Preparing For The Cross (The Last Week of Jesus, Part 11) - Frank Brancato

I want to clarify something really quickly.

Before we begin, I said, in our introduction, just a moment ago.

I said we have now come through chapter 24 and we've gone

through chapter 25, and really the subject matter that I have

discussed. As we've gone along, really I

have chosen and I have picked various aspects of what happened

in the last week in the life of Jesus without going verse by

verse by verse by verse and then lose the flow of the final week.

And I didn't want to do that. Like, for example, So, we came

to the end of chapter 23, we discussed the destruction of

Jerusalem, so, therefore it knocked out, chapter 24.

Without going verse by verse, and I wanted to do it that way.

This sermon today is number 13 in the series and we have

finally left Tuesday. In fact, it is sunset or after

Sunset. Sundown, if you will on Tuesday,

which was to the Jew Wednesday. And that's just setting where

the scene of the things that are going to Transpire by the time

we get to chapter 26. As we begin our lesson, though

we find that the preparation for the death of Jesus Christ is

seen in three elements. It is seen in three

perspectives. Number one, we see the

preparation of what we would call the preparation of hateful

rejection in verse 3. The very next verse here.

It says then the chief priests the scribes and the Elders of

the people as Assembled at the palace of the high priest who

was called Caiaphas. In other words, after Jesus was

speaking, or as Jesus, was speaking, those words that are

found in verse 2? Which said, when Jesus had

finished, all these sayings, what did he say to his

disciples? He said, in two days is the

Passover and then he said, and the son of man will be delivered

up to be crucified. Obviously the son of man sitting

Ali was the human form of the Son of God showing that our

Messiah was not only fully Divine, but he was also fully

human while. Jesus was speaking, that notice

what was happening at the very same time.

The chief priests the scribes, the Elders of the people.

They came to the Palace of the high priest who was called

Caiaphas it is. Now, as I mentioned, a moment

ago, Wednesday, they were all together.

They're all the rulers of the people along with this Caiaphas

the high priest and they had one thing in mind.

And I can't even fathom this. Sometimes, when we look at the

death of the Cross, we think about what Jesus went through,

and we think about how we felt or we would feel in our hearts

because of our love for Jesus. Now that we can't fathom that

this actually happened. But understand, hateful

rejection had to be if there was not hateful rejection, Jesus

would have never gone to the Cross.

So, while all this was going on, notice the It's verse, they

plotted to take Jesus, by trickery, and to kill him.

Now, you know, it's one thing to have a plan.

It's another thing to have somebody else in control, you

know. They had a plan that a plan,

their plan was, let's do this in eight days.

You know what Jesus said in verse to know what's going to

happen in two days, you know, why?

Because on, in two days, it's going to be Friday and Jesus

would go to gothis Brown. They thought, wait a minute, we

got this plan now and, you know, we're going to do, we're going

to get together and by trickery, we're going to figure out how

it's going to be that we would kill Jesus, but no.

Otis notice. It was not going to be in their

timetable, the very next verse notice, but they said not during

the feast. Let there be an uproar among the

people. All right?

Little side note. Think about all the people that

were in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover.

I've heard all manner of numbers and I have heard numbers into

the millions. I don't know how many people

were there, but I'm going to tell you, there's a whole lot of

people there. Now, there's a lot of people to

that Jesus healed when he walked on the face of this Earth.

And there were a lot of people that love Jesus.

And I think that's really as another side note.

That's why they he wasn't taken In Jerusalem, it was outside so

there wouldn't be a revolution. There wouldn't be a fight and

God was totally in control, but they didn't want to do it during

the time of the Passover. Unless there was an uproar of

the people, Jesus said though, you know, what's going to happen

in two days, it's going to happen in the timetable that the

Lord had said. Now, the Sanhedrin, the ruling

body, and they're all together by now, they've had more Jesus

than they could possibly stand. He's intimidated them.

Beyond their ability to deal with it.

That people are now following him.

They are threatened and Caiaphas is insecure.

Now, by the way, a little bit of background around this man

Caiaphas now. Do you remember?

Me saying over the years that Caiaphas was a real crumb.

Caiaphas was a real creep. I'm so glad that Josephus said

about Caiaphas what he said, so I'm not wrong in that Caiaphas

was a terrible human being. In fact, do you remember when

Lazarus was raised from the dead?

Do you remember what Caiaphas said?

Now, I can maybe understand if Caiaphas said the wait a minute.

People are saying that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,

but I don't believe it. So we got to do something with

Jesus to get him out of the way because the people are following

Jesus, and it's a fake and a fraud.

Maybe, I can follow that line of thinking, but you know what

Caiaphas said, Caiaphas said he raised Lazarus from the dead.

So we have to do something with Jesus.

And then he said those words, he said it's better than one man.

Died and save a nation, and that's exactly what the Lord did

for the world. It's better for one man to die

for the sins of the world, then all of us to be lost but in his

mind he's thinking, wait a minute, we got to save the

nation. So let's take Jesus out of the

way. Let's talk about Caiaphas little

bit more. Little bit of background

Josephus, says, his name was Joseph Caiaphas, and this is

what Josephus said about him. He said he was conniving

treacherous. Wicked, vile, and deceitful.

Now, I'm going to tell you, I don't know that I know about all

those words, when all they actually mean, but I'ma tell

you, it sounds pretty - to me, it's a bad guy.

He's an awful person. With a motive.

In fact, by the way, did you know that every time he's

mentioned in the Scripture, it is in a one dimensional fashion.

Every time that he is mentioned, he has one role he's pictured as

one who is either going to plan the death of Jesus or carry it

out. Every time.

Every time the Caiaphas is mentioned, A conniving man that

he was, he married the daughter of anise, who was his

predecessor. Now, who was Anna?

She might remember when we go back to the cleansing of the

temple. So keep that in your mind about

anise and cleansing of the temple, we know what happened,

okay, in the court of the Gentiles.

So hold on that for just a minute.

I don't know why Caiaphas came on the scene to marry the

daughter of anise. Incidentally, I did some reading

about that historically and it was actually tradition that a

man would marry a virgin, girl. Sometimes, actually being

betrothed to them when they were 12 or 12 and a half, I don't

know how old the daughter of anise was but I do know this

Caiaphas wanted to marry the daughter of Ennis.

Who was the high priest at the time and has served as high

priest? I Leave from a D6 to ad, I

believe 15. And then from a D15, 280, 37,

Caiaphas was the high priests. Now he married the daughter of

anise and this was a very wealthy man and incidentally

about this. I think we have to understand

that perhaps Caiaphas must have been a politician.

Pretty good 12 to get around Roman rule.

Have you ever known? Somebody that gets along with

everybody because they don't stand for anything.

I'm talking about people that when they're over here, they

agree with these guys. And then I think over here and

it's something totally opposite, but they agree with these guys.

Now, they're in good with these guys.

Let me go over there and it's something totally different.

They agree with those guys pursue these in good with those

guys. One scholar said, Caiaphas must

have been a politician among politicians to get along with

Rome that many years. In fact, in fact, it was not

common than a man would be high priest at long for 100 years.

In 100 years spanned, there were 28 High priests 28.

And the one that followed Caiaphas his successor, lasted

50 days. So for Caiaphas to do that, no

doubt. He must have been quite a

politician to get along with Roman government.

Caiaphas had bought his way in. He married the daughter of anise

and extremely wealthy and Crooked, Man.

Also now I told you to hold on to the thought about Anna's.

Here we go. Do you remember what Jesus does?

He makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Sunday and

then he just surveys the temple. Just takes a look at it.

He leaves. He goes to Bethany with the

house of his dear friends. Perhaps, what?

We don't know that. We just know he went to Bethany,

he could have gone to Mary Martha and Lazarus his house.

We don't know that and it doesn't say he just went to

Bethany and he went there for the night when he came back to

nice day. The next day, he curses that fig

tree and then he cleansed the temple.

Remember that he overturned the tables of the money changers and

Jesus was Furious. He was angered by that.

He said, you've made it a den of Thieves, the house of worship.

You've made a den of Thieves, remember what else he does, he

looks and he saw all the merchandise being sold.

Do you know who was in control of all the merchandise.

It was the man that we're talking about right now.

It was anise and he had what was called, by the way, the bazaars

of anise All the commercial things.

So guess what? He got a piece of all of it, you

know, Jesus. Did he put him out of business?

You think he's not mad about that?

Put him out of business, that's what Jesus did.

He cast them all out? Jesus, even did this to he came

on the scene and he said, no, wait a minute.

You're using the court of the Gentiles, which by the way, was

the only place that a gentile could go.

That was it. He said, you're using the court

of the Gentiles as a thoroughfare to carry.

Whatever you're transporting and go through said, get out, don't

do that anymore. It just enough to I would

imagine. And this was quite disgusted

with Jesus he's the father-in-law the son-in-law is

Caiaphas Caiaphas married. The daughter may be getting into

the upper class, maybe getting into the wealth and Prestige and

power of the office. There was no king in Israel.

So he had the most power and he understands we have to get rid

of Jesus and it has to be done through the legal process and

really as twisted and as perverted as they had it.

It that really was their desire, but they had to have an angle,

they had to have an angle and remember this.

In ad, 30. When Jesus began his personal

Ministry, the law changed. And it was called pucks Rama and

it was dealing with the sword. It means peace among the Roman

peace and the idea was nobody could execute someone except

Rome you couldn't send some settings, anybody to die.

You think that's a mistake, absolutely?

Not. You think that's coincidence.

No way. You know why?

Because the Jews would destroy, or kill someone or execute

someone by stoning and if they Stone Jesus to death, the Bible

isn't true. Why did they go to Pilot later

on? I'll tell you why they went to

pilate. They had to it was the law.

You think that's a mystery? Nope.

God did that. I'll take that to my grave.

God. Did that change the law and ad

30. So that in a t-33 Jesus would

have to nail be nailed on a cross.

And he would have to be one as in such a way.

That Jesus says, when I be lifted up, I will draw all men.

Unto me had to be the cross. Well, they had to figure out a

way to come up with a legal manner, in which they could kill

Jesus, and it needed a Betrayer and verses 3 and 4 verses 3 and

4. Part of the preparation for that

was simply hateful. Rejection there had to be.

Now as we move forward, though, as we talk about all the things

in which had happened. There's a very beautiful scene.

I got to tell you, I've never actually preached on these

verses before now that we're going to talk about.

Oh, I've referenced it, we all know the story of it.

We sing songs. About it.

But there's something very, very beautiful that happens.

And that's the second part of the preparation of Jesus going

to the cross. And it is the preparation of

loving worship. You know, there wasn't just

enemies who wanted Jesus to go to the cross.

I must say that again, it wasn't just enemies that wanted Jesus

to go to the cross. Do you remember one, who sat at

his feet, who sat at his feet and hung on every word that he

said? Whose sister was upset serving

others, and she was sitting at the feet of the master.

Do you remember when Jesus spoke to those women when he went to

raise Lazarus from the dead? And Jesus told them that they're

going to see the glory of God and in their mind you don't they

said oh we're talking about the resurrection.

And Jesus was talking about Lazarus, they understood.

They were some that understood notice this in the preparation

of the Cross, something else happened.

Now, if you look at the chronological sequence, this is

a flashback a number of days. It's Wednesday now.

But now there's a flashback to Saturday and it's this right

here, when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper

now, This is the flashback when was it when he was in Bethany?

Now if you want to know why that there's a jump back there, it

has to because it really fits. There's something connected with

the Betrayal of Jesus with the complaint of Mary's act of

kindness. And so it had to happen.

And Jesus reflects back on it, when he first arrived in

Bethany, it was on Saturday. When Jesus came there, he left

Jericho and he came to the city and He stayed with Mary Martha

and Lazarus to be part of all the events.

Now this phrase right here he stays at the house of Simon the

leper. Now I look to try to find out

who this actually was and I don't know because I believe

there's 30 some Simon's mentioned in the New Testament.

So who was he? I don't know who he was but he

Simon the leper. Meaning there was a time when he

had leprosy and I think this is I think this is Important.

There was a time he had leprosy, he couldn't have had leprosy

currently because nobody would have gone to his house.

Number two, there was no cure for leprosy, except to Jesus,

that tells me that this man Simon the leper and a prior time

or a previous time with his leprosy was healed by Jesus.

So on this day on this Saturday, he invites the Lord over to his

house. For a meal.

And he was Simon used to be the leper.

You know, who else was there? It was Mary.

There's Martha. There was Lazarus.

Quite a few guests. What about the esteemed guests?

We might say the 12 apostles. They were there too.

Good group for supper very important.

Verse 7, notice. A woman came to him. having an

alabaster flask a very costly fragrant oil and she poured it

on his head as he sat at the table, Now this Alex Alabaster

flask was some, some translations say alabaster box

and the flask they're simply means it was a thin Alabaster

almost transparent vessel the word box in the King James

should be translated vessel and it was a bottle type thing.

It was very thin and it was very fat at the bottom and it came up

with a neck up to the top and there would be a cork in it.

So basically, just Picture in your mind.

Not a box. Picture of a pouring vessel.

Just a vessel a bottle. Inside of it, though, was very

costly fragrant perfume. Very costly 300 denarii.

I that's one year's wages now, I think there's some beautiful

pictures here. Let's take a look at them.

First of all, we know that if a man works for a day back then

the average man that worked all day long when he got finished

with the his test all day long. He would be paid one Denarius.

So when somebody said a Denarius, he talking about a

day's wages, however, that means of exchange was then in its

value, if you worked all day, You got a Denarius, Jesus dealt

with that. He called it, a penny in the

parable of the vineyard, it was the Denarius.

Okay, so if you didn't work, seven days a week, which they

didn't, it's about 300 days worth of working or so,

therefore, a Year's wages was three hundred denarii.

I, that is costly fragrant oil inside that bottle.

Now, why did they have it? You know, it's interesting,

perhaps, they were wealthy, I don't know, there were some

wealthy people there, but it was very, very customary that you

had that stuff. You know, people would travel

through dirt. They didn't have payment

Pavements. Like we have, they travel

through dirt, they didn't have shoes.

Like we have, they were open sandals, so their feet would get

filthy, no doubt. What a great custom, it was to

wash the feet of someone when they would come into your midst

and you know, I'll tell you something to when you go out and

you walk out of the hot sun and you haven't had a shower in a

while. I'll and you didn't have any

Right Guard because they didn't have that damn it.

In fact, right and guard. And Old Spice were far long way

off. Okay, you're going to have body

odor. So it was very common people,

kept this stuff, they kept this fragrant oil around, you know

why? Because when the people would

come for the dinner, they would annoy each person and not only

was it something of honor to the person, but guess what?

It was a value to everyone else that had to smell.

That's what it was for. It's very, very common routine

function. A gesture of kindness.

Now, Matthew and Mark don't tell us who the woman is, but John

does in John chapter 12 and verse 3, John tells us, it's

John 12 · chapter mention

Mary, the sister of Martha. It was very common to anoint the

guests with the strong perfume at the time of meal.

Now, I want you to picture this, can you understand?

This is Mary's the one that's going to do it.

And she comes to Jesus and doesn't go any further.

She's going to that's what she was doing.

That's how it started started out with the custom.

And all of a sudden she takes it to Jesus and doesn't go any

further. Doesn't go any further than

Jesus. She understands that he's moving

toward his death and somehow, in her, in her mind, she

understands to prepare Jesus in such a way.

Because in Jesus, going to the Cross, get this in Jesus going

to the Cross. Her Redemption was in that too.

Do you think that the cross like that?

I mean, seriously, we sing songs.

We had wonderful songs that we sung that were so appropriate

this morning for our topic. All the songs were very

appropriate. But do you think about that?

What do you think about when Jesus went to the cross?

And when you think about Jesus, and what he has done to, you

understand your Redemption? You personally, Dave Morgan,

your Redemption was in that too. You too Terry Osmond.

Your Redemption. Your Redemption Mary understood.

Wait a minute. He's going to the cross and my

Redemption is part of it. He's going to Bear my sins, too.

She starts with Jesus and she can't go any further.

And if you compare marks account and John's account, you know,

she does she's shatters the entire bottle.

And then in verse 7 or it says, she poured it on his head.

Now, she shattered the bottle. I don't know what it smells

like. I have cologne.

If you put on a little too much, your wife says A little dab.

Will do you back it off a little pretty strong.

I can't imagine what this must have been other than it was very

strong fragrant smell. She breaks the entire bottle and

in one gospel account. It says she pours it on his

head. But John says she poured it on

his feet. The, some of which is to say she

took that Alabaster flax, she broke it and she poured it all

over his body. As an act of love, it was an act

of Honor. She was absolutely controlled by

service by worship that she couldn't deal with their

strength. Let me ask you something.

Do you start the Lord like that? Just answer to yourself, but I'm

asking real direct. Okay.

And just pretend like I plugged your name right in it.

I plugged it in. So what I'm saying this, I'm

speaking to you. Do you serve the Lord like that?

Serve the Lord without restraint.

Or do you? Just give him a little along the

way. Do you serve him without

restraint? Are you pulling back?

Just a little Think about it in your life.

You know what she was doing? She was honoring worshipping and

serving the lord without restraint.

She took something that was extremely expensive and dump the

whole thing on one guest, you know why, it was the only guest

that matter. And I'm going to tell you

something else, too. If the Lord is not number one in

your life, there's nothing in the world that matters in your

life period. Nothing nothing matters.

The things in your life matter only because the Lord's number

one in your life. If he's not, we need to go back

to serving him without restraint and cut her loose and serve him

with everything. We got Sometimes we do this

though, okay? Okay, okay, but I'm really busy

on the skim a little that's serving the lord with restraint.

So pouring out her, love her heart, her compassion, her

unrestrained devotion, and in doing.

So, she was honoring. The one that was going to die

and rise again, for her salvation bearing, her sins.

And notice what happens. Here's a response.

Here of others, as they watched her Devotion to Jesus.

They got mad. You know, they said notice when

his disciples saw it, they were indignant and they said, to what

purpose is this waste. There's a couple things that

come to me. A couple things that jump out

number one, anytime you're going to do something that's good.

Hear me now. Anytime you're going to do

something that's good. That reminds somebody else of

what they're not doing them self.

They're going to criticize you. It's okay.

Anyone that has ever done. Anything worth anything has been

criticized. So so what?

You know, these type of picture this precious lady.

And she dumps the whole thing on Jesus, and now you got the

disciples, you got the 12 or they're right there, and they're

going to be kidding me. What a waste What a waste?

You spend it all. We could have done this.

We could have given it to the poor.

We could have done that. Now first of all, I think this

is the important Point here. It's not time for meeting the

eat needs of others at the time for worship.

Now, in John, chapter 12 and verse 6, it says Judas was the

John 12 · chapter mention

one that made the suggestion and he did so not because he cared

about the poor. But because he held the bag,

notice John 12 and 6, this he said not that he cared for the

poor. But because he was a thief and

he had money, he had the money box and he used to take what was

put in it in. Other words, it's not about

that. You know what he wanted?

Judas was thinking in his mind you what I could do I could have

sold it for. 300 denarii. I give it to the poor.

Absolutely not, Jesus called him a thief.

He wanted to put it in the pouch.

It was all about the money. In a stick, it in his robe.

He knew the whole thing was coming down.

He knew it was the end of everything and he wanted the

stuff in the bag. Get that bag is fat and full as

it can. He already knew what was going

to happen. He already knew he could have

got a Year's wages and what a great thing he could have had a

Year's wages. Notice the next verse.

When Jesus was aware of it, he said to them.

Why do you trouble this woman for she has done a good work?

Do you know what this word means?

Right here. She's done a good work.

It means this in the original. She has done excellently.

She's done excellently. Leave her alone.

She's done excellently. Do you know why she had done

excellently? It's because she gave all she

had. I'm going to tell you.

This is the coaching me a coat. I coach for 12 years I'm now

done, I'm gonna tell you right now.

Nothing in the world ever matters in my mind and nothing

in the world. Ever is acceptable in my mind.

then when you give your best, If it's not your best, I'm going to

say it. Shame on.

You be your best. Having a bad day.

So what be your best? Be your best.

Whatever. That is be your best, you're

discouraged a little bit. You got to serve God.

So what serve God and be your best, whatever that is.

Is it going to be the best you have ever been?

No, probably not when you're having a bad day.

But be your best. I'm going to tell you something,

the Lord in the day of judgment. I don't believe this for a

minute. I don't believe that in the day

of judgment, it's all going to be laid out.

They're going to say, okay, Frank brancato.

How many people did you baptize? I don't believe that at all.

How many people were actually successful in converting?

I don't think that's going to be in there at all.

I will say this, though. I think what's going to be,

there is this What was your effort?

Did you try? Did you do your best?

Did you work? You might have failed in the

results. So what did your work?

She did excellently because she gave her all.

If everybody in the Lord's Church would just start doing

their all. Can you imagine what we'd be?

And I'm going to tell you right now, I say this out of love,

every one of you, listen to me, I say this out of love, I

guarantee you this, every single one of you has more, that's

fact. That's fact, you got more.

Oh no, I'm just, no, no, no, no, you got more.

You got way more. We all have way more.

Then it says in verse 11. Look at this.

I love the Lord's response for. You have the poor with you

always. So they said no, wait a minute.

We could have sold this to give it to the poor.

Jesus already knew and John 12 and 6 know it, you're a liar.

It's not why you want it but they addresses what they said

for you have the poor with you always but me.

You do not always have I'm going to tell you there's a time to

meet the needs of the poor in the Bible.

Does tell us, we must do that and it's not new here all the

way back in the Old Testament. Let me give you a passage.

I'm talking about Deuteronomy 15:11.

Deuteronomy 15:11

So this is our responsibility of helping those that are in need.

Watch for the poor will never cease from your land.

That's what he was saying up here.

By the way, they're always going to be there.

I'm going to be here for a short time, all right?

The poor will never cease from the land.

Therefore, I command you saying, you shall open up your hand

wide. To your brother.

To you're poor and you're needy in your land.

This should be your thought, I'd call my typos.

This is not our, it's, your open, your hand wide.

Okay? So we understand that.

We have to help those that are in need.

What's going on here though? It's a very simple principle.

It's saying this folks worshiping God is the ultimate

priority in your life. What she did was an act of

worship. Worship means to kiss the hand

of its the bow, the head before it is to literally put your head

down, symbolically for the Lord. You know what he's saying?

Yeah, you got to take care of the poor, but that is not as

important as worshiping me. That's what he said.

Nothing is more important than worship.

At a low store one time. One time, there were some people

that were at services on signing member who was just remember, I

just remember the words. And they were Services Sunday

morning. Oh you be back this afternoon.

Oh no. We're going to go down to the

soup kitchen down there. Well, feed the hungry.

Don't you see what's wrong with that?

Yeah, we take care of the hungry.

Absolutely. Yeah.

We take care of the needs of the poor.

Absolutely. But nothing is a priority over

worship. Nothing.

That's what the Lord was saying. You got the poor always.

They're never going to stop being around you but worship is

number one. So what we can't do folks, we

can't justify not going to Services just because we're

going to do some good thing over here as a humanitarian.

You can't erase your worship to the Lord.

That's number one. That's what he was saying.

It's the Supreme act that any Christian could ever do.

Now notice though, what Jesus said about her, he first said,

leave her alone. She is done excellently.

You got the poor always. I'm not gonna always be here.

Then notice what he said for in pouring this fragrant oil on my

body. She did it for my burial.

In other words, it was in preparation, it was in

preparation of Jesus. Going to the Cross died for the

sins of the world. It is in preparation.

For my burial verse 13. Assuredly, I say to you wherever

the gospel is preached in the whole world.

What this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to

her in that amazing. What if you got to be married?

What if Mary was you? Jesus said it is so excellent.

That whenever the gospel, when I'm what we mean by that is is

the gospel accounts in the in the gospel accounts whenever

that is red or preached. It's going to be in there, it's

going to be in that scripture. You know, why it's going to show

what she had done as a memorial to her in her honor of the Lord.

Matthew Mark and John wherever that's preach that has this

account whenever anyone reads that you're going to remember

what this woman did as a memorial of her loving worship.

So, in preparing for the cross, we have hateful rejection,

Caiaphas Chief priests and Elders.

All them to, we have loving worship of Mary, but then

there's a final one and I'll be very brief about this.

It is betraying hypocrisy. That's number three.

And that's verse 14. Then one of the twelve called

Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests now picture this, when

did he do it? It goes back to Saturday.

It's following what Jesus just said.

This guy was a creep to, it goes all the way back.

Judas went out that night in Bethany after her earring, Jesus

And left and went straight to the chief priests that Saturday

night. And what did he do?

When he got there? Verse 15 and said, what are you

willing to give me if I deliver him to you and they counted out

to him, 30 pieces of silver? It's all about the money.

It's all about the money. He was going to get as much as

he could. You know, I think about that.

I don't know. I know this.

I know that according to Exodus 30 pieces of silver was the

price of a slave. I get it.

I get, I get that. I understand that it's the price

of a slave and I know that when Joseph was sold into slavery, I

know that he was sold for 20 pieces of silver in the price of

a Slave. I don't think about it that much

because I've done some research and years and years and years

later at the time that Paul wrote to Philemon about onesimus

the slave, the amount to purchase a slave there was way

more than that. So I look at 30 pieces of silver

to a man that nothing else mattered, but the money and I

look at a very paltry sum For a guy that really wanted the

money. They counted out to him, 30

pieces of silver. And remember this folks, Jesus

just said what he said in Bethany.

He's, he gave a little sermon about this wonderful.

Precious woman that anointed him and worshiped him.

And all of that he said, leave her alone.

She has done excellently. You know what happened

immediately? Judas betrays him Begins the

Betrayal, then verse 16. Listen.

So from that time, he sought opportunity to betray him.

Got the money and from that time Luke 1:37 and six says.

Luke 1:37

So he promised and sought opportunity to betray him to

them in the absence of the multitude.

In other words, this is even before the triumphal entry on

Sunday. Awful it was before I cleanse

the temple on Monday. It was before all the preaching

that he did on Tuesday. He was looking for a moment to

betray Jesus. So what Jesus Will is receiving

love from Mary, the plot is beginning in Judas, his mind.

and I think about this, I think, you know, From that time.

He sought opportunity to betray him, I don't understand you.

No one scholar said, he is the greatest example of lost

opportunity, the world ever knew.

Now, I do believe, I don't believe that God made Judas even

though prophetically speaking. He would be the one who lifts

his heel against Jesus. I don't think God from a

prophetic standpoint made Judas do anything.

I think God is so brilliant and all knowing that he knew that he

would and in the fact that he knew that he would, he used that

for his cause It's kind of like God using the wrath of men to

praise him. Like we're told.

Lost opportunity, he's a traitor in burned.

In his mind, there's only three ways, folks.

Listen, there's only three ways to approach the death of Christ.

There's three ways. Number one.

Hateful rejection. Somebody might say no-oh-oh you

can rejecting on. Hey, I mean, I love Jesus.

No, Jesus said, if you love me, keep my Commandments.

If you love me, keep my words. And if you do that, if you keep

my Commandments, you will abide in my love.

As I've kept the father's Commandments and abide in his

love. You know what that means?

You can't love Jesus with That obedience?

No, you can't. Can't.

So one way, one way to respond or approach the death of crisis

with hateful rejection. That's what Caiaphas did.

That's what the chief priests did.

That's what the elders did. Or you can do this, you can

approach it from loving worship. Like Mary did.

You can make him the focal point of your life.

You can be so appreciative for what he's done for you.

That you're willing to devote your entire life to him.

Or number three, You can do it with betraying, the Paw cracy

like Judas. Some people, folks, some people

today fall in those categories, affect everybody does.

We are stopped to consider that there when somebody hears the

gospel, they fall into one of those three categories once they

hear it. Absolutely like this.

Some hate because they rejected. Some love because they're

willing to devote and worship and get this one over here.

And you can see us over here. Don't forget that one.

Some pretend. Judas was pretending.

Pretending to be there with the Lord, knowing the whole time he

was nothing but a hypocrite and he was trying to find an

opportunity to betray Jesus. Which one are we?

Which one are we? Rejection love or do we pretend

in our life? We thank you for listening to

our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

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