deepen your understanding of the Bible and draw you closer to God Chuck Swindoll for thousands of years no place has been more meaning to God's children in the land of Israel. The rugged landscape reminds us to find refuge in God alone. The fertile valleys invite us to follow our ship Jerusalem's position at the very center of the world announces the good news of Christ's every nation and now you can see Israel with Chuck Swindoll insight for living ministries March 6-17, 2022. Every time I visited the holy land of returned home with the refreshed heart for God and a renewed vision for the world really undefeated every time so I want you to have the same life changing experience to learn more, go to insight.org/events call this number 1-888-447-0444 insight for living ministries tour to Israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend our study of Jesus countdown to betrayal continues tomorrow.

Join us again Tuesday dear insight for living with Chuck Swindoll the preceding message countdown to betrayal was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited