October 7th, 2023

This Sunday is called the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost; the gospel reading at this time immediately follows the longer reading from the previous Sunday, and it is the Final part of chapter twenty-one (Matthew 21:33-46). For the writings of this website, last week we looked at what is usually considered chapter 25 in the Gospel according to Matthew. This next section will take into account that the last of the five major sermons of Jesus were just finished, and that he is looking ahead to the very serious situation before him. The enemies of Jesus were finished talking to him—and Jesus is basically finished with his long talks; now the enemies wanted some action.

What follows is an attempt at a somewhat-literal translation of a significant portion of Matthew 26 (verses 1-30; the words in bold indicate what is called the historical present, when normally the verb should be in a past tense, but it is given in the present):

And it happened when he ended, the Jesus, all the words, these, he said to the disciples of him: “You know that after two days, the Passover happens, and the Son of the Man is handed over into, to be crucified.”

Then they were gathered together, the arch-priests and the elders of the people, into the court of the arch-priest, the one named Caiaphas, and they consulted together that the Jesus, by guile, they might seize, and they might kill. Now they were saying, “Not in the feast, in order that, not a disturbance happens in the people.”

Now the Jesus, happening in Bethany, in a house of Simon, the leper, she approached him, a woman, having an alabaster jar of ointment, heavy with price, and she poured upon the head of him, reclining. Now seeing, the disciples were angry, saying, “Into what, the waste, this? For it was able, this, to be sold for much and to be given to poor.”

Now, knowing, the Jesus, he said to them, “Why trouble you cause to the woman? For a work, good, she worked toward me. For always the poor you have with yourselves, now me, not always you have. For pouring, this woman, the ointment, this, upon the body of me for to bury me, she did. Amen, I am saying to you, wherever it is proclaimed, the gospel, this, in all the world, it will be spoken, also what she did, this, into a remembrance of her.”

Then going, one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, to the arch-priests, he said, “What you want to me to give, and I, to you, will hand over him?” Now they weighed him thirty silvers. And from then, he was seeking a good time that him, he might hand over.

Now on the first of the no-yeast, they approached, the disciples, to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want, we may prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

Now he said, “Go into the city toward the certain, and say to him, “The teacher says, ‘The time of me, near is. With you I make the Passover with the disciples of me.’” And they did, the disciples, as he ordered them, the Jesus, and they prepared the Passover.

Now evening happened; he reclined with the twelve. And eating, they, he said, “Amen, I am saying to you that one out of you will hand over me.” And grieving exceedingly, they began to say to him, one each, “Not I myself am, Lord?”

Now the one, answering, he said, “The one dipping with me, the hand in the dish, this one, me, will hand over. On the one hand, the Son of the Man goes as it has been written about him, on the other hand, woe to the man, that, through whom the Son of the Man is handed over. Good it were for him if not was born, the man, that.”

Now answering, Judas, the one betraying him, he said, “Not I myself am, rabbi?”

He says to him, “You yourself have said.”

Now eating, they; taking, the Jesus, bread and blessing, he broke, and giving to the disciples, he said, “Take, eat; this is the body of me.” And taking a cup and giving thanks, he gave to them, saying, “Drink from it, all; for this is the blood of me of the covenant, that concerning many, being poured out into forgiveness of sins. Now I am saying to you, certainly not I will drink from now of this, the fruit of the vine until the day, that, when it I drink with you, new, in the kingdom of the Father of me.” And having hymned, they went out into the Mount of the Olives.
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The historical presents start up again with Jesus’ words to Judas. It is interesting that they are not connected with the Lord’s Supper. But there is something more important going on. A simple connection to Jesus’ body and blood is one thing, and relatively speaking, it would be a simple thing. But the separation of body and blood for the purpose of a sacrifice is a significant sacrifice—and a significant miracle. There were sacrifices that were a daily thing, but the sacrifice of the God-man was in a very different category. And you might say that it IS different. The sacrifice of Jesus certainly still makes a difference today.