Rachel Workman: 14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. It's good to remember that God uses evil for His glory, even now. We can never know what Judas's real motives were here. Was it greed? Was it evil? Or was God using Judas to carry out his will?
17 On 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 meal for you?”
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.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table[c] with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”
23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!” This leads me to believe it was out of greed and evil that Judas betrayed Jesus. Perhaps this was the only reason Judas was allowed to be a disciple in the first place. Jesus knew he needed someone to betray him and he knew Judas would do it.
25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” It were as if Judas had not quite made him mind up if he would betray Jesus yet. Or Judas was fishing to see what Jesus really knew.
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
27 And 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, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
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Allen Michaels: 14 Then one of the
Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and
asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they
counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on
Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Why did Judas betray his Master? Was his treachery
motivated by greed, bitter disappointment with Jesus or hatred because of
disillusionment? It may be that Judas never intended for his Master to
die. Maybe he thought Jesus was proceeding too slowly and not acting
aggressively enough in setting up his messianic kingdom. Perhaps Judas
wanted to force Jesus' hand by compelling him to act. Nonetheless, his
tragedy was his refusal to accept Jesus as he was. Aren't we tempted to
use God for our own purposes? It is not God who must change, but we must be
changed by him. Jesus knew beforehand what would befall him.
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?” It was at Passover time that
Jesus came to Jerusalem knowing he would be betrayed and put to death as the
"Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus
fulfilled the Passover. His death and resurrection, which occurred at
Passover time, redeems us from enslavement to sin, death, Satan, and the
world. His blood, like the blood of the first Passover lamb, protects
God's people from the angel of death and breaks the oppressive rule of Satan.
Easter is the Christian Passover (1 Cor. 5:7-8). We must celebrate the Passover
with sincerity and truth (see 1 Cor. 5:7-8).
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.” As Jesus ate the Passover meal with his twelve apostles
he put them under trial and suspicion (one of you will betray me) to teach them
to examine themselves rightly, lest they be high-minded and think themselves
more strong than they were. We also must examine ourselves in the light of
God's truth and grace and ask him to strengthen us in faith, hope, and love
that we may not fail him or forsake him when we are tempted. Do you pray with
confidence in the words Jesus gave us to pray: Do not lead us into
temptation, but deliver us from evil?
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 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.”
Jesus gave a new and definitive
meaning to the blessing of the bread and the cup when he instituted the
"Lord's Supper" or "Eucharist". He speaks of the presence
of his body and blood in this new meal. When at the Last Supper Jesus described
his blood "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew
26:28), he was explaining his coming crucifixion as a sacrifice for sins. His
death on the cross fulfilled the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, also referred
to as the Passover Lamb. That is why John the Baptist called him the "Lamb
of God who takes away the sins of the world" Jesus made himself an offering
and sacrifice, a gift that was truly pleasing to the Father. He "offered
himself without blemish to God" (Hebrews 9:14) and "gave himself as a
sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2). This meal was a memorial of his death
and resurrection.
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the
Mount of Olives.
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Monday's Reading for Matthew 25:31-46. There will be no reading for Friday.
31 “But when the Son of Man[d] comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All
the nations[e] will be gathered in his presence, and he
will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his 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 creation of
the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a
drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I
was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in
prison, and you visited me.’37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[f] you were doing it to me!’
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[g] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
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