As we turn now to the preaching of the Word, please turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew. This morning we'll be looking at chapter 26, verses 17 through 35. Matthew chapter 26, verses 17 through 35. If you're using your pew Bible this morning, you should be able to find this on page 1057. I'll begin this morning by reading in verse 14, then through verse 35. You hear now the word of God. Then one of the 12, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, what will you give me if I deliver him over to you? And they paid him 30 pieces of silver. And from that moment, he sought an opportunity to betray him. Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover? He said, Go into the city, and a certain man, and say to him, The teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, He reclined a table with the twelve, and as they were eating he said, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me. They were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, Is it I, Lord? He answered, He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. Judas, who would betray him, answered, Is it I, rabbi? He said to him, You have said so. Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit, of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter answered him, though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. Jesus said to him, truly, I tell you this very night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. Peter said to him, Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same." This ends our reading of God's Word this morning. Let us turn to God in prayer once again. Our gracious Father, we do pray that you would be with us as we look at these words this morning, as we look at your marvelous plan unfolding, as we look at it both with joy but yet also mingled with sorrow as what is transpiring and taking place. And we pray, Lord, that you would inscribe your truth upon our hearts. And may you, Lord, also bless my mind and my mouth that I may think and speak clearly this morning. In the glorious name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Jesus is elsewhere recorded as saying that perhaps for a righteous man, someone would lay down his life. And as we consider the direction here that Matthew has taken in his gospel, as he already kind of in the early part of the gospel set up his defense for why Jesus is the Messiah, and he's given that evidence of the miracles that he's performed, the prophecies that he's fulfilled, his teaching, and he's turned now to One of the chief things that Jesus came to do, not only to live a perfect life as he did, but then to die as a sacrifice for the sins and the disobedience that we have committed. The fact that Jesus is willingly going this route and willingly traveling this road, in light of what he says, that path for a righteous man, someone would lay down his life. He is doing so, not for righteous people, but for those that are broken. Those who, by their very nature, despise Him. Those who, by their very nature, would nail Him to the cross themselves. He came to save us, to die for us, and to shed His blood for us. And he begins to get more specific here. He's been, from time to time, there are three times that Jesus has prophetically said, I'm going to be handed over, I'm going to die, but I'm going to rise again. He's getting more detailed in his prophecies. He's now here as we, as the disciples, he and the disciples begin to, well, they make the preparations for the Passover and they observe it. He shows us that he's going to be betrayed by someone close to him. But then we also see that He's going to be broken for His people. So as we look at these texts, these words this morning, that's the theme that we're going to be looking at. We're going to be looking at the fact that it was God's sovereign will to be betrayed and broken for His people. It was God's sovereign will to be betrayed and broken for His people, for our salvation. So as we look at this text this morning, we'll be looking at it in three points. First of all, it was the sovereign will of God to be betrayed. We see this in verses 15, or 17 to 25, and then also 31 through 35. Now as we begin in verses 17 through 19, here we read that the disciples come, and it is, you know, the feast that all of Jerusalem is gathering, all of Israel's gathering at Jerusalem is to observe the Passover. And that was the time of year that all of this is unfolding. And so it's important for us to have a little glimpse and keep in mind what the Passover was and what it was for. We find its explanation in the law being laid down for it and the orders and the directions that God gave for its observance and the reason for it in Exodus chapter 12. Now as to recall to mind, the reason for the Passover is that The people of Israel were getting ready to be delivered from Egypt, delivered from slavery, delivered from the bondage that they had in Egypt. And it was the night when, in the final, in the 10th plague, when the angel of the Lord came into the midst of Egypt and struck down the firstborn of Egypt. In the Passover, they were to sacrifice a lamb and paint its blood across the lentils of the doorway. They were to eat it in haste, roasting it all together. There was to be unleavened bread, meaning they didn't have time to make bread and to allow it to leaven. It was a meal in haste, picturing the journey that they were about to take as God delivered them out of Egypt and the bondage and slavery there. It is in this context then that Jesus instructs his people, his church in observance of the Lord's Supper, connecting these two events together, showing that the bondage and the deliverance from Egypt that they experienced wasn't just some happenstance, but the direct plan and will of God, even then, to point us to the moment that is unfolding here, of a greater deliverance that God was working out for His people. of a truly spotless and perfect lamb, Jesus Christ, that would be sacrificed and His blood shed. Now, as we set the stage in our minds and the pictures here, Jesus and His disciples are in the upper room of a house. We shouldn't think of da Vinci's painting of a table and Jesus and His disciples all sitting next to each other around it. To picture it in our mind and using our imaginations this morning, it would have been a U-shaped setup with big pillows. And they would have been lying down on one side, kind of each around, and they would have been taking and dipping with their hands. So when it says that in verse 20, when it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. That's what's pictured here. You can picture Jesus with the 12 around Him, resting on one side, with all of their legs kind of going out across this ewe, and they have the meal before them, maybe on a small table that they can take from a common room. Now, in this setting is when Jesus brings to mind and predicts His betrayal. He predicts His betrayal in verses 20-25. He says, when it was evening, he reclined at table, and as they were eating, he said, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him, one after another, is it I, Lord? He answered, he who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. But then he goes on to say, the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born. Now, one of the questions that comes up here as we look at this verse, as Jesus predicts his betrayal by one of those close to him, is on the one hand, God's sovereignty, but then also on the other hand, our responsibility in the sins that we commit. There are those that make an argument that, well, it was necessary that Jesus be handed over, that he be betrayed. So this was a part of the sovereign will and decree of God. This is how God had sovereignly decreed things would transpire. And so Judas, in a sense, fills a pivotal role in Jesus being handed over to the authorities. that he would then be crucified and sacrificed. God decreed that through the betrayal of Judas, his son would be handed over. And Jesus says, Woe to that man by whom he is betrayed. All of this had been prophesied. How can we explain? How is God not culpable in sin? if he is the one who decrees the actions of humanity. Well, one way that you can think of it, and that helps me, is if you consider when the police force or law enforcement sets up what's called a sting operation. They set up, whether it's a drug bust or whatever you want to do, they set up a situation where a criminal will fall into a trap, so to speak, and then they capture them and they punish them for their sinfulness, for the crime that they've committed. And I know this illustration falls short, but the commonality here is nobody blames the law enforcement for punishing the criminals that they catch in what they have then decreed and given orders in the environment in which that criminal was caught. What they are doing is they are simply taking advantage of the sinfulness of that criminal. And so they are falling into the trap. God is far from culpable from any sin that we commit. He decrees events in what transpires. Then He uses the shortcomings and the sinfulness of humanity to accomplish His good and perfect will. But just as no one would blame law enforcement or say it was a bad thing for them to do, or not a good thing, or charge them with a crime, so too God cannot be charged with any crime or culpability in sin. The fact is, Judas was a betrayer. He was a thief. And we see that in their text this morning. And we see that even in how Judas addresses Jesus. I mean, if you notice, as Jesus says, one of you will betray me, you can imagine around this you as they're all lying and reclining and eating this Passover, this board supper as he's going to institute it. They all ask a question, is it I, Lord? Is it I, Lord? Except Judas. You realize what he says. Is it I, Rabbi? Now it's a subtle difference. It tells us what's going on in the heart of Judas. The other disciples are addressing Jesus as their Lord, their sovereign. Is it I? But Judas, having rejected Jesus as the rightful Messiah, already planning a way to betray Him, references Him, teacher. Not His Lord, not His sovereign, not the one He owes His allegiance to, but simply a teacher. Why is this important for our day and age? Well, if you haven't already, you may have conversations with anyone, and it may be even our own thinking, what it used to be. And I've heard the phrase, well, I like Jesus's teachings, but. You see, if we try to set up, well, I want to follow Jesus's teaching, but I don't believe such and such about him. If we say we like Jesus's teaching, but then reject him as Lord and Messiah, then what we betray is that we actually know nothing at all about what Jesus taught. We are ignorant of what He taught. Jesus taught that He was the Lord, that He was the Messiah, that He was God incarnate in the flesh. He taught that He would be killed, betrayed, and rise again. He taught that He would then come again in glory. not as the meek and mild lamb who came once to die for the sins of God's people once for all, but as the righteous and victorious judge of all the earth. These are all part of what Jesus taught. So it's not enough for us to accept Jesus as rabbi, as teacher. He must be our Lord. But what also must have been, I imagine, a shock to Judas in some respects, was that Jesus knows what he was doing. Judas went off in secret to conspire, to hand over Jesus, to find a way and to get some reward of handing him over to the authorities. But here, as Judas is trying to find the right timing and the right situation, Jesus brings out the very point of what Judas is conspiring in secret to do. One of you will betray me, he says. And then as Judas asks, is it I, rabbi? Jesus says to him, basically, you have testified yourself. You have said so. Or as some English translations have it, yes, it is you. Jesus goes through this betrayal, not unwillingly, but according to the sovereign decree of God. In verses 31 to 35, Jesus then predicts his coming rejection. Now, he predicts in the first part his betrayal, but now he predicts his rejection by the rest of his disciples. He says, You will all fall away from me. And this will be to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 13, verse 7, which states here, For it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. Now what's interesting here is that Jesus, when he quotes the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah, he adds the phrase, I will. The prophecy in Zechariah just says, strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But in the rest of that context of that prophecy, it is clear who is doing the striking. And so Jesus, as he references that prophecy, adds the words, I will, meaning it is God who strikes the shepherd. It is God who strikes the shepherd, who poured out his wrath upon his son. And what this brings to mind is that the events unfolding, it is a reminder that all these things are happening according to the sovereign will and plan of God. From the small little thing of Jesus just saying, one of you will betray me, showing Judas that I know exactly what you're doing, to this fulfillment of prophecy, knowing that this is all unfolding according to a sovereign plan of a righteous and holy God. Jesus, brothers and sisters, willingly suffered betrayal and rejection for his people. He willingly went through this. Secondly, it was the sovereign will of God to be broken. Now, verses 26 through 29 give us what we call the institution of the Lord's Supper. Jesus taking the Passover meal, but then at some point, then giving his disciples instruction of what is then to be carried out in his church for the rest of time until he comes back. And this is really a message of hope. in the midst of betrayal and rejection. We have here Jesus saying, And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. And I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew with you. Now although this is a message of hope, it's also tinged with sorrow, as Jesus here is speaking about him being broken, his blood being shed. Now consider when we partake of the Lord's Supper, we're actually holding the symbols of the broken body of Christ. We're actually holding the symbols of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. In that we remember what He has done, and the victory that He has won, but is also tinned with sorrow, and that He hath to go through it. Again, this is not an afterthought of God. This was a designed purpose of God. The connection here between the Passover of the Exodus account, and now the Lord's Supper, the one replacing the former, the one being a type of what is to come, and the Lord's Supper celebrating in remembering the deliverance that we have in Christ. Now, not only in the Lord's Supper do we remember and we show forth His suffering and His death until He comes again, but in that prophecy of Zachariah that Jesus quoted, we also have there, in the rest of the context, in verses 8 and following, an account of the sheep themselves also suffering. So not only is the shepherd struck and suffered for the sake of his sheep, but there's also the sheep suffering for the sake of the shepherd. And that account ends with the glorious promise of that one day all things will be made new and God will take His people as His own and He will be our God forever. that the suffering will come to an end. Now, what comfort does that give us? Knowing, brothers and sisters, that our suffering in this life, for the sake of Christ, our suffering in this world, is not just some random chance, happenstance, various things arriving together at a certain particular event in our lives. It is the sovereign decree and will of God. His great shepherd would suffer for his sheep, but also his sheep would suffer for the sake of that shepherd. But again, this ends on hope as a passage in Zechariah 13 ends in that picture of God and his people being together forever in perfection. Jesus here references that. I tell you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's house, or kingdom. So he's referencing that great wedding feast to come that scripture talks about, where all things are made new and we are brought into the kingdom of God. Jesus is referencing that celebration, that wedding feast, when he says, I will not drink of this cup until I drink with you again in my Father's kingdom. Scripture tells us that for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the shame of the cross. That is what he is referencing here. That point in history when all things will be made complete and we will be with him in glory. And it's an encouragement for us, brothers and sisters, to endure the sufferings that we endure for the sake of Christ, knowing that, as James points out in the opening of his letter, that these produce perseverance and faithfulness. They're molding and shaping us as we look forward to and long for the great and glorious day that joy set before us when we are with Christ again. Jesus was willingly broken for his people that we might have that joy. This brings us finally, as we look at this whole text together, that all this was done for your salvation. As we look at this passage, there are two bookends, one where the betrayal of Judas is prophesied of and Jesus says, one of you will betray me. but then also Jesus saying, you will all reject me, because I will be struck tonight and you will all scatter and you will all flee. All surrounded by the institution of the Lord's Supper. The sacrament that Jesus gave his church that we might remember what he has done. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, when we partook of the Lord's Supper, it's a physical proclamation of the gospel. that as we hear the preaching of the Word, we hear the Gospel preached, the good news that Christ has died for the sins of His people, and defeated sin and death, that we might be reunited to God. He is the only way of salvation. And this Lord's Supper is a proclamation of that. Not when we proclaim His death until He comes, we are proclaiming His victory. Everything around that death, His defeating of sin, death, and wickedness, His rising from the grave, and His ascension on high. His body was broken. His blood was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Now what happens? What is He speaking of here? Well, in Hebrews 9, verse 22, we read there that without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. That is why God set up the whole sacrificial system. And I'm convinced why in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve had sinned, what does He do? They tried in their own way to cover up their nakedness. But God takes a young lamb, sacrifices it, and makes clothes for them. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. In Leviticus 18 verses 11 and 14, God lays down regulations about what people were to eat. And in that, there was a practice in other religions of the day where they would take blood from an animal that was sacrificed and they would drink it. I know there are probably some other cultures throughout the world that do that even today. Well, God commanded that that wouldn't be done. And why is because, he says, the life is in the blood. So in the sacrificial system, as people brought their perfect sacrifices, as perfect as they could be, and as God instructed them to lay their hands upon their heads, and then they were sacrificed, their blood was shed, it was poured out. The symbolism there, and what God said was going on, is that the sins of the person was being laid upon that animal, and that its life was taken. its life was taken and suffered the punishment for the sins due to that individual. Whereas the book of Hebrews shows us that that system could not really take away sins. It was pointing to the one true sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When through the grace of God by faith, we are in a sense putting our hands upon Christ as that sacrificial lamb And when his blood is shed, his life is given for ours. And in that moment, God says that he who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. Our disobedience was given to Christ, and Christ's obedience was given to us. Now, brothers and sisters, there's no clearer example of the love of God. and that He willingly went to the cross for His people. And the question I want to leave us with is, for all of us to ask, we're called in Scripture to make our calling and election sure. Are you and I, are we one of His people? Are we one of His people? God tells us in Romans chapter 10 verse 9 that if we can confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. That is the promise of God. And if you have done that, you are one of His sheep. You are one of His people. And if you have not, the call of the Gospel is for you to do that now. Today. To bow your knee to Christ. Confess your sins to Him and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead victorious. For brothers and sisters, it was God's sovereign will that He be betrayed and broken for our salvation. Amen. Our gracious God and Almighty Heavenly Father, we do, Lord, thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But more importantly, Lord, we pray that He did not remain in that grave. But three days later, he rose victorious, victorious over our own sin and wickedness, victorious over death, victorious over the evil one. And we thank you, Lord, that by your grace, through faith in him, that you, Lord, have given us life. We are all, Lord, sinners who fall short of the glory of God. We are all imperfect and called to repent. And Lord, we thank you for the grace that you have shown to us and turning us to yourselves. May you, Father, continue to work out our salvation in our daily lives, giving us victory over the sins that continue to ensnare and entangle us. And in the name of our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ, we do pray. Amen.