Living Theology | Matthew 26:47–56

Living Theology is a blog series that draws out the theological principles of each week's sermon text and thinks through how we can apply them to our personal lives. In other words, this series asks how we can live out the theology of Scripture each day.

Sermon Text: Matthew 26:47–56

While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. (ESV)

You can watch Pastor Brian's sermon on this passage here:

In this passage, Matthew draws a dramatic contrast between the steady resolve of Jesus and the cowardice and disloyalty of the Twelve. We often focus on the treachery of Judas, and rightly so. But the other disciples also betray Jesus by abandoning him at his arrest (Matthew 26:56). And this betrayal and abandonment by his friends foreshadow Jesus's words in Matthew 27:46—

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (ESV)

Betrayed by a friend (26:50), abandoned by his disciples (Matthew 26:56), and forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46), Jesus presses on, obediently laying down his life for those who have turned on him. This is what true faithfulness to God looks like. This is what loyalty to God looks like. Jesus is the Obedient Son, the Faithful Servant, the truest example of what we were meant to be. He does it because we would not. He does it in our place.

But Jesus's faithfulness for us does not mean that we are not responsible for our sin.

Principle 1: In the face of suffering, Jesus recognizes that people are responsible for their sin.

Our sin demands our death.

". . . the soul who sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4, ESV)

". . . the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23, ESV)

". . . just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." (Romans 5:12, ESV)

As Christians, we must hold together both the mercy and forgiveness of God that we have in Christ as well as the responsibility that we have for our sin. It can be tempting to invoke God's mercy to excuse our sin. But there is truly no excuse for our sin. There are reasons for our sin. There are explanations for our sin. But there is never any excuse for our sin.

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 5:20–6:2, ESV)

Make no mistake, those who are in Christ are forgiven (Romans 8:1). Own that forgiveness. But it's hard to own forgiveness if we don't own our sin. We must take responsibility for our sin. We must acknowledge it. We must confess it. We must repent of it. We must offer restitution where appropriate. We must own our sin. We cannot run from it.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. (John 3:19–21, ESV)

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5–10, ESV)

If we ignore the responsibility we have for our sin, we fall into licentiousness. If we ignore God's forgiveness and mercy, we fall into despair. The path of the Christian lies between these two extremes. Balancing them is not easy. It doesn't always feel natural. It takes practice. But we practice this balance by daily prayer and confession. Every Sunday in the worship service, we confess our sin to God as individuals and as his people. We own our sin. And then we celebrate the forgiveness and mercy we have in Christ. We respond to this mercy by giving thanks and by being taught from God's Word. We then go out to practice, by the power of God's Spirit, the truth that has been preached. These are small but important ways that we learn how to balance our responsibility for sin with the mercy and forgiveness of God. And this balance, ultimately, is how we learn to appreciate the salvation that we have in Christ.

Salvation is not as simple as God just erasing our sin, making it "just as if we'd never done it." Sin brings death. We cannot escape it. But we can survive it—in Christ.

We will die. We can die on our own, or we can die in Christ. For those who die on their own, judgment is eternal. We could say that they are truly forsaken by God. But those who die in Christ are able to survive God's judgment. We are able to survive death itself by the power of Jesus's resurrection.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4, ESV)

This resurrection, surviving God's judgment, this forgiveness and mercy, it all depends on Jesus's faithful obedience to the will and plan of God. None of this is possible if Jesus does not suffer rejection, suffering, and death on our behalf. And so, in Matthew 26, we see Jesus pressing on toward the cross—calmly, confidently.

Where does Jesus find such confidence, such peace? Where does he find the resolve to press on when everyone is turning on him?

Principle 2: In the face of suffering, Jesus relies on the sovereign promises of God contained in the Scriptures.

In his sermon, Pastor Brian pointed out that Jesus finds his resolve in Scripture.

"How then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?" (Matthew 26:54, ESV)

"All this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." (Matthew 26:56, ESV)

It is Jesus's confidence in the word and promise of God that comforts him as he faces rejection, suffering, and death. It is his confidence in God's Word that gives him the strength to lay down his life for those who seek to take it from him.

We, too, can find confidence in the promises of God contained in the Scriptures. For thousands of years, God's people have found comfort in the face of suffering by turning to the promises of God in the Bible. There is comfort in his covenants. There is comfort in the psalms. We can take confidence in God's sovereignty as see his sovereign will accomplished throughout Israel's history. We can find confidence in the promises of the gospel and the encouragement of the earliest followers of Jesus who faced suffering and difficulty.

We can take confidence knowing that God is good, that he is sovereign, and that he loves us. Nothing we face can overtake us if we believe that God is good, that he is sovereign, and that he loves us. This is not just a claim that Scripture makes about who God is. This is a truth that Scripture proves about God by narrating the numerous times and ways that God's goodness, sovereignty, and love for his people has manifested in history.

Turning to Scripture in the face of suffering is, of course, a helpful way to remember these truths about God. But we should not wait until suffering comes in order to look to God's Word. This is a reactive approach to suffering that can leave us scrambling for encouragement. Instead, our entire lives should be devoted to consuming and digesting God's Word so that it becomes a part of who we are and how we think. When we prioritize Scripture on a regular basis, suffering and difficulty is less likely to catch us by surprise. It is less likely to unsettle us. And it is less likely to knock us off course. When we devote ourselves to internalizing Scripture and letting it shape the way we think and speak and live, we will be better prepared for the difficulties that come with following Jesus.

How do you prioritize making Scripture part of your life? Do you have a specific plan or routine? If not, you may consider adopting one. Consuming Scripture regularly is something that takes practice. Start small. Consider reading a chapter of the Bible everyday. Maybe write down thoughts or questions that come to you as you read. Calvary is currently reading through the Bible together over a three-year period one chapter at a time. You can find the reading for the day on our Facebook page, and you can post any thoughts or questions you have about the reading in the comments.

Do you have specific passages of Scripture that you have found encouraging during your own times of suffering? What are they? Consider sharing a passage with someone you know who is going through a difficult, challenging time.

These are simple ways that we can follow Jesus's example of finding comfort and confidence in God's Word even in the most difficult circumstances.