When we Fail @ Following
Matthew 26 – Series: “Fan or Follower” Message 5 – March 29, 2015
Mike McDaniel, Grace Point Church of Northwest Arkansas
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Icebreaker: What has been your biggest take away from the Fan or Follower series?
Transitions: We must all reflect on the fact that we by-and-large want to be followers, and that Jesus is calling us to be a follower, the final decision is with us and it’s an every day one. The final message gives us hope that WHEN we fail at being a follower, there is a pathway to hope and a restored journey again with Christ
Discussion Questions
1. What does it mean to say that we all have a "rebel's heart?" (Mark 7:20-23)
2. How was Judas's rebellion intentional (Matthew 26:16) and how was Peter’s unintentional (Mattew 26:47-50)?
3. Read Hebrews 11:25. How have you experienced the “passing pleasures of sin?" Be as transparent as possible.
4. Compare and contrast the remorse of Judas and Peter (Mattew 27:3 and 26:75)
5. Discuss the difference between SHAME and GUILT. Why can it be said that "guilt is your friend?" Read Psalm 32:5.
6. How did Jesus show that despite Peter's denials he hadn’t given up on him? (John 21:15-17)
7. Read Luke 22:3. How does this verse show that God intended all along to restore Peter?
8. What is the evidence in your life that shows you are a follower instead of a fan?
LEADER RESOURCES
Scriptural Background
The story of Judas is easily one of the most tragic ever told. His name has become a byword for betrayal. He was a close friend, a compatriot, a companion of three years and the trusted treasurer of the group. That is what makes his betrayal so horrible. The proverb is true that says Icikupempula: e cikulya [‘that which visits you is the very thing that eats you’, meaning that the person who causes you harm is a close friend].
Judas’ problem was that he followed Jesus for what he could get out of it. His aim was to make it to the very top of the ‘cabinet’ of the new regime in the kingdom of God. Similar motives seem to drive many who enter the public service in Africa today, and many who enter the church. For Judas, it proved to be a disastrous policy, for he was exposed for his shallow commitment and unashamed ambition for material gain. For the price of a slave (26:15; see also Exod 21:32), he betrayed his master.
Judas’ story is a salutary reminder of the foolishness of following Jesus for what can be gained. Jesus warned that whoever saves his life will lose it (16:24–27), and Judas proved this to be the case (27:1–10).
26:17–30 The Passover Meal
The first recorded murder occurred in the context of offering a sacrifice to God and involved betrayal by a close relative (Gen 4:4–8). Similarly, Jesus and his companions sit down to a sacrificial meal, and Jesus is betrayed by a close friend (26:18–21). The betrayal results in his death.
It appears that Jesus ate the traditional Passover meal a whole twenty-four hours before the appointed time (without an actual sacrificial lamb, for that could only be ready the following afternoon). He used the age-old ritual to explain the meaning of his death to his disciples, and thus gave them a way to appreciate more fully the purposes of God.
The details of the old story of the first Passover, the bitterness of the bondage, the sacrifice of the Passover lamb and the deliverance from Egypt, all formed the backdrop to Jesus’ showing how he himself would be the new Passover Lamb and how his blood would be the new wine of the new exodus (26:26–28). The symbolism is powerful and has come down to us in the form of the Communion service (see 1 Cor 11:23–26).
The book of Hebrews shows Jesus as the ultimate mediator between God and human beings (Heb 9:15), and his death as the sacrifice that ends all sacrifices (Heb 9:26). My maternal grandfather had a place of sacrifice on an anthill behind the house of his first wife. Here he would offer beer, flour and the blood of animals to the spirits of the ancestors, who were the mediators between the living and God. Such acts of devotion and the mediation they sought have all been rendered unnecessary by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is the essential message of the Last Supper. Jesus has become the sacrificial lamb and the mediator of a new covenant for all of us, wherever we live.
When Jesus announced that one of the twelve would betray him, the disciples, assuming that the betrayal had not yet taken place, each asked the Lord which one of them would be the traitor (26:22). Even Judas entered into the spirit of things and asked the same question (26:25). But whereas the others addressed Jesus as Lord, Judas used the term Rabbi. The distinction between these two titles may well indicate the level of intimacy that Judas felt in his relationship with Jesus at this point.
In the exchange about his betrayal, Jesus clearly states that he will die in fulfilment of the Scriptures, but at the same time insists that Judas must bear his guilt for the betrayal (26:23–24). The paradox can be explained because God’s plans cannot be thwarted by human evil. He will accomplish his purposes even through the evil acts that humans carry out.
26:31–35 Jesus Predicts the Disciples’ Failure
The theme of God’s sovereign action in history is continued with Jesus explaining that the disciples will all fall away, and that this is the result of God’s action. God will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (26:31; see Zech 13:7). Zechariah saw the striking of the shepherd as a messianic image of how God would refine and restore a remnant. So although initially God’s action would have a devastating effect on his people, in time it would lead to the establishment of the community of the people of the Messiah.
Jesus’ promise to go ahead of you into Galilee (26:32) reminds us that in the Gospels, Galilee is presented as the place of new beginnings and successful and fruitful ministry, whereas Jerusalem is the place where Jesus’ enemies came from and where he was to die.
The prediction of their failure did not sit comfortably with Peter who immediately remonstrated with Jesus, vowing that he would never fall away (26:33). These words prompted Jesus to make a specific prediction of the manner and time when Peter would deny him (26:34). Peter continued to argue with Jesus’ predictions and the others did the same (26:35). Yet in just a few hours, they would all desert him, and Peter would deny three times that he knew Jesus (26:56, 69–75).
26:36–46 The Garden of Gethsemane
Gethsemane, a name that means ‘oil-press’, may have been an olive orchard on the slopes of the Mount of Olives (26:36; see also John 18:2). It served as the campsite for Jesus and his disciples while he was attending the Passover festival. Judas knew the garden well. Jesus could have chosen another place for the night to avoid the coming clash with the authorities, but he was not about to shrink from his destiny.
Nevertheless, Jesus felt a desperate need for companionship in prayer, and so he asked Peter, James and John to support him at this very important time (26:37–38). On the Mount of Transfiguration, these three had seen Jesus’ glory and had fallen face down before the voice of God (17:1–5; see Luke 9:28–36). But now it was Jesus’ turn to fall prostrate on the ground, as his soul was deeply troubled.
As he prayed, Jesus was not pleading with the impersonal forces of the universe; he was speaking to his Father. His horror of the events facing him was so great that he asked whether the Father had another plan that would not involve such suffering. But even as he made his plea, he expressed his submission to the Father’s will (26:39b). Prayer must always be subject to the Father’s will. It is not using an escape clause to prefix one’s prayers with ‘if it be your will’. Because of Christ’s submission, the triumph of Calvary was accomplished in the garden of Gethsemane! Jesus prayed three times asking the same thing: ‘Is there a plan B?’ (26:39a, 42, 44). But the request was always subject to the will of the Father.
The disciples failed to watch and pray (26:40, 43), and this failure would prove very costly when their own test of faith came. Jesus prayed, and so passed the test and stayed within the will of the Father even to death. His disciples failed to pray and so when the crisis came they fled, rather than taking up the cross and following him (16:24). In order to be successful in discipleship, it is necessary to discipline the body so as not to give in to its cravings. We also need to be vigilant through prayer.
Having reached the place of peace, having overcome all his doubts and fears and settled to follow the will of the Father, Jesus majestically moved to meet his persecutors while rousing his disciples from their sleep (26:46). His example tells us that we must face whatever consequences may come as we fulfil the will of the Father. Suffering should not be allowed to distract us from doing his will. But we need to build up strength to face it through constant agonizing prayer.
26:47–68 Jesus Arrested and Put on Trial
Jesus was betrayed by a friend. Times of persecution will present us with the temptation to betray other Christians. It would be salutary to examine the records of the Rwandan genocide for evidence of betrayals; however, such an exercise though instructive would be soul destroying. In this story, it was a disciple who betrayed his master. He did so with a recognized outward sign of devotion and affection: a kiss (26:48–49).
One of the disciples rose to the defence of Jesus with a sword, and struck at the ear of the servant of the high priest (26:51). But Jesus would have none of it (26:52)! Even when he was being unfairly arrested, abused and humiliated, he responded to the need of his enemy. Martyrdom without resistance is the way of Jesus for himself and for his followers.
It was not for want of support that Jesus was going to his death, for God could command armies of angels to rescue him (26:53), but his death was necessary for a higher reason: the fulfilment of Scripture (26:54). However, he had no human support, for all the disciples deserted him and fled (26:56).
The first of Jesus’ trials took place in the house of Caiaphas, the chief priest, before the Sanhedrin, a legal authority composed of the teachers of the law and the elders of the people (26:57). It is unlikely that this was a full gathering of the Sanhedrin, although a good representation could be expected because of the threat that Jesus seemed to pose to their political aristocracy. The trial set out to find evidence to fit the verdict of death which had already been determined (26:59).
It is clear that although they constituted a court of law, the Sanhedrin did not follow proper legal procedures in Jesus’ case. First, they conducted a capital trial at night. Second, they passed a sentence on the same day as the trial. Third, they should have conducted the meeting of the Sanhedrin in the Chamber of Hewn Stone on the Temple Mount and not in the house of the chief priest. Fourth, they broke the law regarding false witnesses (Deut 19:16–21). The trial of Jesus was a mockery of justice. It is ironic that the Son of God, who is just, was denied justice in his world. It is even more ironic that the Sanhedrin, ostensibly the custodians of God’s word of truth, should find themselves having to create false evidence (26:59).
Eventually, however, the chief priest charged Jesus on oath to confirm his true identity, the Christ, the Son of God (26:63). Jesus then affirmed the statement made by the high priest and, to show that his position is truly exalted, he added that he would be seen sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One (26:64). This addition emphasized that Jesus’ power was not earthly and did not threaten the current rulers. They could even have passed off such an apparently ludicrous claim as a joke, except that Jesus did have a great following and could cause difficulties for the authorities. Moreover, his claim was such a great one that it could be taken as a serious offence, if not actual blasphemy. The Sanhedrin certainly declared it blasphemous (26:65–66).
26:69–75 Peter’s Denial of Jesus
The forlorn figure of Peter is seen following the crowd that had arrested Jesus right into the house of the chief priest (26:58). He was unwillingly thrust into the limelight by a chance identification. A woman who had seen him in the garden of Gethsemane identified him to the crowd (26:69). Peter simply denied knowing Jesus (26:70). The second time Peter made the denial with an oath (26:71–72). The third time Peter even called down curses on himself (26:73–74); perhaps he even cursed Jesus to show that he did not know him and did not care for him. Then the rooster crowed and his memory unleashed a bolt that struck his conscience. He wept bitterly (26:75). It is hard to imagine what went on in Peter’s mind at this time. Whatever it was, it must have been very hard to bear.
27:1–10 The Death of Judas
The full extent of Judas’ betrayal became clear to him as he witnessed or heard that Jesus had been condemned to death and was being taken to Pilate to have the death sentence confirmed. (This step was necessary because only the Roman governor could actually pass a death sentence in Judah—27:1–2).
It is instructive to compare Peter and Judas at this point. This comparison may well be the reason that Matthew interrupts the flow of the story to report on what became of Judas. Peter ‘wept bitterly’ (26:75), and Judas was seized with remorse (27:3). Bitter tears may well lead to repentance and eventual restoration, as happened to Peter. But Judas’ remorse led only to recrimination and, in his case, to suicide (27:4–5). Peter made no attempt to undo what he had done, but eventually submitted to the authority of Jesus. Judas, on the other hand, tried to undo what he had done, and when he found he could not do so he decided to take his own life.