The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Matthew #2566

You "see", you either believe in Jesus all the way or quite frankly you don't believe at all.

Our Father is so good to us. We know because He loves us, His children, so much that He was willing to come down from above and give His life for us.  In fact, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (Jn. 3:16)."For this cause alone we give our Father all the praise and glory and honor that our souls are capable of for without the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), we surely cannot escape from bondage and eternal death. So "Praise ye the Lord"! We have the victory in Him!

Do you know what "Praise the Lord" is in Hebrew? It is "Hallelujah" which is actually a compound Hebrew word meaning, "Praise Yah" or "Praise Ye the LORD"? So when you say or sing "Hallelujah" that is what you are saying, "Praise Yahveh".

halal, haw-lal', Hebrew 1984; a primitive root; to be clear (origin of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causative to celebrate; also to stultify :- (make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool (-ish, -ly), glory, give [light], be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, [sing, be worthy of] praise, rage, renowned, shine.

Yahh, yaw, Hebrew 3050; contracted for Hebrew 3068 (Yehovah), and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name :- Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Cp. names in "-iah," "-jah."

The "Great Hallel" or Hallelujah Psalms (115-118) were most likely what the disciples were singing after the "Last Supper" just before they went out into the Mount of Olives (Mat. 26:30). This "Praise for Yahveh" is also what we need to have in our hearts as we study these next few chapters, because even though the circumstances surrounding the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus Christ are sorrowful indeed, we need to say Thank God and Praise the Lord for what He has done for us.

We have now come to the place in our study of Matthew (whose name means Yahveh's Gift) where Jesus Christ, the perfect unblemished Lamb of God, is about to be crucified and give His life to become our Passover once and for all time. To that end, it would do one well to review and remember that first passover in Exodus 12 for as it is written in 1 Cor. 10:11, these things happened as ensamples unto us and they are written for our benefit and our understanding and admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Here are a few excerpts from Exodus 12 concerning the passover:

Exodus 12:11-13
And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
You are to have the gospel armor on and in place... to be prepared and readied. Ephes. 6:14-15 "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; [15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"
[12] For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
If you have added oil to your vessels by absorbing the rich teaching from the Mount of Olives in chapters 24 and 25, then you know about the coming of that death angel, the abomination of desolation who comes in the night, and Father's ensuing judgment against all the false gods of this generation.
[13]And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Likewise if you have the blood of the Lamb upon the doorposts and lintels of your mind and are thus sealed in your forehead with the truth of His Word, i.e. you have your loins girded and your shoes on your feet, etc., meaning you have prepared yourself with the gospel armor, then neither shall the plague poured out in these last days come upon you (Rev. 9:4, Luke 10:19).

There is so much more that can be learned from the types given to us in God's Word concerning the passover, but space and time will not afford us to cover them all in this study. However, as a Christian you are admonished to study and learn of those things... else if you think you are in good standing but have not "taken heed" to those things that are written, you are going to fall short, which means you will stumble and fall in the great apostasy.

1 Cor. 10:11-12
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

[12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

With that background in mind, let us resume our study in Matthew 26 where the disciples have come to Jesus to ask Him where He wants them to prepare to eat the passover.
Matthew 26:17
Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
Just so there is no confusion as to the time, this is not the high sabbath day, the 15th of Nisan which begins the 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for the passover had not yet been prepared which is always eaten the day before, i.e. on the 14th day of the first month (Nisan).  Leviticus 23:5-6 "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. [6] And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread."
[18] And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
All things happen according to that which is written and according to our Father's timetable. And in this case Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, would become our passover on the passover no matter what interference man or Satan might run. Remember a few verses ago in Matthew 26:16 it is written concerning Judas that he is now "seeking opportunity to betray Him". Jesus knows this and so we are told in Luke 22:8 that the disciples He sent into the city to see a "certain" man, as in a predetermined one, were Peter and John. So Judas will just have to wait until he dips his hand in the dish before his opportunity comes.

Again, the point to learn from all this is that our Father is in complete control and His Word is perfect in that the things that are written, i.e. all the things He has foretold us of both past and future, always have come to pass exactly as they were written and always shall come to pass as they are written. "Seeing" this serves to build and strengthen our faith and causes us to place all our trust in Him, by which we are also comforted in being assured that He keeps His promises.

[19] And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
Jesus told (commanded) His disciples to into the city and so they did. Obedience to the Word of God and His commands is the mark of a true disciple, one who believes Him and serves Him because he or she loves Him. John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
[20] Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve.
[21]And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
This was quite a shock to the disciples, all but Judas, for the thought had never entered into their minds to betray Christ. However, it was written that it would be one of His friends, and in fact it was one of His own disciples, who would betray Him.
Zech. 13:6
And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
The point to be reemphasized, for it cannot be stated enough, is that our Father is always in complete control and He knows exactly what He is doing. To wit, all that transpired concerning Messiah right up to and including His crucifixion and resurrection, was foretold of in the Old Testament.In that regard it is evident to those who know His Word that it was preordained and prearranged by Him. That is one of the great lessons we talked about in our very first study of this great gospel of Matthew. In fact, here is our opening paragraph to lesson one:
"Yes, rejoice greatly and shout for joy, for all the many promises of God written in the law and the prophets declaring that He would send the greatest gift ever there was to mankind came to pass exactly as it was written. Is it not therefore fitting that the very name of the one who would write the gospel that commences the New Testament is "Matthew"... which means "Gift of Yahveh"?"
Romans 6:23 "... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
And although Judas would be the one to betray Jesus, we will see in the next chapter that he repented of what he had done and threw back the 30 pieces of silver that would purchase the potter's field. Therefore let us not be the judge of his soul... for that is our Father's business, not ours.
Matthew 26:22
And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I?
Keep in mind that Jesus is about to institute the New Covenant and the sacraments thereof. His words that one of them would betray Him sure made them think and search their hearts, for they begin to question and examine themselves, didn't they? Perhaps it is good for us all to search the reins of our hearts and consider our own weaknesses and human frailties especially considering that although only Judas would actually betray Christ, they all shall "offend" Him, as in desert Him, when He is hung on the cross! In other words, He would die there on that cross all alone. (Yes, He did send John and His mother home.) Nevertheless it is written in Matthew 26:31 "All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."

That is why Paul would instruct us in 1 Cor. 11:28 to examine ourselves before we partake of communion. You "see", if one does not have a pure and repentant heart then the forgiveness and healing simply do not apply to that person and he therefore remains condemned, meaning unforgiven, as in he remains in his sins.

1 Cor. 11:28-29
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
Again, this is SELF EXAMINATION, so don't let some ignorant preacher or self-righteous muckity-yuck be your examiner! Communion is between you and God and no man has the right to intercede and determine your heart to know if you are worthy, i.e. whether you have a pure and repentant heart or not! He or she is NOT your judge! You "see", there is one God and there is only one mediator between God and man, and that one is Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5). You confess your sins to Him and ask Him for forgiveness and tell preachers to mind their own business! They are NOT mediators between you and God! Jesus Christ is!
[29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
This simply means that if you haven't examined yourself and are now humbly seeking His healing and forgiveness, you're wasting your time and doing nothing more than going through some ritual or religious ceremony... as many undiscerning Christians do!

And now for the prophetic words which shall identify the betrayer, even as one of His own.

Matthew 26:23
And He answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
Judas had already made his deal with the chief priests and so he knew in his heart that he was the betrayer. Therefore the following words would have cut deep into his mind and perhaps he remembered them just before he was murdered by the real betrayers.
[24] The Son of man goeth as it is written of Him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
"It is written!" "Haven't you read?" Oh how many times Jesus used those phrases when asked a question. Because it IS WRITTEN! He has foretold us all things (Mark 13:23). All we have to do is take the time to read it with understanding, with a desire to know the truth. For the Son of man was "oppressed and afflicted and brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers (Isaiah 53:7)" exactly as it was written of Him and even the events that happened while He hung on the cross, right down to the gambling of the soldiers for His coat, unfolded exactly as it was written of Him a thousand years before in Ps. 22. Yes, the Word of God itself documents conclusively that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah for no other entity could now possibly fulfill all that is written of Him. Those who have the seal of God in their foreheads know this with certitude and will not be deceived by the abominable one we learned of in chapter 24 who comes standing in the holy place claiming to be the true Messiah.
[25] Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
Out of his own mouth, not out of the mouth of Jesus, Judas declared himself to be the one who would betray Christ. However, one must be mature enough in God's Word to recognize the complete fulfillment of prophecy that was taking place and to know therefore that Judas was chosen to be the one who would betray Jesus Christ. (Another example of predestination rather than free choice - see pamphlet #4143)So once again, let us be very careful not to become his judge as some have who have already condemned him to perish.

As a matter of fact, it is even written in the Psalms concerning Judas that "another should take his office" (Ps. 109:8), which Peter and the disciples knew and so fulfilled in Acts 1:20-26. That pretty much means someone knew Judas would receive an untimely death, didn't He? Again, the Word of God is complete and always right on. Only man gets off track when he tries to use his own reasoning and insert the traditions of men which make void the Word of God.

[26] And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
Jesus is now instituting what some call the sacraments, which are simply the representative symbols we use in taking communion... which is how we now observe the passover. Again, give thanks and "Praise Ye the Lord", for it is through the bruises and stripes He took for us that we are healed!
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
Next He took the cup of wine and gave thanks again and commanded that they "drink ye all of it". You "see", you either believe in Him all the way or quite frankly you don't believe at all.
Matthew 26:27
And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

[28] For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The word "testament" in verse 28 comes from the Greek word "diatheke" and should be translated "covenant". This is important because it is written in Ex. 24:8 that blood must be shed in order for a covenant to take place. Why? Because the "life" of the flesh is in the blood. Therefore it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul, i.e. takes away sin. Under the Old Covenant it was the blood of animals that was used, but their blood could not permanently take away sin and so atonement had to be made year after year.
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Paul expresses it this way in Heb. 9:22:
Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
This may be a little deep for some who have not partaken of the meat of God's Word but have remained on baby's milk for their entire Christian lives (Heb. 5:11-14), but the reason that the blood of animals cannot permanently take away sin is because they do not have an eternal spirit! That is why Jesus Christ came after the order of Melchisedek which Paul fully explains in Hebrews 5-7 for those who have grown skilled in the Word. That is how it is that the precious blood of the Lamb of God can remove our sins forever, as in totally blot them out forevermore!
Matthew 26:29
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
Jesus Christ will reestablish His covenant with His people when He returns at the sound of the 7th Trump.
[30] And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
Dr. Bullinger points out in the Companion Bible that the "hymn", or psalm, that the disciples sang was most likely the second half of the great "Hallel" or "Hallelujah Psalm", the singing of which later became tradition at Passover. Regardless of whether that is factual or not, you should familiarize yourself with Psalms 115-118 for they indeed do declare the reasons we love Him so much and give Him all the Praise... Hallelujah!

ISRAEL'S DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT'S IDOLATRY

Psa. 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
This speaks of the spiritually dead and even those who are condemned to perish, such as the fallen angels of Gen. 6. For unless you praise the Lord, you are dead indeed!
Psa. 115:18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD.
But we who are spiritually alive through Him will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! Hallelujah!

PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE

Psa. 116:16 O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
You shall know Him, as in you will know the truth, and He will set you free.
Psa. 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
Psa. 116:18 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

Psa. 116:19 In the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

PRAISE FOR HIS TRUTH AND LOVING KINDNESS

Here is the 117th Psalm in its entirety, all two verses.

Psa. 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people.
How could one not praise Him once he or she comes to truly know the love of what He has done for His children and how His truth sets us free of the bondage of idolatry and traditions!
Psa. 117:2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth forever. Praise ye the LORD.
Yes, His love is so "great toward us" that we cannot even express it, and the truth of His Word which sets us free shall endure forever.

Hallelujah!

In our next study we shall visit the garden of Gethsemane!

... to be continued.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

The "American Wisdom Series"

is

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net

If you would like to have your essay published
as part of the American Wisdom Series
submit your manuscript to Rhine Publishing Co
at the address above for consideration, or e-mail us
at the address shown on our home page.

Click Here to Return to "The American Wisdom Series" home page.