WEBVTT

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Well, here we are, another week, another episode

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of the Semi -Seminarian. This week we wrap up

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our series on the Gospel according to Matthew.

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In today's episode, we're going to look at chapters

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26 through 28 of the Gospel according to Matthew,

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and we're going to examine those very final events

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in Jesus's earthly life. I hope you'll enjoy,

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and I'll see you on the other side. Then one

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of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot,

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went to the chief priests and asked, What are

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you willing to give me if I deliver him, Jesus,

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over to you? So they counted out about 30 pieces

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of silver, which seems perhaps to us like a bit,

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given that we're not scholars of Hebrew scripture,

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that might seem like a bit of a random amount,

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30 pieces of silver. Scholars have estimated

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that that's the value of about $4 ,000 today.

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But the 30 pieces of silver actually has significance

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in the Old Testament. We learn from the 21st

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chapter of Exodus. I'll read these to you. You

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don't have to flip. Just stay right where you're

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at. Verse 32, that if a bull gores a male or

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a female slave, the owner must pay 30 shekels

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to the master of the slave. And the bull is to

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be stoned to death. Further reading shows that

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this amount, 30 shekels, which would be to pay

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his recompense for the slave, a male or woman

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that might have been injured, would be about

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half of that value if that person that was injured

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would have been free. So this is basically the

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amount that you would pay if a slave got injured.

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That's the way that they would see this value.

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The very bizarre prophecy of Zechariah mentions

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this amount as well. In the 11th chapter of his

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prophecy, beginning at the 4th chapter, he is

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reading a prophecy and he is talking about, we

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now see, he's talking about Jerusalem at the

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time of Jesus' life. Under the condition of the

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Roman subjugation, with the cooperation being

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done with the Jewish authorities, okay? So Zechariah

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is making a prophecy about something that's going

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to occur in the future, about 300, 400 years

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later, right? But it happens to be about the

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time of Jesus. And let me read to you going from

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verse 4 of chapter 11. This is what the Lord

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my God says. Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.

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Their buyers slaughter them and then go unpunished.

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Those who sell them say, praise the Lord, I am

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rich. Now let me just stop here and explain that

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the people who are buying and selling would be

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the religious leaders at the time who are selling

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and dealing in trade of their own peoples. And

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then they're mockingly saying, praise God, that

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because the Roman subjugation has given me this

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opportunity that I might be made rich. Their

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own shepherds do not spare them. Their own leaders

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don't protect them. For I will no longer have

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pity on the people of the land, declares the

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Lord. I will give everyone into the hands of

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their neighbors and their king. They will devastate

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the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their

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hands. So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,

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particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then

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I took two staffs, one called favor and the other

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called union, And I shepherded the flock. In

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one month, I got rid of three shepherds. The

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flock, the people of the time, they detested

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me. Detested Jesus, right? I grew weary of them

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and I said, I will not be your shepherd. Let

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the dying die and the perished perish. Let those

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who are left eat one another's flesh. Then I

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took my staff called favor and broke it, revoking

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the covenant I had made with all of the nations.

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It was revoked on that day. And so the oppressed

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of the flock who were watching me knew it was

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the word of the Lord. I told them, if you think

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it best, give me my pay. But if not, keep it.

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So they paid me 30 pieces of silver. And the

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Lord said to me, throw it to the potter, the

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handsome price at which they valued me. So I

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took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it to

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the potter at the house of the Lord. Continuing

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on in Matthew after this event. with the alabaster

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jar. From then on, Judas watched for an opportunity

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to hand him over. On the first day of the festival

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of unleavened bread, now I can't remember whether

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we talked about unleavened bread on Sunday mornings

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or in Bible study, so I'm just going to have

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to repeat and tell the story of unleavened bread.

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The festival of unleavened bread is what we call

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Holy Week. When we talk about Passover, Passover

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is the culminating event. It's the final meal

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of the festival week that takes place that all

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of the people have come to Jerusalem for. That's

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called the festival of unleavened bread. So when

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people went to Jerusalem for Passover, Passover

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is one meal contained within the festival of

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unleavened bread. So on the first day of the

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festival of unleavened bread, the disciples came

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to Jesus and asked, Jesus, where do you want

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us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?

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He replied, go into the city to a certain man,

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right? And I want to indicate here that the other

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gospel accounts will say that Jesus identified

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this man as a man carrying a pitcher of water.

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Matthew identifies him as a certain man. Remember,

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Matthew could be the first. We think Mark was

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the first gospel, but some people think Matthew

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was. If Matthew wasn't the first gospel written,

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it was the second gospel written. And it would

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have been written just decades, a few decades

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after these events had taken place. And it's

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thought that it probably was written at a time

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where had they identified this man, it still

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could have been unsafe for him. So rather than

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identifying the man, they identified him as either

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a man whom they all knew who carried a pitcher

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of water. or a certain man. They were aware of

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this man's existence, the disciples. We also

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realize that this is something that Jesus would

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have pre -planned. This instance, I believe that

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in this instance, Jesus had set this up ahead

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of time. You will go for this certain man. You'll

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go to the guy we know. There's going to be a

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guy carrying a pitcher. You know that guy? That's

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just one interpretation. It could be completely

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the work of the Holy Spirit, right? And be a

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man just out of nowhere. Had a pitcher. Go ahead.

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I'm not discounting the fact, even if he had,

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I'm not discounting the fact that he's not God

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in his own body. And that he couldn't have seen

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that ahead of time. There's more than one interpretation

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here. And that's cool to have. It's okay. He

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says, tell him the teacher says my appointed

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time is near, that I'm going to celebrate the

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Passover with my disciples at your house. So

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the disciples did as Jesus had directed them

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and prepared the Passover. When evening came,

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Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve.

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I just want to stop right here because we all

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have an image of the Last Supper in our head,

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right? And that image is from the Da Vinci Code,

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right? The picture. They didn't sit at a table.

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They would have reclined on the floor, probably

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in tables. It's called a triclinium, which would

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be like a long table. It would be like a U -shape

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with two long tables. And they would have been

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basically like these tables, but like if the

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legs weren't up. That's basically what it would

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have been like. So while he was reclining at

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the table with the twelve, and they were eating,

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truly, I tell you, he says, one will betray you.

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they were very sad and began to say to him one

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after the other, surely you don't mean me, Lord.

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Jesus replied, the one who has dipped his hand

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into the bowl with me will betray me. The son

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of man will go just as it's written about him,

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but woe to that man who betrays the son of man.

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It would be better for him if he had not been

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born. So we would think, go ahead. Okay, so let's

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talk about the dipping. And he says, man, the

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one that dips. in the bowl with me that's going

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to be the one that betrays me and we're all thinking

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well wouldn't that give the game up right when

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we see somebody dipping in a bowl with jesus

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that's going to be who it is right here's the

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thing the reason why we think that's because

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we don't understand the components of the passover

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meal because in this instance they would have

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all dipped in the bowl with jesus okay so he's

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saying it's one of you i'm not going to say but

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let me explain how this works. And so the Passover

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meal is a recreation of the events that take

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place or a reminder, rather, of the Jewish existence

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in Egypt under the subjugation of the Pharaoh

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as slaves, right? And there are some components

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of that meal that are of significance. So let

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me just very briefly, this is not a lesson tonight

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about the Jewish Seder, but I want us to... understand

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it so we can understand what's going on in the

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gospel so one of the things that they would dip

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their hands in they would take a piece of lettuce

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and they would dip it into a bowl of salt water

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and they would eat it and then they would drink

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a glass of wine they would end up drinking four

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glasses of wine during the passover meal the

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salt water is to remind them of the tears that

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they would have cried during this existence as

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a slave right and then they would have sang a

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psalm A blessing. Then they would have taken

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either a piece of unleavened bread or a piece

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of lettuce and they would have dipped it in bitter

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herbs. And typically this would be shredded horseradish.

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And you would eat enough of it. The point would

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be not to just, it's not a dare like that. What

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was that show? We had the Joe Rogan was the.

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Fear factor, yeah. It's not like you just eat

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a little bit. The point would be you'd have to

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take enough of a bite of it to actually cause

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you tears. The bitter herbs were to remind you

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of the bitterness of that experience. You'd drink

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a glass of wine. You would sing a hymn. Then

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you would dip and eat a thick paste, and it would

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have cinnamon sticks in it. And that thick paste

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with the cinnamon sticks would remind you of

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the bricks that they made. and then the straw

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that they would have added to the bricks to make

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them bricks. And then you would drink a glass

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of wine and sing a song, as best you could, I

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guess, at that point, after three glasses of

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wine. And then there's the paschal lamb. And

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the paschal lamb, paschal means sacrificial,

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right? And then you'd eat the lamb. And that

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is significant of that Passover event right before,

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at the 10th plague, whenever God is going to

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exorcise the firstborn of everyone in Egypt and

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the people are instructed to kill a lamb, to

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paint blood above the doorstep, the doorpost

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of the house, and the angel of death at night

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would pass over. And the Passover lamb would

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be representative of that. The unleavened bread.

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Two things. I think I talked about this on Sunday.

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When did we talk about what the big hang -up

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was with yeast? That was in Sunday school. Sunday

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school, okay. I've always kind of wondered, what

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is the Old Testament's big hang -up with yeast?

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Because before the festival of unleavened bread,

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there's actually a ceremony by which you would

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go throughout the whole of your house and look

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for any type of leavening and throw it away.

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You couldn't, it's not that you don't eat it.

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It's not that you can't make bread with it. During

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the festival of unleavened bread, you can't even

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have it in your house. And that's today too.

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That is today too, yes sir. Yes, they still observe

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that. And I was wondering, what does the Old

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Testament hang up with yeast? And yeast is representative

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of adulteration. Because when bread, when...

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dough or whatever is affected by yeast and fermentation

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takes place, then that particular food is no

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longer in its original state. It's been transformed

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because the bacteria has eaten and then released

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the carbon dioxide gas or whatever. And so that's

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why you can't offer anything that's had leavening

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in it as a sacrifice because you can only offer

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things in sacrifice that are in their most natural

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state. So that happens to be the big hang up

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with yeast. I finally learned that today. The

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other reason that Unleavened Bread, the Festival

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of Unleavened Bread, the other reason why is

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because it takes time for bread to rise. And

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the Jewish people didn't have time for bread

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to rise. And so they made bread that could be

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made quickly. And so that's this meal. That's

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what they're celebrating. And what is happening

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here is Jesus is actually changing up the meaning

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of the Passover meal going forward. Because one

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of the things we notice, we definitely know that

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the wine is there. We know that the bread is

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there. We know that the dipping of food, we know

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that they are having the Passover meal, but there's

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one particular item that's required of the Seder

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that is not on the table. The Passover lamb is

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not there. And Jesus is instructing to his disciples

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that there is a new Passover meal and that I

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am now the paschal lamb. He also decides to use

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the Passover meal to illustrate this because

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one of the things that Jewish people believed

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is that whenever they participated in, and I

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think it's important to point out that the Passover

00:15:03.149 --> 00:15:06.990
meal is a meal that has been celebrated. Continuously

00:15:06.990 --> 00:15:11.190
for 3 ,500 years. It's the oldest known continuous

00:15:11.190 --> 00:15:18.830
food ritual in any religion. And when Jewish

00:15:18.830 --> 00:15:22.490
people participate in Passover from year to year,

00:15:22.649 --> 00:15:25.070
they don't believe that they're just participating

00:15:25.070 --> 00:15:28.889
in a memorial meal. But because they particularly

00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:33.440
consume the salt water, because they... particularly

00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:36.639
eat the bitter herbs that cause them tears because

00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:40.240
they particularly eat of the paschal lamb and

00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:43.340
make the sacrifice of the lamb. They are not

00:15:43.340 --> 00:15:45.740
just memorializing, but they are participants

00:15:45.740 --> 00:15:50.779
in the original celebration. Okay, that's their

00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:56.779
belief. And so when Jesus is appropriating, For

00:15:56.779 --> 00:15:59.740
what becomes communion, when he's appropriating

00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:03.259
the Passover meal, he's instructing them and

00:16:03.259 --> 00:16:06.840
us that whenever you break of the bread and you

00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.460
do so in remembrance of me, when you drink of

00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:12.200
the cup and you do so in remembrance of me, you're

00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:16.059
not just remembering me, but you are a participant

00:16:16.059 --> 00:16:21.100
in that first last meal, last supper, if you

00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:25.419
will, right? That's a big, big deal to Jesus

00:16:25.419 --> 00:16:29.759
in his symbology. And I happen to believe that.

00:16:31.179 --> 00:16:34.539
And here's the thing. You're free to believe

00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:36.259
whatever you want to believe about communion.

00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:39.679
And there is a spectrum of what you can believe

00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:42.460
about the elements and who can partake of them

00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:44.940
and who can't partake of them and all of that

00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:48.960
stuff. And it is along this entire... A spectrum

00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:52.100
of belief. And there are churches that are different

00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:54.360
churches than that church because of what they

00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:56.519
believe somewhere along the spectrum. And look,

00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:59.259
I don't care. That's all right. I happen to be

00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:02.200
someone that believes that it's more than just

00:17:02.200 --> 00:17:05.240
a memorial meal. That we actually are participants

00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:10.259
in that grace -filled moment. And I believe that,

00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:15.180
for me anyway, it gives that meal power to me.

00:17:15.660 --> 00:17:18.960
And I believe that that's what Jesus was intending

00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:22.140
whenever he was appropriating the Passover meal.

00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:26.339
Then Judas, the one who betrayed him, said, surely

00:17:26.339 --> 00:17:32.000
you don't mean me, Rabbi. Jesus says, you have

00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:36.160
said so. Look, I didn't say it. You said it.

00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:40.640
While they were eating, Jesus took bread. And

00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:43.220
when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave

00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:45.339
it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat, this

00:17:45.339 --> 00:17:49.200
is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had

00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:51.940
given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink

00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:54.059
from it, all of you. This is the blood of the

00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:56.700
covenant, which is poured out for many for the

00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:59.700
forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink

00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:01.920
from the fruit of the vine from now until the

00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:05.000
day when I drink it new with you in my Father's

00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:08.559
kingdom. When they had sung a hymn, they went

00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:13.970
out to the Mount of Olives. Yes, sir. So when

00:18:13.970 --> 00:18:16.289
they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount

00:18:16.289 --> 00:18:19.509
of Olives. During the Passover, you heard me

00:18:19.509 --> 00:18:22.329
mention that they sing these songs in between

00:18:22.329 --> 00:18:26.130
each one of these elements. The songs that they

00:18:26.130 --> 00:18:29.089
sing are from the Psalms, and they're Psalms

00:18:29.089 --> 00:18:33.490
113 through 118, and they're known as the Hallel,

00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:37.730
the H -A -L -L -E -L, Hallel, like hallelujah,

00:18:37.910 --> 00:18:42.450
right, and El meaning God. And the word Hallel

00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:49.529
means praise God. The 136th Psalm is known as

00:18:49.529 --> 00:18:53.269
the Great Hallel and is the final Psalm which

00:18:53.269 --> 00:18:58.210
is chanted at the end of the Passover meal. So

00:18:58.210 --> 00:19:00.390
if you've ever wondered when they sung a hymn

00:19:00.390 --> 00:19:01.910
and they went out to the Mount of Olives, what

00:19:01.910 --> 00:19:05.549
song did they sing? They probably sang the 136th

00:19:05.549 --> 00:19:08.720
Psalm, which is known as the Great Hallel. Great

00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:13.000
Hallel, a portion of which goes, give thanks

00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:15.359
to the Lord for he is good. His love endures

00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:19.960
forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His

00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.920
love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord

00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:26.640
of lords. His love endures forever. And it goes

00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:30.240
on. It's very, very long. And after every give

00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.480
thanks is his love endures forever. Give thanks.

00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:36.259
His love endures forever. Very, very long. That's

00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:38.930
why I only did three verses. Back to the story.

00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:42.049
Then Jesus told them, this very night you will

00:19:42.049 --> 00:19:45.269
all fall away on account of me, for it is written,

00:19:45.369 --> 00:19:47.730
I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the

00:19:47.730 --> 00:19:49.529
flock will be scattered. That's another one of

00:19:49.529 --> 00:19:52.809
those pieces of prophecy from the Old Testament

00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:56.990
prophet Zechariah. But after I have risen, I

00:19:56.990 --> 00:20:00.490
will go ahead of you into Galilee. Peter replied,

00:20:00.769 --> 00:20:04.730
even if all fall away on account of you, I never

00:20:04.730 --> 00:20:08.289
will. Truly I tell you, Jesus answered this very

00:20:08.289 --> 00:20:10.950
night, before the rooster crows, you will disown

00:20:10.950 --> 00:20:14.509
me three times. Peter declared, even if I have

00:20:14.509 --> 00:20:18.109
to die with you, I will never disown you. And

00:20:18.109 --> 00:20:21.049
all of the other disciples said the same. But

00:20:21.049 --> 00:20:25.769
we know that's not true. Now, the next story

00:20:25.769 --> 00:20:28.329
is perhaps one of the most important stories

00:20:28.329 --> 00:20:31.150
in the whole of the Bible. And I don't think

00:20:31.150 --> 00:20:33.309
that a lot of people, I think we look at major

00:20:33.309 --> 00:20:38.819
events like Jesus' birth. We look at obviously

00:20:38.819 --> 00:20:43.099
the resurrection, the loaves and fishes, the

00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:46.039
wedding at Cana where he turns the water into

00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.519
wine, all of those events. I think that this

00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:52.079
narrative probably it's not as spectacular, but

00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:54.859
it is as important. And I hope that when we get

00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:56.900
to this part of the story, you'll see why I think

00:20:56.900 --> 00:20:59.519
that. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a

00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:02.240
place called Gethsemane. And he said to them,

00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:05.019
sit down while I go over there and pray. He took

00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:08.460
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. And who are

00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:11.680
the sons of Zebedee? James and John, that's right.

00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:13.339
So these are the very first three disciples.

00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.380
Peter, James, and John. One, two, three. The

00:21:17.380 --> 00:21:18.839
guys have been with him from the very beginning.

00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:23.160
Takes him along with him. And he began to be

00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:25.019
sorrowful. Does anybody have a different word

00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:32.529
there? Show grief, okay. Distressed, agitated.

00:21:32.609 --> 00:21:36.670
Does anybody have agitated? Agitated is another

00:21:36.670 --> 00:21:40.569
word there. And troubled, right? He's having

00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:43.930
a panic attack is what's happening. Then he says

00:21:43.930 --> 00:21:46.829
to them, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to

00:21:46.829 --> 00:21:48.890
the point of death. Jesus, when Jesus talks,

00:21:48.930 --> 00:21:51.490
he rarely just talks for the sake of talking.

00:21:51.630 --> 00:21:55.289
Jesus is pretty much always talking. He seems

00:21:55.289 --> 00:21:58.589
to be quoting actually here the 42nd Psalm, verses

00:21:58.589 --> 00:22:02.049
9 through 11, which says, I say to God, my rock,

00:22:02.309 --> 00:22:05.490
why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about

00:22:05.490 --> 00:22:08.890
mourning, oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer

00:22:08.890 --> 00:22:11.809
mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me

00:22:11.809 --> 00:22:16.049
all day long, where is your God? My soul, are

00:22:16.049 --> 00:22:22.269
you sorrowful? Why are you so disturbed within

00:22:22.269 --> 00:22:25.220
me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise

00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:28.839
him, my Savior and my God. That's a psalm there.

00:22:29.140 --> 00:22:31.160
And he says, stay here and keep watch with me.

00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:36.160
Going a little farther, he fell with his face

00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:38.119
to the ground and prayed, my Father, if it is

00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:40.819
possible, may this cup, and I just want to stop

00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:44.900
right there, cup, because the imagery of a cup

00:22:44.900 --> 00:22:48.579
throughout Scripture is often used to describe

00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:52.099
God's justice. or perhaps also God's wrath. Let

00:22:52.099 --> 00:22:55.460
me give you a couple examples of the cup and

00:22:55.460 --> 00:22:58.799
what the imagery here should look like. So my

00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:01.279
father, if it is possible, may this cup pass

00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:04.539
from me, okay? What are we talking about? Psalm

00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:08.700
75 says, in the hand of the Lord is a cup full

00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:13.000
of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours it

00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.240
out and all of the wicked of the earth drink

00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:20.839
it down to its very dregs. The 51st chapter of

00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:25.119
Isaiah says this, Awake, awake! Arise, Jerusalem!

00:23:25.660 --> 00:23:28.119
You who have drunk from the hand of the Lord

00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:31.980
the cup of His wrath, you who have drained it

00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:35.480
to its dregs, the goblet that makes people stagger.

00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:40.500
The prophet Jeremiah 25 says, This is what the

00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:43.940
Lord, the God of Israel, said to me. Take from

00:23:43.940 --> 00:23:49.599
my hand this cup filled. With the wine of my

00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:52.799
wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send

00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:57.599
you drink it. And the imagery here is a cup,

00:23:57.740 --> 00:24:01.440
a goblet that God holds of high alcohol content,

00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:05.339
foaming, mixed with spices, wine, that the people

00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:11.180
of the earth want. They beg Him for it. And He

00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:14.559
gives it to them. They drink it up. They drink

00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:17.700
it down to the dregs and it causes them to stumble

00:24:17.700 --> 00:24:23.740
and fall over. It causes them to ruin. That's

00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:27.980
the cup of God's wrath, of his judgment. That's

00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:31.119
the cup that Jesus is talking about. Let this

00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:36.220
cup be taken from me. I, I don't want to drink

00:24:36.220 --> 00:24:41.019
of this cup. Yet not as I will, but as you will.

00:24:42.730 --> 00:24:45.349
What we're seeing here in the garden is God is

00:24:45.349 --> 00:24:51.930
human. Not God is human. God as human. Because

00:24:51.930 --> 00:24:55.529
if we have a Jesus, a God in a human body, if

00:24:55.529 --> 00:25:00.490
we have Jesus who has no fear, no anxiety, no

00:25:00.490 --> 00:25:06.589
troubled soul, no distress, then somehow that

00:25:06.589 --> 00:25:11.299
surely makes him less than fully human. Not less

00:25:11.299 --> 00:25:14.480
than human, but less than fully human. And anything

00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:18.119
less than fully human cheapens the sacrifice.

00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:25.900
So we see Jesus here as fully, vulnerably human.

00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:28.900
And that's why I think that this part of the

00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:32.180
Bible is so incredibly important. Because it

00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:34.480
fulfills a promise that God makes to us about

00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:37.460
His love that really is expressed in no other

00:25:37.460 --> 00:25:43.049
way. As fully as it is here. That Jesus returns

00:25:43.049 --> 00:25:47.950
to his disciples. He finds them sleeping. Could

00:25:47.950 --> 00:25:51.250
you men keep watch with me for an hour? He asks

00:25:51.250 --> 00:25:53.089
Peter, watch and pray so that you will not fall

00:25:53.089 --> 00:25:56.009
into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the

00:25:56.009 --> 00:25:59.349
flesh is weak. He doesn't reproach them. He doesn't

00:25:59.349 --> 00:26:04.130
chew them out. He recognizes the frailty of the

00:26:04.130 --> 00:26:07.359
human condition. And he goes away a second time.

00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:10.019
My father, if it is not possible for this cup

00:26:10.019 --> 00:26:12.720
to be taken away unless I drink it, may your

00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.160
will be done. And when he comes back, he finds

00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:18.700
them sleeping again. Their eyes were heavy. So

00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:20.539
he left them and went away once more and prayed

00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:23.839
a third time, saying the same thing. Then he

00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.539
returned to the disciples and said to them, Are

00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:29.259
you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour

00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:31.569
has come. and the Son of Man is delivered into

00:26:31.569 --> 00:26:35.190
the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go. Here comes

00:26:35.190 --> 00:26:39.009
my betrayer. Notice the difference in Jesus'

00:26:39.250 --> 00:26:42.710
attitude here. It probably says something a little

00:26:42.710 --> 00:26:46.430
bit about the power of prayer there. While he

00:26:46.430 --> 00:26:48.329
was speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived.

00:26:48.910 --> 00:26:51.089
With him was a large crowd armed with swords

00:26:51.089 --> 00:26:53.809
and clubs sent from the chief priests and the

00:26:53.809 --> 00:26:56.049
elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged

00:26:56.049 --> 00:26:58.250
a signal with them. The one I kiss is the man.

00:26:58.750 --> 00:27:03.599
Arrest him. Going at once to Jesus, Judas said,

00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:06.539
Greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him. Jesus replied,

00:27:06.980 --> 00:27:10.700
Do what you came for, friend. Then the men stepped

00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:13.420
forward, seized Jesus, and arrested him. With

00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:15.359
that, one of Jesus' companions, we know from

00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:18.920
the other Gospels, it's Peter, right? Again,

00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:21.880
very possible. We also know the name of the servant.

00:27:22.329 --> 00:27:26.309
who was injured and then healed. Again, those

00:27:26.309 --> 00:27:28.829
names are left out, perhaps maybe due to the

00:27:28.829 --> 00:27:33.470
closeness in time to their events. Drew it out

00:27:33.470 --> 00:27:35.109
and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting

00:27:35.109 --> 00:27:38.089
off his ear. Where do you suppose Peter was aiming?

00:27:38.970 --> 00:27:43.369
Probably for his head, right? Because in Peter's

00:27:43.369 --> 00:27:46.390
mind, this is still about an armed insurrection.

00:27:47.089 --> 00:27:49.589
This is the start of the battle that they've

00:27:49.589 --> 00:27:53.279
all been waiting for. And Jesus, instead of saying

00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:56.619
charge, says put your sword back in its place.

00:27:57.859 --> 00:28:00.579
For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:03.579
Do you think I cannot call on my father and he

00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:05.759
will at once put at my disposal more than 12

00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:09.240
legions of angels? But then how would the scriptures

00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:11.460
be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?

00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:15.359
What we have here is Jesus actually living out

00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:18.420
the Sermon on the Mount. Right? Blessed are the

00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:20.059
peacemakers. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:23.460
Jesus is living out this upside -down kingdom

00:28:23.460 --> 00:28:25.779
we've been talking about all these weeks. He's

00:28:25.779 --> 00:28:29.640
actually showing how to live it. And his disciples

00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.259
still can't wrap their heads around it. No one

00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.839
really can, to be quite honest. In that hour,

00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:37.819
Jesus said to the crowd, he says to these men

00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:41.779
that have come to arrest him with clubs and swords

00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:46.299
and flaming torches and stuff. This is in the

00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:48.670
middle of the night. He says, Am I leading a

00:28:48.670 --> 00:28:50.490
rebellion that you've come out with swords and

00:28:50.490 --> 00:28:54.190
clubs to capture me? And he basically looks at

00:28:54.190 --> 00:28:56.490
him and says, every day, every day I've been

00:28:56.490 --> 00:29:00.210
at the temple courts teaching broad daylight.

00:29:00.349 --> 00:29:03.789
Why didn't you arrest me then? But this has all

00:29:03.789 --> 00:29:06.430
taken place. The writings of the prophets must

00:29:06.430 --> 00:29:09.049
be fulfilled. This is the last time we see Jesus.

00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:12.099
Defending himself, if you will. In the sense

00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:14.140
that Jesus isn't even really defending himself.

00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:16.539
What he's doing is pointing out the absurdity

00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:21.180
of human evil. And then, despite their claims

00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:24.039
to the different, the disciples deserted him

00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:27.220
and fled. Those who had arrested Jesus took him

00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:29.480
to Caiaphas, the high priest of that year, where

00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:31.720
the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.

00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:34.819
Peter followed him at a distance, right up to

00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:37.119
the courtyard of the high priest. He entered

00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:39.740
and sat down with the guards. pardon me, to see

00:29:39.740 --> 00:29:43.279
the outcome. And honestly, I think that that's

00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:47.319
pretty gutsy. The chief priests and the whole

00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:52.259
Sanhedrin, pause, Sanhedrin. Sanhedrin is the

00:29:52.259 --> 00:29:55.880
Jewish Supreme Court. It is composed of the scribes

00:29:55.880 --> 00:30:00.180
and Pharisees and Sadducees. Pharisees and Sadducees

00:30:00.180 --> 00:30:03.380
are going to be these kind of political parties.

00:30:04.750 --> 00:30:07.269
religious leaders some are conservative some

00:30:07.269 --> 00:30:11.390
are more liberal there's only 71 total of the

00:30:11.390 --> 00:30:15.690
Sanhedrin and they broke like every single rule

00:30:15.690 --> 00:30:17.990
about making a legal judgment whenever they hold

00:30:17.990 --> 00:30:20.430
this court at night which they're not supposed

00:30:20.430 --> 00:30:24.009
to do in Caiaphas home and they're not supposed

00:30:24.009 --> 00:30:27.190
to hold court or pass judgments outside of what's

00:30:27.190 --> 00:30:30.490
called the Hall of Hewn Stone which sounds very

00:30:30.490 --> 00:30:32.549
like I don't know Justice League or something

00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:37.720
which is in the temple courts. They're not supposed

00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:41.660
to have any trial unless there have been two

00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:46.339
true accusers, verified accusers come forward.

00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:51.339
Every legal rule of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the

00:30:51.339 --> 00:30:56.059
Supreme Court, is broken in this trial. And they

00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:57.940
were actually looking for false evidence against

00:30:57.940 --> 00:31:00.559
Jesus so they could put him to death. They didn't

00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:03.390
find any. The many false witnesses came forward.

00:31:03.430 --> 00:31:05.650
Finally, two came forward and declared, This

00:31:05.650 --> 00:31:08.970
fellow said, I'm able to destroy the temple of

00:31:08.970 --> 00:31:11.609
God and rebuild it in three days. That is a false

00:31:11.609 --> 00:31:15.549
charge against Jesus. He did not say that. Then

00:31:15.549 --> 00:31:18.549
the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, Are

00:31:18.549 --> 00:31:21.190
you not going to answer? He's not going to respond

00:31:21.190 --> 00:31:24.970
to a false charge. What is this testimony that

00:31:24.970 --> 00:31:26.509
these men are bringing against you? But Jesus

00:31:26.509 --> 00:31:30.400
remained silent. The high priest said to him,

00:31:30.460 --> 00:31:33.079
I charge you under oath by the living God, tell

00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:36.980
us if you are the Messiah, the son of God. That

00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:41.420
is a true charge. Jesus does respond. You have

00:31:41.420 --> 00:31:44.319
said so, Jesus replied, but I say to all of you,

00:31:44.380 --> 00:31:47.279
from now on, you will see the son of man sitting

00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:49.500
at the right hand of the mighty one and coming

00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:51.559
on the clouds of heaven. Jesus is saying here,

00:31:51.680 --> 00:31:55.619
yes, I am. And he actually turns it up a notch,

00:31:55.759 --> 00:32:02.390
right? Jesus is not saying yes. But in his response,

00:32:02.710 --> 00:32:05.430
he is agreeing with them because he actually

00:32:05.430 --> 00:32:08.430
uses the words of Daniel to describe himself.

00:32:08.990 --> 00:32:12.450
From Daniel chapter 7, you'll see the Son of

00:32:12.450 --> 00:32:14.450
Man sitting at the right hand, the Mighty One

00:32:14.450 --> 00:32:15.750
coming on the clouds of heaven. He's talking

00:32:15.750 --> 00:32:18.529
about himself. That's the Messiah that's referenced

00:32:18.529 --> 00:32:22.069
in Daniel, I think, chapter 7. Yeah? And like

00:32:22.069 --> 00:32:24.309
I said, that's from the prophecy of Daniel. So

00:32:24.309 --> 00:32:26.589
not only is Jesus saying, yeah, I am the Messiah,

00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:29.299
But you know, you guys know your Bible? You know

00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:31.279
the prophecy of Daniel? Son of man, that's me.

00:32:31.680 --> 00:32:34.579
Right? Now you can imagine their indignancy.

00:32:34.579 --> 00:32:37.640
That's why the high priest tears his clothes.

00:32:38.180 --> 00:32:42.500
He's spoken blasphemy. Whenever Jesus would have

00:32:42.500 --> 00:32:45.799
quoted Daniel in their response to this accusation

00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:49.579
back to them, the room would have erupted in

00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:54.799
pandemonium. He is worthy of death. They spit

00:32:54.799 --> 00:32:57.420
in his face. They struck him with their fists.

00:32:57.640 --> 00:33:00.099
Others slapped him and said, prophesy to us,

00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:02.599
Messiah, who hit you? There are so many people

00:33:02.599 --> 00:33:05.279
hitting him. He doesn't even know. Tell us who's

00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:10.960
the one hitting you. Pandemonium erupts in the

00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:13.680
house of Caiaphas. Now I'm going to tell you

00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:16.799
a story of a very brave man. Now Peter was sitting

00:33:16.799 --> 00:33:19.660
out in the courtyard in the middle of the lion's

00:33:19.660 --> 00:33:23.039
den. He's sitting in the courtyard of Caiaphas'

00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:27.339
house. He's sitting next to the guards, the ones

00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:30.119
who have arrested Jesus and brought him to Caiaphas'

00:33:30.259 --> 00:33:33.720
house. They can hear the pandemonium that has

00:33:33.720 --> 00:33:37.700
erupted just inside. He is close. He is just

00:33:37.700 --> 00:33:40.339
outside the door. He is in the courtyard of the

00:33:40.339 --> 00:33:44.299
house. And a servant girl comes up to him and

00:33:44.299 --> 00:33:46.960
says, you were with Jesus of Galilee, but he

00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:48.779
denied it. He said, I don't know what you're

00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:52.289
talking about. Then he goes out to the gateway

00:33:52.289 --> 00:33:54.529
of the courtyard. He goes a little bit further

00:33:54.529 --> 00:33:59.170
out. He doesn't flee. He's found out. They know

00:33:59.170 --> 00:34:02.910
who he is. He doesn't run away. He does back

00:34:02.910 --> 00:34:05.269
up, but he doesn't run away. He goes a little

00:34:05.269 --> 00:34:08.269
bit further out where another servant girl saw

00:34:08.269 --> 00:34:11.489
him and said to the people there, this fellow

00:34:11.489 --> 00:34:14.550
was with Jesus of Nazareth. He denied it again

00:34:14.550 --> 00:34:18.190
with an oath. I don't know the man. After a little

00:34:18.190 --> 00:34:19.869
while, those standing there went up to Peter

00:34:19.869 --> 00:34:23.150
and said, Surely you're one of them. Your accent

00:34:23.150 --> 00:34:27.670
gives you away. Apparently in Aramaic, there's

00:34:27.670 --> 00:34:30.110
a Galilean accent that is very, very distinct.

00:34:30.409 --> 00:34:34.449
And it's actually considered grating on the ears.

00:34:34.570 --> 00:34:42.090
I don't know what's an English accent that's

00:34:42.090 --> 00:34:46.489
kind of weird to hear in your head. Like maybe

00:34:46.489 --> 00:34:49.050
Boston, like people that type from Boston. That's

00:34:49.050 --> 00:34:51.349
kind of weird, you know. I'm not saying it's

00:34:51.349 --> 00:34:54.809
bad. I'm saying to our ears here, it's very strange.

00:34:54.889 --> 00:34:57.389
I would imagine someone from New York or whatever

00:34:57.389 --> 00:34:59.489
might hear a southern accent and go, oh, it drives

00:34:59.489 --> 00:35:02.030
me crazy hearing those people talk. You know,

00:35:02.090 --> 00:35:04.610
that's what I'm talking about. It was so distinct

00:35:04.610 --> 00:35:07.050
in their ear, and it was considered so grating

00:35:07.050 --> 00:35:10.889
that apparently Galileans couldn't read the benediction

00:35:10.889 --> 00:35:13.280
in synagogue. That was one of the things the

00:35:13.280 --> 00:35:15.139
lay people could do in synagogue would be at

00:35:15.139 --> 00:35:17.400
the very end. So, you know, say, may the Lord

00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:19.860
bless you and keep you. May the Lord put his

00:35:19.860 --> 00:35:21.619
countenance upon you. That bit at the very end.

00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:24.719
Lay people say that. Galileans couldn't say that

00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:27.579
because the way that they taught was so distinct.

00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:31.380
And so they're like, dude, we can hear you talking.

00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:34.280
We know you're from Galilee. Then he began to

00:35:34.280 --> 00:35:36.500
call down curses and he swore to them, I don't

00:35:36.500 --> 00:35:39.639
know the man. And immediately a rooster crowed.

00:35:40.219 --> 00:35:42.280
Then Peter remembered the words that Jesus had

00:35:42.280 --> 00:35:44.840
spoken. Before the rooster crows, you will disown

00:35:44.840 --> 00:35:47.019
me three times. And he went outside and wept

00:35:47.019 --> 00:35:49.340
bitterly. Now, I want to stop here because I'm

00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:50.880
going to teach you something you probably don't

00:35:50.880 --> 00:35:53.199
know. And you probably don't know it because

00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:55.000
you haven't even considered thinking about it.

00:35:55.079 --> 00:35:58.500
But the house of the chief priest, Caiaphas,

00:35:58.619 --> 00:36:02.219
would have been in the middle of this very, very

00:36:02.219 --> 00:36:05.380
large, at that time, urbanized city of Jerusalem.

00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:07.639
What are the chances that there are chickens

00:36:07.639 --> 00:36:13.730
around? Actually very, very low. And so this

00:36:13.730 --> 00:36:16.110
is a little funny story about what you've just

00:36:16.110 --> 00:36:19.969
read that is not what it sounds like on the face.

00:36:20.429 --> 00:36:23.130
Because there is something called the Gallicinium.

00:36:24.309 --> 00:36:27.150
And the Gallicinium is a trumpet blast which

00:36:27.150 --> 00:36:30.349
occurs at 3 a .m. to signify the changing of

00:36:30.349 --> 00:36:35.030
the Roman guard. The Gallicinium is called the

00:36:35.030 --> 00:36:41.179
rooster's crow. So it's signifying the changing

00:36:41.179 --> 00:36:43.860
of the Roman guard at 3 a .m. That's what he

00:36:43.860 --> 00:36:48.059
heard. Early in the morning, all of the chief

00:36:48.059 --> 00:36:49.960
priests and elders of the people made their plans

00:36:49.960 --> 00:36:53.719
to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led

00:36:53.719 --> 00:36:55.639
him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the

00:36:55.639 --> 00:37:00.179
governor. When Judas had betrayed... saw Jesus

00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:02.539
was condemned, he was seized with remorse. And

00:37:02.539 --> 00:37:05.719
we don't know what the condemnation event was.

00:37:06.119 --> 00:37:08.699
But something caused him to be seized with remorse.

00:37:08.840 --> 00:37:11.179
He returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief

00:37:11.179 --> 00:37:13.260
priests. I have sinned, he said, for I betrayed

00:37:13.260 --> 00:37:16.739
innocent blood. You might, as we go through chapter

00:37:16.739 --> 00:37:20.440
27 here, you might just in your ear notice how

00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:24.300
many times the word innocent is used. And the

00:37:24.300 --> 00:37:27.039
priest goes, so what, dude? You've taken the

00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:30.260
money. You've taken the ride. It's your responsibility.

00:37:30.940 --> 00:37:33.599
So Jesus threw the money, Judas, sorry, threw

00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:35.480
the money into the temple and left. He went away

00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:37.699
and hanged himself. The chief priest picked up

00:37:37.699 --> 00:37:39.519
the coins. It's against the law to put this into

00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:41.780
the treasury since it is indeed blood money.

00:37:42.320 --> 00:37:44.619
So he decided to use the money to buy the potter's

00:37:44.619 --> 00:37:46.340
field as a burial place for foreigners. That

00:37:46.340 --> 00:37:49.340
actually matches up with that prophecy we read

00:37:49.340 --> 00:37:53.920
in Jeremiah. That's why it's been called the

00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:55.880
field of blood to this day. In other words, at

00:37:55.880 --> 00:37:57.619
the time of the writing of the gospel, it's not

00:37:57.619 --> 00:38:00.480
called the field of blood today, but at the time

00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:01.780
of the writing of the gospel of Matthew, it still

00:38:01.780 --> 00:38:04.239
would have been called that. This was spoken

00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:06.119
of when Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled. They

00:38:06.119 --> 00:38:08.440
took the 30 pieces of silver, the price set on

00:38:08.440 --> 00:38:10.360
him by the people of Israel, and they used them

00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:12.099
to buy the potter's field as the Lord commanded

00:38:12.099 --> 00:38:15.059
me. Meanwhile, Jesus stood before the governor,

00:38:15.199 --> 00:38:16.579
and the governor asked him, Are you the king

00:38:16.579 --> 00:38:21.760
of the Jews? You've said so. When he was accused

00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:23.420
by the chief priests and the elders, he gave

00:38:23.420 --> 00:38:26.739
no answer. Then Pilate asked him, Don't you hear

00:38:26.739 --> 00:38:29.579
the testimony they're bringing against you? Jesus

00:38:29.579 --> 00:38:33.340
made no reply, not even to a single charge, to

00:38:33.340 --> 00:38:36.230
the great amazement of the governor. Now, as

00:38:36.230 --> 00:38:38.329
we continue on through 27, I want to correct

00:38:38.329 --> 00:38:40.630
the record on a couple of stories that I remember

00:38:40.630 --> 00:38:43.650
hearing as a kid that was taught to me as a kid,

00:38:43.690 --> 00:38:45.369
but this part of the story, you may have been

00:38:45.369 --> 00:38:47.909
taught this too, and hopefully maybe you have,

00:38:48.130 --> 00:38:51.329
and maybe I can correct this tonight for you.

00:38:51.469 --> 00:38:53.250
Now, it was the governor's custom at the festival

00:38:53.250 --> 00:38:55.829
to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At

00:38:55.829 --> 00:38:59.010
that time, they had a well -known prisoner whose

00:38:59.010 --> 00:39:04.550
name was Jesus Bar Abbas. We say Barabbas, right?

00:39:05.179 --> 00:39:07.440
But if we say it like we would say it as a Hebrew,

00:39:07.659 --> 00:39:11.980
we would actually say Yeshua bar Abbas, right?

00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:16.219
Jesus, the son of. Now, when Jesus teaches us

00:39:16.219 --> 00:39:19.059
to pray, how does he tell us to call the father?

00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:24.880
Abba. Abba, right? Jesus, the son of the father,

00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:28.579
is this guy's name. Jesus, the son of the father.

00:39:29.039 --> 00:39:33.079
What? So, when the crowd had gathered, Pilate

00:39:33.079 --> 00:39:34.659
asked them, which one do you want me to release?

00:39:35.380 --> 00:39:38.539
Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who's called Messiah?

00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:41.980
For he knew it was out of self -interest that

00:39:41.980 --> 00:39:44.679
they had handed Jesus, the Messiah, over to him.

00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:48.480
Now, Jesus Barabbas, we just know, was a well

00:39:48.480 --> 00:39:52.500
-known criminal. He was a murderer. He perhaps

00:39:52.500 --> 00:39:55.300
was a member of the Jewish zealots. You guys

00:39:55.300 --> 00:39:57.760
remember the disciple Simon, the zealot? that

00:39:57.760 --> 00:40:01.039
he was a part of. It's possible that Jesus Barbas

00:40:01.039 --> 00:40:03.659
would have been a part of that group. He had

00:40:03.659 --> 00:40:06.480
killed a Roman soldier during one of the rebellions.

00:40:06.559 --> 00:40:09.420
There are many, many Jewish rebellions before

00:40:09.420 --> 00:40:13.980
Jesus' life. There are rebellions after his life,

00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:16.420
and just a few decades later, there'll finally

00:40:16.420 --> 00:40:19.119
be a Jewish rebellion in the year 67 that will

00:40:19.119 --> 00:40:21.739
cause the Roman Empire to say enough and destroy

00:40:21.739 --> 00:40:26.869
everything. So these zealots, these guys trying

00:40:26.869 --> 00:40:29.050
to rise up and defeat the Roman Empire and make

00:40:29.050 --> 00:40:30.949
things right for the Jewish people, it's very,

00:40:31.090 --> 00:40:34.889
very common. And Jesus Bar Abbas would have been

00:40:34.889 --> 00:40:37.110
one of these well -known domestic terrorists.

00:40:38.449 --> 00:40:41.909
In fact, he would have really been the opposite

00:40:41.909 --> 00:40:46.929
of Jesus, the one called Messiah. Because Jesus

00:40:46.929 --> 00:40:50.489
Bar Abbas is exactly the guy the disciples thought

00:40:50.489 --> 00:40:54.619
Jesus... The Messiah was going to be a zealot,

00:40:54.619 --> 00:40:57.820
a guy who was ready to take up arms, a guy who

00:40:57.820 --> 00:41:00.920
was ready to kill Roman soldiers, a guy who was

00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:05.920
ready to die and live by the sword, a guy who

00:41:05.920 --> 00:41:08.800
thought that might makes right, a guy who thought

00:41:08.800 --> 00:41:11.500
that we could have the strength to overthrow

00:41:11.500 --> 00:41:15.119
and reestablish God's kingdom here on earth through

00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:20.150
violence. Jesus the Messiah says, on the Sermon

00:41:20.150 --> 00:41:24.409
on the Mount, none of that will work. And when

00:41:24.409 --> 00:41:26.949
I was a kid, because of the closeness of their

00:41:26.949 --> 00:41:30.030
names, Jesus, I was taught that the people were

00:41:30.030 --> 00:41:33.030
actually tricked. And they actually thought that

00:41:33.030 --> 00:41:36.510
they were letting go Jesus the Messiah, but then

00:41:36.510 --> 00:41:40.349
they actually let go Jesus Barabas. I was taught

00:41:40.349 --> 00:41:42.130
that because, and I think the reason why I was

00:41:42.130 --> 00:41:43.889
taught that is because it would have been a time

00:41:43.889 --> 00:41:47.949
when this part of the story has given great rise

00:41:47.949 --> 00:41:51.130
to anti -Semitism, given people, Christians,

00:41:51.190 --> 00:41:53.309
a reason to hate Jews because they say, you killed

00:41:53.309 --> 00:41:57.809
Jesus, right? And there was kind of a, what do

00:41:57.809 --> 00:42:02.070
you call it, a revision in biblical scholarship

00:42:02.070 --> 00:42:04.730
that's kind of tried to pull away from that.

00:42:05.449 --> 00:42:07.610
And I think that was a part of that. But I remember

00:42:07.610 --> 00:42:11.409
as a kid being taught that their names were so

00:42:11.409 --> 00:42:14.130
close that the people actually, it wasn't their

00:42:14.130 --> 00:42:17.570
fault they picked the wrong guy. I don't believe

00:42:17.570 --> 00:42:20.889
that's the case at all. I believe they knew exactly

00:42:20.889 --> 00:42:24.650
which one was which. And they specifically chose

00:42:24.650 --> 00:42:28.510
the one that all of the disciples wanted. If

00:42:28.510 --> 00:42:30.269
the disciples would have been in the crowd, they

00:42:30.269 --> 00:42:33.130
would have voted for Jesus Barabbas because he's

00:42:33.130 --> 00:42:35.849
the one that they want Jesus the Messiah to be

00:42:35.849 --> 00:42:40.909
like. The people, the world, made their choice

00:42:40.909 --> 00:42:45.030
on who they thought they should save. While Pilate

00:42:45.030 --> 00:42:48.429
was sitting in the judge's seat, his wife sent

00:42:48.429 --> 00:42:51.170
him this message. Don't have anything to do with

00:42:51.170 --> 00:42:53.909
that innocent man, for I have suffered a great

00:42:53.909 --> 00:42:56.550
deal in a dream because of him. The chief priests

00:42:56.550 --> 00:42:59.250
and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for

00:42:59.250 --> 00:43:02.349
Barbas and to have Jesus, the Messiah, executed.

00:43:03.510 --> 00:43:06.630
Which of the two do you want me to release to

00:43:06.630 --> 00:43:09.650
you? Asked the governor. Barbas, they answered.

00:43:09.849 --> 00:43:12.369
What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called

00:43:12.369 --> 00:43:15.550
Messiah? Pilate asked. They all answered, crucify

00:43:15.550 --> 00:43:19.909
him. Why? What crime has he committed? Asked

00:43:19.909 --> 00:43:23.250
Pilate. They shouted all the louder, crucify

00:43:23.250 --> 00:43:28.130
him. Now stop. In your mind's eye, imagine, you've

00:43:28.130 --> 00:43:30.989
seen enough movies about this time period, you

00:43:30.989 --> 00:43:33.110
could kind of get the idea with the Roman columns

00:43:33.110 --> 00:43:35.690
and the kind of courtyard, and he's standing

00:43:35.690 --> 00:43:39.269
up on this throne thing, right? And this crowd,

00:43:39.530 --> 00:43:42.929
this thronging crowd is yelling, crucify, crucify,

00:43:43.130 --> 00:43:46.550
crucify. The sun is just beginning to come up

00:43:46.550 --> 00:43:49.610
over the Roman buildings and beginning to bake

00:43:49.610 --> 00:43:52.909
down on the courtyard and through all of this

00:43:52.909 --> 00:43:57.280
den. Pilate goes back into his chambers and comes

00:43:57.280 --> 00:44:00.500
out with a bowl of water and in front of the

00:44:00.500 --> 00:44:04.920
crowd begins to wash his hands and say, I am

00:44:04.920 --> 00:44:08.960
innocent of this man's blood. He says, it is

00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:13.420
your responsibility. All of the people answered,

00:44:13.639 --> 00:44:18.340
his blood is on us and on our children. We've

00:44:18.340 --> 00:44:22.030
made our choice. Here's the second thing. that

00:44:22.030 --> 00:44:24.670
I want to correct about this part of the story

00:44:24.670 --> 00:44:27.329
because it's not uncommon for people to believe

00:44:27.329 --> 00:44:30.849
how easy it was that the same people that are

00:44:30.849 --> 00:44:35.389
thronged to say crucify him could have been tricked

00:44:35.389 --> 00:44:39.389
because just earlier in the week they had welcomed

00:44:39.389 --> 00:44:42.429
him in on Palm Sunday, what we call Palm Sunday,

00:44:42.489 --> 00:44:46.809
right? Here's another thing that's not true.

00:44:47.210 --> 00:44:50.179
These are two different people. Turn back with

00:44:50.179 --> 00:44:51.480
me. This is the one time I'm going to ask you

00:44:51.480 --> 00:44:53.820
to turn back tonight. Turn back to Matthew chapter

00:44:53.820 --> 00:44:59.840
21 verse 8. This is a distinction that is not

00:44:59.840 --> 00:45:02.280
super important, but I do think is super interesting.

00:45:03.519 --> 00:45:09.039
So Matthew chapter 21 verse 8. A very large crowd

00:45:09.039 --> 00:45:11.559
spread their cloaks on the road while others

00:45:11.559 --> 00:45:14.039
cut branches from the trees and spread them on

00:45:14.039 --> 00:45:15.880
the road. The crowds that went ahead of him.

00:45:16.320 --> 00:45:19.559
And those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the

00:45:19.559 --> 00:45:21.900
Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the

00:45:21.900 --> 00:45:24.980
name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven.

00:45:26.320 --> 00:45:29.559
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, stop. So where

00:45:29.559 --> 00:45:31.679
have we been to that moment that I just said

00:45:31.679 --> 00:45:36.639
stop? Outside of Jerusalem? Yes. Because the

00:45:36.639 --> 00:45:39.599
next thing, as all of this is going on, the next

00:45:39.599 --> 00:45:42.039
thing that happens is when Jesus entered Jerusalem,

00:45:42.239 --> 00:45:44.460
right? So all of the things that had happened

00:45:44.460 --> 00:45:46.699
before, what I just said, happened outside of

00:45:46.699 --> 00:45:48.900
Jerusalem, right? Where had Jesus been coming

00:45:48.900 --> 00:45:53.579
from? You guys remember? Who lives a mile and

00:45:53.579 --> 00:45:56.739
a half to the north up the road? Down called

00:45:56.739 --> 00:46:01.780
Bethany. Three folks. Three's company. Two girls

00:46:01.780 --> 00:46:05.940
and a guy and a pizza place. Mary, Martha, and

00:46:05.940 --> 00:46:08.719
Lazarus. He just come from their house, right?

00:46:09.099 --> 00:46:12.300
He was coming into Jerusalem from the north over

00:46:12.300 --> 00:46:14.340
the Mount of Olives. Remember that story with

00:46:14.340 --> 00:46:15.900
David and the donkey and all that bit, right?

00:46:16.519 --> 00:46:18.960
Who's coming along the road with him? Who are

00:46:18.960 --> 00:46:21.639
the people traveling down the road? They're Galileans.

00:46:23.119 --> 00:46:26.559
Galilean people are making their pilgrimage into

00:46:26.559 --> 00:46:29.960
Jerusalem. They're making their trek into the

00:46:29.960 --> 00:46:32.619
city of Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of

00:46:32.619 --> 00:46:35.380
unleavened bread. And then a shout comes up from

00:46:35.380 --> 00:46:38.889
some people in the back. It's Jesus. He's coming

00:46:38.889 --> 00:46:43.070
here now. And they part. And they cut branches

00:46:43.070 --> 00:46:45.570
off. And they wave them. And they throw their

00:46:45.570 --> 00:46:48.849
coats down on the road as Jesus is entering into

00:46:48.849 --> 00:46:51.710
Jerusalem. The people that are celebrating Jesus'

00:46:51.869 --> 00:46:54.849
arrival in Jerusalem are not citizens of Jerusalem.

00:46:55.690 --> 00:46:58.269
They're Galileans who have come to Jerusalem

00:46:58.269 --> 00:47:01.190
on pilgrimage. Why is that important? Who of

00:47:01.190 --> 00:47:04.010
the people whom Jesus has been preaching to and

00:47:04.010 --> 00:47:07.730
healing and living with? The Galilean people.

00:47:08.789 --> 00:47:11.989
How do the Jewish people respond when all of

00:47:11.989 --> 00:47:15.610
this happens and he shows up to Jerusalem? How

00:47:15.610 --> 00:47:19.570
does he respond? Let's see. The whole city was

00:47:19.570 --> 00:47:27.050
stirred, shaken, afraid, and asked, who is this?

00:47:28.250 --> 00:47:32.789
The crowd, the Galileans answer, this is Jesus,

00:47:33.010 --> 00:47:37.630
the prophet from Nazareth and Galilee. He's our

00:47:37.630 --> 00:47:42.190
guy. The people on the road were the people who

00:47:42.190 --> 00:47:46.630
knew Jesus. They were the Galilean pilgrims,

00:47:46.670 --> 00:47:49.690
and they had seen his teachings, and they had

00:47:49.690 --> 00:47:53.030
experienced his healings. The crowd that is now

00:47:53.030 --> 00:47:56.170
in this courtyard saying crucify him are the

00:47:56.170 --> 00:48:00.090
citizens of Jerusalem, many of which very well

00:48:00.090 --> 00:48:04.989
had a stake in the temple system and the continuance

00:48:04.989 --> 00:48:09.889
of the status quo. Jesus the Messiah was the

00:48:09.889 --> 00:48:15.190
troublemaker that they didn't know. Jesus Barabbas

00:48:15.190 --> 00:48:19.210
was the murderer that they at least were familiar

00:48:19.210 --> 00:48:23.530
with. And the crowd makes their choice between

00:48:23.530 --> 00:48:28.329
kingdoms. The kingdom of heaven or the kingdom

00:48:28.329 --> 00:48:36.280
of earth. Right? So they released Barabbas. They

00:48:36.280 --> 00:48:38.920
had Jesus flogged, handed him over to be crucified,

00:48:39.019 --> 00:48:43.940
and then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into

00:48:43.940 --> 00:48:46.079
the praetorium and gathered the whole company

00:48:46.079 --> 00:48:48.780
of soldiers around him. They stripped him, put

00:48:48.780 --> 00:48:50.639
a scarlet robe on him, and they twisted together

00:48:50.639 --> 00:48:54.500
a crown of thorns and set it on his head. We're

00:48:54.500 --> 00:48:56.199
going to stop that part right there because if

00:48:56.199 --> 00:48:57.880
you'll come back next time, we're going to go

00:48:57.880 --> 00:49:00.480
into greater detail of the passion. But I want

00:49:00.480 --> 00:49:05.400
to go ahead and skip to the end. The end of that

00:49:05.400 --> 00:49:08.480
day. And I would like for you to go to chapter

00:49:08.480 --> 00:49:19.260
28. At the very end, verse 50. 2750, sorry. And

00:49:19.260 --> 00:49:22.179
when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice,

00:49:22.380 --> 00:49:26.469
He gave up His spirit. At that moment, the curtain

00:49:26.469 --> 00:49:28.829
of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

00:49:28.889 --> 00:49:31.989
The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs

00:49:31.989 --> 00:49:35.170
broke open. The bodies of many holy people who

00:49:35.170 --> 00:49:38.329
had died were raised to life. They came out of

00:49:38.329 --> 00:49:40.730
their tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went

00:49:40.730 --> 00:49:43.230
into the holy city and appeared to many people.

00:49:43.590 --> 00:49:46.570
When the centurion and those with him who were

00:49:46.570 --> 00:49:48.809
guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that

00:49:48.809 --> 00:49:51.550
had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed,

00:49:52.909 --> 00:49:55.869
He was the Son of God. And this is what I want

00:49:55.869 --> 00:50:00.570
us to capture in our mind's eye. This is not

00:50:00.570 --> 00:50:03.449
helpful for what I want to paint a picture, but

00:50:03.449 --> 00:50:05.070
I can't help every time I hear that part. I think

00:50:05.070 --> 00:50:09.429
of the ending scene of Ghostbusters. For some

00:50:09.429 --> 00:50:11.989
reason, it always sticks out in my head right

00:50:11.989 --> 00:50:16.889
there. But pandemonium. It's darkened. Earthquake.

00:50:18.610 --> 00:50:23.150
Buildings are shattering. And just off in a distance

00:50:23.150 --> 00:50:27.130
from Golgotha, there's a group of just a few

00:50:27.130 --> 00:50:31.210
women in black, huddled, watching from a distance.

00:50:32.710 --> 00:50:36.809
These women had traveled from Galilee. They were

00:50:36.809 --> 00:50:38.969
there at Mary and Martha and Lazarus' house.

00:50:39.690 --> 00:50:44.389
These friends are disciples of Jesus. They may

00:50:44.389 --> 00:50:48.130
not be named disciples. Some of them are. They

00:50:48.130 --> 00:50:52.510
may not end up being apostles, but these are

00:50:52.510 --> 00:50:57.269
followers and disciples of Jesus who were intimate

00:50:57.269 --> 00:51:00.429
enough with Jesus, and I'm using that in the

00:51:00.429 --> 00:51:03.829
closeness word, not in a sexual way. They're

00:51:03.829 --> 00:51:06.250
intimate enough with Jesus that they were able

00:51:06.250 --> 00:51:11.329
to care for his daily needs. And among them were

00:51:11.329 --> 00:51:14.949
Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James

00:51:14.949 --> 00:51:19.699
and Joseph. and the mother of Zebedee's sons,

00:51:19.960 --> 00:51:25.440
James and John. As evening approached, another

00:51:25.440 --> 00:51:28.099
disciple, whom we just now learn is a disciple,

00:51:28.300 --> 00:51:32.340
shows up, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph.

00:51:33.960 --> 00:51:37.679
Going to Pilate, this is probably with some fear,

00:51:37.900 --> 00:51:43.139
probably with some anxiety. He goes to Pilate

00:51:43.139 --> 00:51:47.130
and asks for Jesus' body. And probably because

00:51:47.130 --> 00:51:50.530
he is rich, he's able to get the body from Pilate.

00:51:51.409 --> 00:51:53.650
And we think, wait a minute, this guy's a rich

00:51:53.650 --> 00:51:55.449
guy. What about the camel and the eye of the

00:51:55.449 --> 00:51:57.329
needle thing and rich people and being a disciple

00:51:57.329 --> 00:52:00.989
of Jesus? Well, what does Joseph, what do we

00:52:00.989 --> 00:52:05.250
see this rich guy do with his resources? He uses

00:52:05.250 --> 00:52:08.250
them as an opportunity to serve Jesus. Because

00:52:08.250 --> 00:52:09.929
he took the body down, he wrapped it in a clean

00:52:09.929 --> 00:52:13.170
linen cloth and placed it in his own new tomb

00:52:13.170 --> 00:52:15.880
that he had cut out of the rock. that he had

00:52:15.880 --> 00:52:19.139
used his wealth to have hewn from the rock. He

00:52:19.139 --> 00:52:22.079
rolled a big stone, not he, certainly his servants,

00:52:22.300 --> 00:52:24.500
rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to

00:52:24.500 --> 00:52:27.619
the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the

00:52:27.619 --> 00:52:29.599
other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

00:52:30.360 --> 00:52:32.440
The next day, the one after preparation day,

00:52:32.480 --> 00:52:34.280
the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

00:52:34.300 --> 00:52:36.960
Sir, they said, we remember that while he was

00:52:36.960 --> 00:52:38.960
still alive, the deceiver said, after three days

00:52:38.960 --> 00:52:41.920
I'll rise again. So give the order for the tomb

00:52:41.920 --> 00:52:44.320
to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise...

00:52:44.760 --> 00:52:47.119
His disciples may come and steal the body and

00:52:47.119 --> 00:52:49.260
tell the people that he had been raised from

00:52:49.260 --> 00:52:51.840
the dead. That last deception be worse than the

00:52:51.840 --> 00:52:55.280
first. Pilate says, okay, take a guard, go make

00:52:55.280 --> 00:52:57.679
the tomb secure. So they went and made the tomb

00:52:57.679 --> 00:53:00.380
secure by putting a seal on the stone, wax perhaps

00:53:00.380 --> 00:53:03.039
showing that it hadn't been opened, posted a

00:53:03.039 --> 00:53:07.179
guard. And I want to stop right here in this

00:53:07.179 --> 00:53:11.539
moment. Because in this very moment in the story,

00:53:11.679 --> 00:53:15.269
we find ourselves. right back where we were on

00:53:15.269 --> 00:53:19.170
part one of this series. When we had opened this

00:53:19.170 --> 00:53:21.329
series, we had began talking about the story

00:53:21.329 --> 00:53:24.730
of the Bible. And we had realized that Christianity

00:53:24.730 --> 00:53:30.889
was birthed, and as a movement it grew, and people

00:53:30.889 --> 00:53:34.909
knew Jesus and loved Him long before there was

00:53:34.909 --> 00:53:39.670
ever a The Bible to tell them so. And we talked

00:53:39.670 --> 00:53:43.119
about how as that movement grew, people began

00:53:43.119 --> 00:53:46.239
to write down the stories of Jesus, the stories

00:53:46.239 --> 00:53:48.260
of his life and the events in which he was involved.

00:53:48.619 --> 00:53:50.920
They began to make copies of those stories and

00:53:50.920 --> 00:53:53.480
share them with each other. And along comes Paul.

00:53:53.659 --> 00:53:55.920
And Paul begins starting churches and writing

00:53:55.920 --> 00:53:59.639
letters to those churches. And his epistles or

00:53:59.639 --> 00:54:02.619
his letters end up making up about half of what

00:54:02.619 --> 00:54:05.719
we now call the New Testament. And then as the

00:54:05.719 --> 00:54:08.380
movement grew, these Christians discovered...

00:54:08.719 --> 00:54:11.300
They're non -Christians. They're Gentiles. They

00:54:11.300 --> 00:54:14.199
discover Hebrew scripture and they realize that

00:54:14.199 --> 00:54:16.559
the whole of what we call the Old Testament is

00:54:16.559 --> 00:54:19.440
actually talking about and pointing to Jesus.

00:54:19.699 --> 00:54:22.239
And then they started to collect all of these

00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:25.460
documents and stories and letters. And then by

00:54:25.460 --> 00:54:30.199
about the third century in 333, we finally get

00:54:30.199 --> 00:54:33.420
something that we might call the Bible. But in

00:54:33.420 --> 00:54:38.539
this moment, As the stone is rolled into place

00:54:38.539 --> 00:54:44.739
and the wax seal is placed on the tomb, there's

00:54:44.739 --> 00:54:50.380
no Bible. There's no church. There's no movement.

00:54:51.400 --> 00:54:55.960
There's nothing. There's only the sense that

00:54:55.960 --> 00:55:01.239
the whole thing went wrong. That despite whatever

00:55:01.239 --> 00:55:05.159
Jesus might have said or did, in this world might

00:55:05.159 --> 00:55:08.900
still makes right. But the weak are always going

00:55:08.900 --> 00:55:13.539
to be the weak. And hope, hope is for rich people

00:55:13.539 --> 00:55:16.980
who can afford it. All there is in this moment

00:55:16.980 --> 00:55:21.280
are the tears of these women sitting across from

00:55:21.280 --> 00:55:28.260
the tomb, these Jesus followers. But after the

00:55:28.260 --> 00:55:31.519
Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,

00:55:31.780 --> 00:55:34.440
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the

00:55:34.440 --> 00:55:37.420
tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an

00:55:37.420 --> 00:55:39.820
angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going

00:55:39.820 --> 00:55:41.980
to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on

00:55:41.980 --> 00:55:45.019
it. His appearance, this angel, was like lightning,

00:55:45.139 --> 00:55:47.760
his clothes white as snow. The guards were so

00:55:47.760 --> 00:55:49.800
afraid of him that they shook and became like

00:55:49.800 --> 00:55:52.760
dead men. The angel said to the women, Do not

00:55:52.760 --> 00:55:54.900
be afraid, for I know that you're looking for

00:55:54.900 --> 00:55:58.440
Jesus who was crucified. He's not here. He's

00:55:58.440 --> 00:56:02.679
risen, just as he said he would. Come and see

00:56:02.679 --> 00:56:05.840
the place where he lay. And then go quickly and

00:56:05.840 --> 00:56:08.480
tell his disciples that he has risen from the

00:56:08.480 --> 00:56:10.460
dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.

00:56:10.559 --> 00:56:13.360
And there you'll see him. Now I have told you.

00:56:14.079 --> 00:56:16.739
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid

00:56:16.739 --> 00:56:20.199
and yet filled with joy. And I love the way that

00:56:20.199 --> 00:56:23.300
that's phrased. And as I reread that today for

00:56:23.300 --> 00:56:25.980
maybe the first time, it struck me in what was

00:56:25.980 --> 00:56:29.909
actually being said. What's being said here is

00:56:29.909 --> 00:56:32.630
as they run to tell the disciples who are in

00:56:32.630 --> 00:56:35.630
hiding, it's not at first they were afraid, and

00:56:35.630 --> 00:56:38.050
then as they continued to run, they got happy.

00:56:38.730 --> 00:56:45.030
It's both at once. They're afraid and filled

00:56:45.030 --> 00:56:50.670
with joy. Remember when you held your baby in

00:56:50.670 --> 00:56:53.389
your hands for that first time in that hospital

00:56:53.389 --> 00:56:59.519
room? And it was so small and fragile. And it's

00:56:59.519 --> 00:57:05.480
so remarkable. And you are filled with joy and

00:57:05.480 --> 00:57:12.940
afraid all at once. Do I? That's right. I think

00:57:12.940 --> 00:57:14.780
that that's the best way I can describe that

00:57:14.780 --> 00:57:18.820
feeling. I don't know what any of this means.

00:57:18.940 --> 00:57:22.500
I don't know what happens next. Everything is

00:57:22.500 --> 00:57:24.159
completely different than the way I thought it

00:57:24.159 --> 00:57:31.050
was yesterday. but I'm filled with joy. While

00:57:31.050 --> 00:57:32.610
the women went on their way, some of the guards

00:57:32.610 --> 00:57:34.389
went into the city and they reported to the chief

00:57:34.389 --> 00:57:36.590
priest everything that happened. When the chief

00:57:36.590 --> 00:57:38.329
priest had met with the elders and devised a

00:57:38.329 --> 00:57:41.010
plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

00:57:41.050 --> 00:57:42.789
telling them, you are to say his disciples came

00:57:42.789 --> 00:57:45.150
during the night and stole him away while we

00:57:45.150 --> 00:57:47.650
were asleep. If this report gets to the governor,

00:57:47.750 --> 00:57:50.130
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.

00:57:50.269 --> 00:57:52.429
So the soldiers took the money and did as they

00:57:52.429 --> 00:57:55.369
were instructed. And this story... has been widely

00:57:55.369 --> 00:57:59.889
circulated among the Jews to this very day. Then

00:57:59.889 --> 00:58:02.090
the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the

00:58:02.090 --> 00:58:04.449
mountain where Jesus told them to go. And when

00:58:04.449 --> 00:58:08.250
they saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted.

00:58:08.969 --> 00:58:11.690
Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority

00:58:11.690 --> 00:58:13.590
in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

00:58:13.630 --> 00:58:17.289
Therefore, go, make disciples of all nations.

00:58:18.469 --> 00:58:20.530
baptizing them in the name of the Father and

00:58:20.530 --> 00:58:22.469
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching

00:58:22.469 --> 00:58:24.670
them to obey everything I have commanded you.

00:58:24.869 --> 00:58:29.050
And surely I am with you always to the very end

00:58:29.050 --> 00:58:36.710
of the age. And for me, this last moment, it's

00:58:36.710 --> 00:58:40.110
like seeing the crocus come up. You guys know

00:58:40.110 --> 00:58:44.679
what crocus are, right? Now, I made this joke

00:58:44.679 --> 00:58:46.539
the other day in church that I don't actually

00:58:46.539 --> 00:58:49.000
think spring has sprung until the Bradford pears

00:58:49.000 --> 00:58:51.639
begin to bloom. Because that's just, for me,

00:58:51.699 --> 00:58:54.239
that's because the truth is it can snow on our

00:58:54.239 --> 00:58:59.559
crocuses, can't it? Right? When I see those crocuses

00:58:59.559 --> 00:59:01.480
coming, I don't think spring has sprung, but

00:59:01.480 --> 00:59:07.059
I know spring's coming. And even though, even

00:59:07.059 --> 00:59:12.309
though they still might get snowed upon. I know

00:59:12.309 --> 00:59:15.349
that there's a time where the world is going

00:59:15.349 --> 00:59:18.969
to not just be white or gray or dark blue or

00:59:18.969 --> 00:59:21.489
whatever, but it's going to be yellow and red

00:59:21.489 --> 00:59:25.730
and purple. Because something is different now.

00:59:27.309 --> 00:59:31.090
And the world can still be gray and it could

00:59:31.090 --> 00:59:33.849
still be blue and it could still be sometimes

00:59:33.849 --> 00:59:38.190
white and certainly it can be dark. But because

00:59:38.190 --> 00:59:42.269
of this event, it can be different now. And that,

00:59:42.349 --> 00:59:45.469
my friends, I think, is what Matthew is trying

00:59:45.469 --> 00:59:48.969
to illustrate to us as he tells us the good news

00:59:48.969 --> 00:59:57.969
of his friend Jesus Christ. Well, there you have

00:59:57.969 --> 01:00:01.369
it. I hope that that taught as much to you about

01:00:01.369 --> 01:00:04.760
the gospel according to Matthew as it... to me.

01:00:04.980 --> 01:00:07.820
Hey, listen, before you go, I'd like to ask a

01:00:07.820 --> 01:00:10.280
favor of you. If you like what we're doing here

01:00:10.280 --> 01:00:11.920
at the Semi -Seminary, if you could take the

01:00:11.920 --> 01:00:14.360
time, of course, to subscribe to the podcast

01:00:14.360 --> 01:00:17.000
so you'll know when the newest episodes are coming

01:00:17.000 --> 01:00:19.360
out. But also, however it is that you listen

01:00:19.360 --> 01:00:21.820
to the podcast, if you could take the time to

01:00:21.820 --> 01:00:24.699
rate and review the podcast, we would certainly

01:00:24.699 --> 01:00:27.239
appreciate it. It helps get the podcast noticed

01:00:27.239 --> 01:00:30.000
by more people. I hope you'll do that for us,

01:00:30.039 --> 01:00:31.980
and we will see you next week. And until then,

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friend, be blessed. and be a blessing.