Countdown to Betrayal, Part 2

Mary in a demonstration of law gave everything she own to Jesus way to express Jesus. This should break over him force it on as is reclining at the table she pours it on his and for those hours that followed around him could smell the worship Mary, all as we read a first-hand account of Jesus final. We escalating crescendo of emotion and drama filled the air.

Some hated Jesus. Others love you very few were on the fence, but among the most eloquent expressions came from Mary poured out an offering. Among the most disappointing acts was the betrayal by a good friend. These are the snapshots that Chuck Swindoll brings into focus today on Insight for living our study in Matthew takes us to chapter 26, Chuck titled today's message count down to betrayal begins with prayer father, thank you for your word that lives and abides forever. Thank you for giving it to us. We write a line of it, but holy men of God as they were moved along by your spirit, were led to write under the God breathed inspiration power. The spirit this account.

These lines, these very words that capture our attention. Maybe not remain the same because of what we hear today deliver us from the perfunctory attitude of another church service. Another sermon another offering another few minutes. Another few songs and were back to business as usual, God forbid that we will be caught in that plague minister deeply to us touch our lives change our thinking break our habits alter our direction so that we are better moms and dads better single adults better people in the world that has long since lost its way. May Christ be honored by the way we live in now for the way we give in the matchless name of Jesus we pray this every once in study the book of Matthew.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to inside world.org/studies another message from Chuck titled countdown to betrayal. This is the gathering storm if you will. Matthew wave flags. There are exclamation points along the way trust is readers to render the scene and to feel it wrong to read this and not feel it so for some time. I've felt now I invite you to feel this countdown to betrayal what it must've been like to have been a disciple. What that meeting was like the Caiaphas led in that secret chamber.

Every time Caiaphas is mentioned in the New Testament is 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, so Matthew changes the tone from one scene to another with very simple, smooth transitions that you'd miss if you didn't really feel what is right 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 today's 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.

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 to 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 that 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. 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 five is the high priests. What concerned them. They were plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him, but not during Passover. You will 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 and 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, the number of celebrants could've exceeded 2 million since it came from all over, including Galilee, many admirers of Jesus, who had witnesses, miracles, and heard his teaching. Whatever 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 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 heirs 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 letter. One was an outcast for life not even buried among the family and the thought of his being cleansed of leprosy, never refer to one is being healed of it but cleansed of it was so impossible once you got it you died, but Simon didn't. No doubt Jesus has cleansed the leper Simon though we still lives with the tag Simon the leper, so he calls this gathering together to celebrate since Jesus was among them, and what a marvelous celebration. It must've been as he describes the change this. Come over him. As a result of being cleansed of this awful dread Z and in this setting of harmony and intimacy. All men and bursts a woman announced as she walked right up to this group that had gathered for a meal not understand meals in those days. Most of us only have artist renderings from Middle Ages and beyond, and so all the disciples were sitting in New England letter back chairs at a long table looking at the photographer who all of these spaces are not in chairs as of the long table in the not all facing one direction is a low table like a low coffee table and you reclined at a meal illegal and elbow and you ate with her hands.

What a great idea you could shovel it in. You know whatever it was you there's a new butyl sub 30 dip it in the meat that you dip this over there. Delete that and that's the way they were reclined at the table really relaxed, casual setting, that's where they were at this meal again. It was customary that only men would be together and incomes a woman who remains unnamed in Matthew's gospel. Thankfully we had Mark's account and John to tell us that this is Mary. She's the sister of Martha and Lazarus. They lived in Bethany same village different house, but she comes on the scene for a specific purpose, unrelated to the meal again. I urged you to feel it. So put yourself in her sandals in her place as she walks in this all-male gathering and she brings with her a priceless treasure. It is a small container: alabaster jar of perfume. Another writer calls it no this particular perfume is extremely expensive ladies you would know the cost of perfume better than us men unless were husbands and and then we would know only because where the resisting once who say do you have to get something that expensive but you would never get something that cost $25-$30,000. I hope you would not go there, but she had this in her possession. Someone asked me following the earlier service. How can a woman of her meager means have wound up with something. This expense probably hereditary probably pass along to her from the family or given by a wealthy friend, but this is an immensely wealthy perfume and it's in this jar sealed and we read that she she came in with his beautiful alabaster jar and she breaks it, and she pours it on my head and we went over from Mark and John's words.

She came to his feet and she smeared it on his feet and letter letter hair down, and with her heresy smears across his feet and and and his legs. This is shocking stuff.

First of all, a woman is an all-male gathering, and of all things, should she does this spontaneously unannounced and by the way, she never says a word here or in the other accounts she doesn't come to preach she doesn't come to give a little devotional doesn't quote a verse of Scripture from the old sheet she just does this pantomime of extravagant spontaneous worship. That's what happens.

She knows of no better way to express her adoration of Jesus than this, she breaks the ointment over him, and pours it on his head as he was reclining at the table and then goes down where his feet and and and and the she pours them pours it on his on his feet potable, but the disciples we read the word they were and to connect not know what a marvelous act of worship.

Not loving woman of God, whose adoration knows no bounds. Send Batman look at this. The first responses. What always look at it. What always they said it could have been so for price and the money given to the poor. There so pious since what I so concerned about others. The point is, then what to say so they decide to say the wrong thing and they yell at her for what she is done. Jesus responses magnificence always magnificent Bonita Jesus aware of this replied what criticized this woman for doing such a good thing to me.

I look at the look at it, you will always have the poor with you always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. To tell you the truth wherever the good news is preached throughout the world.

This woman Steve will be remembered and discussed and by the way, here we are centuries later doing that very thing. She's the star of the show will she doesn't come to be the star. She comes over with her adoration and knowing she may never see him again. She brought her most expensive possession, and pours it all over. Notice where here we read it's going on his head. The other disciples. The other gospel writers writer pouring it on his feet, taking her hair and smearing it on his feet as expensive as this perfume was we can be certain of this. That fragrance remained on his body, even when it became a cadaver is the most precious aroma. That's often overlooked by all of us to preach the message of Christ to the cross. The fragrance was on his hand under the crown of Florence when they pulled him from the cross and lifted the body from the spike is ugly holes in his feet. The fragrance was all around his feet when he came out of the tomb, the fragrance was with him and for those hours that followed. When they were around him. You could smell the worship of Mary all over.

Praise God for Mary for that kind of worship.

Samuel Stennett. By the middle 18th-century sits down and begins to put into words what may have been her thoughts all conjecture, but I think very well might have been majestic sweetness sits enthroned upon the Savior's morale to said with radiant glorious crown his lips with grace or flow was lips with grace or flow. He saw the pleasant, deep distress and to my relief for me for the shameful cross and carried all my grief and cherry all my grief to him I owe my life and breath and all the joys I have immensely triumphant over death and saves me from the grave and saves me from the grave sins from his bounty. I receive such proofs of love divine files and hearts to give more they would all die, it would all be thy she would've sung it was Samuel Stennett or feelings in Jesus could hear from her actions why she did what she did and all the disciples could think of, probably out of envy was for the police sweet picture of indulgent generosity and love. Mary gave everything she owned an expression of love and commitment to Jesus you're listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll and this is insight for living will look forward to learning more from the sacred encounters with Jesus during the final week of his life right now. If you'd like to discover a variety of resources available on this topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org gracefully as we attempt to understand these emotional snapshots in the first century. Unlike Mary and the disciples we have the added benefit of hindsight and perspective.

Centuries of time help us see with clarity the magnitude of Jesus suffering and what is death, burial and resurrection mean to us today. Well to help you remain focused on Jesus and his resurrection power I please remind you check is written.

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