Proverbs 7-9

 Proverbs 7

Proverbs 7:1-5 Admonition to keep the commands of wisdom close, like a relative. Perhaps the wayward woman is a metaphor for other spiritual deceits that tempt us away from God, although this chapter is quite explicit. Making a decision upfront to obey wisdom is perhaps the only way to avoid disaster.

Proverbs 7:6-9 Just wandering around, checking out the neighborhood, going to see what temptations are out there (there is indeed a rush that comes with temptation by itself), is to not make a decision, which ends up being a decision. It indicates a lack of common sense. This is not scouting enemy territory, it is walking into it unarmed.

Proverbs 7:10-21 A detailed description of the seduction process. This includes an aggressive self-introduction by a taste of what is offered (7:13), a description of what is being offered (7:16-18), and a statement about the risk being taken care of (7:19-20). The reference to the husband is possibly based on the same understanding stated earlier of the offended husband destroying the adulterer (6:34-35). 

There are other temptations that lead to destruction. For example, alcohol and narcotic drugs are obvious ways to ruin your life, and the seduction process is probably pretty similar; an introduction to what is offered, a description of its consummation, and assurances that the risks are taken care of.  Beyond that, the temptation to get rich or become powerful follows a similar path. I am sure there are other paths to self destruction, and Solomon is here focusing on just one, but Satan has a bag of tricks, not just one.

Proverbs 7:22-23 Yielding to temptation and paying the price. Like an ox on its way to the slaughterhouse (imagine the blood and raw meat being produced from a formerly live animal), an arrow piercing a deer’s liver (certain, painful death), or a bird entering a trap. There are many efforts in literature to communicate the pains of hell. Solomon started it.

Proverbs 7:24-27 A summary of the admonition: do not stray into the path of the adulteress, for it leads to death.  

Is there the possibility of redemption when one has gone down this path? Jesus offered it to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Did she receive His offer? We don’t know what happened after that incident. The offer was there - He did not condemn her. But He also admonished her to go and sin no more. Did she make a lifestyle change, to serve God rather than living by the flesh, by the habits and within the social framework she was used to? Was she able to change her life because of the humiliation and nearly being stoned to death? Ultimately, she could only be saved and forgiven based on Jesus’ (then future) death on the cross. What about us? Does God allow us to reap the fruit of our waywardness before death to motivate us to repent and change our ways while the opportunity is open?

Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8:1-4 The call of wisdom. Wisdom as an expression of God’s nature and character is not a separate divine being, but personification  of one of His attributes.

Proverbs 8:5-9 Wisdom describes her virtues. Wisdom speaks what is trustworthy, right, true, just, and upright. Being this virtuous may not sound like an interesting life, but the rest of Proverbs (really the rest of the Bible) tells of the joy and fulfillment of this life.

Proverbs 8:10-11 Contrasting the value of wisdom to worldly wealth. Nothing we desire can compare to wisdom, so it only makes sense to choose it.  

Proverbs 8:12-21 The role of wisdom in the affairs of life. Wisdom is the first of the gifts of the Holy Spirit identified by Paul. (1 Corinthians 12:8) Political power should be exercised based on wisdom (sadly not the case these days). Enduring wealth results from wise choices, because her blessings are based on righteousness and justice. Temporary wealth or political power may be obtained through evil injustice (slaveholders in the antebellum south, Nazi Germany, the USSR), but they will not endure.

Proverbs 8:22-31 The presence of wisdom in creation. Before Genesis 1:1, the Lord created wisdom. (8:22) Wisdom was there when the world was created. (8:23-26) Wisdom was present when the heavens were separated from the earth. (Genesis 1:6-8) (8:27) Wisdom was present when the ocean waters were separated from the land. (Genesis 1:9-10) (8:28-29) Wisdom was present celebrating the creation of mankind. (Genesis 1:26-27,31) (8:31) Humankind via wisdom is looking to creation as unfallen, but also has responsibility for it. (Genesis 1:26)

Proverbs 8:32-36 The blessings of finding and heeding wisdom. We need to seek and receive  wisdom (God) every day to receive the promised blessing. (8:34)

Proverbs 9

Proverbs 9 Wisdom’s final appeal before revealing her secrets

Proverbs 9:1-6 Wisdom invites us to her banquet. Jesus told a parable about a man who gave a great banquet and invited many; they made excuses as to why they would not come. In the end, the man threw the banquet open to any on the street and sent his servants to first invite, then compel the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to come to his feast. The point Jesus made was that we can get preoccupied with the affairs of life in this world and miss God’s kingdom, while the down-and-out are not thusly distracted and He takes them in.   (Luke 14:16-24)

There is a parallel between wisdom at the beginning Proverbs 9, and folly described in 19:13-18. Both prepare a meal. Both are at the high point of the city. (9:3&14) Wisdom sends out servants while folly herself calls out the invitation. (9:3&15) Both call out to the simple. (9:4&16) Wisdom offers meat and wine while folly offers bread and water. (9:2&17)

Jesus invites us to a meal, the Lord’s Supper, which is the ultimate call of wisdom. (Matthew 26:26-28) While there is a sacramental symbolism in celebrating the Lord’s Supper, perhaps the greatest lesson of both this chapter and Jesus’ parable is that we join with Him to dine. Just do it. It is wise to have supper with the Lord.

Proverbs 9:7-12 Contrast between the wise and mockers. God or self is the basic choice of life. Beware of self-reliance. Mockers make fun of both wisdom and those who choose to act wisely. The wise listen and love being corrected when they err. The wise receive instruction and that is why they are wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (9:10) is often repeated. The wise understand the rewards of wisdom, which means ultimately those who fear God recognize the ultimate eternal rewards He offers, as well as the temporal rewards of earthly obedience to Him. Those who mock Him, His words, and His ways will suffer both loneliness in this life, and eternal separation from God. 

Proverbs 9:13-18 Folly invites to her meal. See contrast with wisdom’s banquet, discussed above. Folly herself is simple and knows nothing, yet somehow folly lures people to the deep realm of death. The difference between folly and being simple is this. A simple person does not understand a lot of things (and we are all simple in that respect), but can try to do the best with what he does know. A fool doesn’t know much, but doesn’t care about doing the best, he simply does what he wants, he don’t need to listen, which inevitably means being drawn into temptation to some disastrous sin. We hear this today. Do what feels good! 

After this passage, Solomon moves on to the content of wisdom. Enough cajoling and warning.

Proverbs 5-6

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5:1-8 Warning to stay far from the adulterous woman. Contrast this with the wife of noble character (31:10-31). Words of honey that belie the bitterness of gall (5:3-4) (gall being the contents of the gallbladder, i.e., bile), are the opposite of wisdom and faithful instruction (31:26). She gives no thought to the way of life but wanders aimlessly (5:6), contrasted with watching over household and not being idle (31:27). We can also contrast the adulterous woman to the bride of Christ, who is glorious having no spot or wrinkle, but is holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27). 

Proverbs 5:9-14 Consequences of ignoring this admonition. The alternative to these consequences is to establish patterns of behavior that help you and others to honor God. Trouble in the the assembly of God’s people (5:14) might refer to church, but perhaps also refers to the gathering of His people at the last trumpet. 

Proverbs 5:15-19 The blessings of faithfulness in marriage. Focusing on your wife is the vaccine against adultery. The husband must love his wife as himself  for this to happen.  (Ephesians 5:33) In the situation where the wife is unwilling to participate in faithful intimacy, the husband is called to love her redemptively, as for example, Hosea loved Gomer even though she was unfaithful, as a symbol of God’s love for Israel. (Hosea 1-3)

Proverbs 5:20-23 The Lord sees and there are consequences for evil and foolishness. In the end, evil deeds reap consequences not because of rule-breaking, but because of a heart that loves sinfulness. It is a man’s responsibility to recognize that the Lord sees all of his ways, and knows what is in his heart, and acts accordingly. (Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8:39.)

Proverbs 6 We can only become what God calls us to if we say ‘no’ to the opposite.

Proverbs 6:1-5 Admonition about pledging security for another person. Do whatever it takes to get released from being responsible for another’s debts. Co-signing on a loan is a very common practice, but Solomon warns very strongly against it. 

Proverbs 6:6-11 A lazy person will end up poor and hungry. Learn from ants who can’t be lazy - they set aside food in times of plenty so they won’t starve to death. Joseph set the example. (Genesis 41:46-57) Work hard and store up for hard times.

Proverbs 6:12-15 A troublemaker, a villain, will be destroyed without warning. If he escapes it in this life, what awaits him after this is worse. 

Proverbs 6:16-19 Seven things the Lord detests all relate to the misuse of body organs that the Lord created to be blessings: eyes, tongue, hands, heart, feet, and mouth. Lying and bearing false witness both relate back to Exodus 20:16. Hands that shed innocent blood points to Exodus 20:13. There are some things the Lord detests that are not in the big ten: pride, wicked scheming, rushing to evil, and sowing discord among the brethren. The New Testament speaks to some of this in the context of church membership, but one would think these behaviors would be ruled out by the love of the brethren. Sigh. Human nature is hard to overcome.

Proverbs 6:20-35 Do not commit adultery, because the offended husband will destroy you. Obviously adultery is forbidden in the big ten. (Exodus 20:14)  Not honoring your parents’ commands and teaching, which presumably say don’t do it, violates another one. (Exodus 20:12) Not lusting after another’s wife violates the ban on coveting. (Exodus 20:17).  Prophets during the nation of Israel’s existence repeatedly used adultery as a picture of Israel’s (and ultimately Judah’s) idolatry. This was to communicate how offensive this unfaithfulness was to God. And eventually God did allow both of the nations to be destroyed.

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery that Jesus refused to condemn (John 8:1-11) shows the hypocrisy of society in Jesus’ day. Jesus did not say it was ok to commit adultery. His response (let the one without sin caste the first stone) put the accusers on the spot, because none of them was innocent. We don’t know if they all committed adultery, but they all had a guilty conscience. Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more. We can’t sin with the expectation of future forgiveness - that is putting God to the test. Jesus is no longer here in the flesh, but the spiritual dynamics of adultery are still active. Solomon’s advice, although given at the human level, embodies the eternal, spiritual principle of faithfulness. 

Proverbs 3-4

 Proverbs 3: How wisdom will bless your life

Proverbs 3:1-4 Love and faithfulness in your heart will win favor with God and man. Luke 2:52 states that as Jesus grew up, He increased n favor with God and man. Proverbs isn’t just about avoiding gangs and adulterous women; the promise of pro-active acts of righteousness is long life, peace, prosperity, love, and faithfulness. This is how heaven works.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Often quoted admonition to trust the Lord in all our ways, which, as the hymn says, means to obey Him; this passage promises that He will make straight paths for us. It is sometimes (often) a challenge to fully trust Him. That is the promise. 

But what does it mean to trust the Lord with all of your heart?

Proverbs 3:7-8 Health is promised to those who fear the Lord and shun evil.

Proverbs 3:9-10 Prosperity is promised to those who honor Him with their firstfruits. Tithing is not explicitly mentioned but the principle is there.  (Leviticus 27:30)

Proverbs 3:11-12 The Lord disciplines those He loves. It is a sign of being His child. Quoted in Hebrews 12:5-6, which elaborates. This principle requires that we recognize the spiritual realm’s influence on the natural. When we experience trouble after disobeying the Lord, these aren’t coincidences.

Proverbs 3:13-18 The true riches of God’s wisdom is not found in earthly wealth, but the tree of (eternal) life (Genesis 3:22). This life will be blessed with honor and peace.

Proverbs 3:19-20 The Lord used wisdom in the creation story revealed in Genesis 1:1-10.

Proverbs 3:21-26 The Lord will through wisdom bless your life with safety. But I have to wonder how to reconcile 3:25 with Job 1-2. Job’s ‘comforters’ used this principle to infer that Job had sinned and that caused his troubles. We know that, in the end, Job was vindicated and blessed, but the initial disaster that ruined his wealth and health and took his children seems inconsistent with this verse. The transcendent revelation that Job received after his tribulation reveals that merely human understanding of God and His ways is not on the same level as experiencing God’s presence hearing His voice directly. But He gave us this wisdom to guide us when we aren’t in His presence.

Proverbs 3:27-29 Deal respectfully with your neighbors.

Proverbs 3:30-35 Apart from avoiding violent gangs covered earlier (1:8-19; 2:12-15), on your own, do not take a perverse lifestyle - don’t be a fool, don’t mock others, don’t be wicked. In the end, fools like this will receive shame. 

Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4:1-11 A father’s admonition to his son to get and treasure wisdom, and do what wisdom says. The role of training of the young in right and wrong in their adult lives is incontestable. Some may reject their upbringing as adults, but most are profoundly and permanently shaped.

Jesus echoes 4:7 in His parable of the field and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46), that the kingdom (and wisdom) of God are so valuable that all other things are less valuable and can be discarded in favor of it. The beginning of wisdom is to recognize its value and live accordingly. The epistles promise believers a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), a crown of life  (James 1:12), and a crown of  glory (1 Peter 5:4). A crown is a symbol of authority, of honor, a recognition, in the case of Proverbs 4:9 the glory that comes through wisdom.

Proverbs 4:12-19 Wisdom and wickedness contrasted with a metaphor of walking on a path. Once again, walking with the wicked is warned against. Those who practice (until they become perfect at?) wickedness and violence do not even understand where that path leads. They are stumbling in the darkness. Don’t set foot on that path!

Proverbs 4:20-23 Guard your heart and fix it on wisdom. Everything you do flows from your heart, just as Jesus said. (Matthew 15:15-20)

Proverbs 4:24-27 Keeping your mouth, eyes, and feet from evil is one of the practical aspects of wise living. In Hebrews 12:13, this is connected to the admonition to accept the Lord’s discipline and chastening. This follows a quote from 3:11-12 that the Lord chastens His sons whom He loves.(Hebrews 12:5-6) Do not turn to the right or left is not a political admonition, but a moral metaphor: live according to moral wisdom revealed by God.

Proverbs 1-2

 

Proverbs 1:1-7 The purpose and theme of Proverbs: moral and spiritual formation. The purpose of discipleship is for good living. (1:2-3)  Prudence is the opposite of naïveté. (1:4) Learning and growth is the essence of life; settling for current knowledge and status quo is a downhill path, as documented in the second law of thermodynamics. (1:5)

Proverbs 1:7 Reverential awe of the Lord’s nature and character is the starting point for wisdom. It is hard to distinguish this from worship of who He is, for what He is, and for what He does. Are fools ignorant of Him or deliberately rejecting Him? What would human wisdom look like apart from God? With God’s wisdom, we can deal with the highs and lows of life with confidence that comes from understanding the underlying eternal spiritual reality.

Proverbs 1:8-19 Warning against the invitation of violent men and thieves. Our parents were our first teachers, before we knew anything. As we grow up, we should only reject their teaching when they are in opposition to the wisdom of God.  Solomon goes at length to warn against the temptation to boys and young men to join gangs and engage in violent theft, because this simply will ruin the life of anyone who joins in. Some things haven’t changed.

Proverbs 1:20-33 The rebuke and invitation of wisdom. The rebuke by wisdom seems almost synonymous with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, who among gifts, gives wisdom. (1:22-23)  (1 Corinthians 12:8, Ephesians 1:17) Is the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 1:7) built into nature so strongly that it doesn’t need divine intervention to enforce it? (1:31) 

The laws of nature are evident on several levels. Solomon does not speak of the basic laws of physics such as the laws of motion, gravitation, electromagnetism, and so on. But he does elaborate on the two levels of the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with our relationship with God (Exodus 20:3-11), and the remaining six deal with how we live in human society, with interpersonal relationships (Exodus 20:12-17). Solomon does not dive into Spiritual warfare in the same way as Daniel (for example), not explicitly mentioning Satan or demons, but the hint is there in spiritual causation. If we open the door to temptations such as covetousness leading to theft and violence (1:10-19) or illicit sexuality (5:1-23, 6:20-7:27), there is an implicit spiritual force that leads to destruction. Most of the rest of the book deal with wisdom for living in human society, but the underlying eternal principles are from and empowered by God.

Proverbs 2

Proverbs 2:1-11 God’s wisdom will guard your life if you seek and apply it. There are (at least) three words used here: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Unfortunately the Hebrew lexicon does not clearly delineate which are which, but that doesn’t matter because Solomon clearly intended to include the all of them in the scope of this writing.

• Wisdom - good judgment to make sound decisions
• Understanding - comprehension to grasp and interpret the meaning of something
• Knowledge - facts, information, skills  
• Skillfulness - proficiency at doing something

Unbelievers can gather knowledge and become skillful. Understanding the meaning of something will be limited apart from the spiritual dimension. Having good judgment to make wise decisions is extremely dependent on seeing the long-term impact of morality in making decisions, to weigh competing claims against the absolute scale of eternal values. The Lord gives wisdom and knowledge as a gift. (2:6)(1 Corinthians 12:8)

Making right decisions and taking right actions results in being better able to discern what is right, true, and wise progressively. We need to do what Jesus has already told us to, so we can progress in discernment.

Proverbs 2:12-15 Wisdom will save you from wicked men (1:10-19) This theme is repeated several times in Proverbs, as a pedagogical technique perhaps. It is boys and young men this is addressed to, and it is well known that multiple exposures to an idea are critical to its being remembered and taken into account. The fundamental precept is that it is impossible to hang out with lawbreakers, violent men and thieves, without digesting their lifestyle as ok or normal. The decision to abstain must be made first. That is wisdom.

Proverbs 2:16-19 Wisdom will save you from the adulterous woman (5; 6:20-7:27) Boys and young men also need the same warning as regards women who tempt natural male sexual desires. The judgment is severe:  None who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life. (2:19) 

Proverbs 2:20-22 The righteous will live and the wicked will die. Cut and dried. Apart from salvation in Jesus, there is no hope. And we need Jesus both to pay the price for our sins (atonement), and to empower us to live according to God’s ways. 

A Modest Proposal towards ending the budget impasse

The Federal government spends over twice as much on healthcare as it does on defense, yet there appears to be no House of Representatives Committee on healthcare.  In the Senate, health is lumped in with education, labor, and pensions. Perhaps there should be committees in both houses focusing just on healthcare. Perhaps there should be a special bipartisan commission on healthcare.  This goes beyond healthcare costs, to matters of policy and implementation. It’s more than just who pays the bills. Roughly 17.5% of the U.S. GDP is spent on healthcare, yet arguably we are less healthy. Simplistic phrases like make America healthy again need to be addressed with concrete investigations that get get to root causes. Perhaps a bipartisan agreement to establish such a commission and committees could uncouple this behemoth from the practical struggle to keep the government running.

Principles of Bible Study and Life - What is God’s advice?

 

Some thoughts on how we approach practical implications and application of faith.

• Don’t despise the youth of someone with different views; although experience counts for much, someone with a fresh viewpoint, unpolluted by sad experience of many years of pain, may hear clearly and directly from God. (1 Timothy 4:12)
• Pay attention to details, especially details of Scripture. Big principles are important, but implementation depends on little things as well. A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.  (1 Corinthians 5:6)
• Look for and recognize things that are inappropriate or out of place. They are often indicators of bigger hidden problems. (Ezekiel 20:28)
• Put things away properly. Failure to clean up or properly stow things can lead to dysfunction and bigger problems later, or ruin otherwise useful things. Clean up the kitchen after every meal.  (Exodus 16:19-20)
• Pay attention to and be faithful to the defining principle or characteristic of the group or organization, when confronted with multiple points of wisdom. (Ephesians 3:9-12)
• Look for and identify root causes. This may mean digging through multiple layers of intermediate effects, but the problem won’t be resolved until the roots of the weed are pulled. (Deuteronomy 29:18)
• When the Lord teaches you a lesson in your life personally, learn it and apply it. Otherwise, He will have to repeat it, which is usually painful.  (Acts 26:14)

Matthew 28

Matthew 28:1-10 The Risen Christ, and the women at the Tomb.  A second earthquake rolls away the stone. (28:2, 27:51) Apparently the act of the angel rolling the stone away was synonymous with the earthquake. His appearance understandably terrified the guards. The divine power emanating from the holiness and love that appeared as snow-white clothing and  lightning understandably terrified mere mortals. An earthly revelation of God’s nature and character - showing them the reality of eternity’s relationship to earthly things - is overwhelming to us in the flesh. (Isaiah 6:5, Ezekiel 1:28, Daniel 8:17, 10:8-9, Revelation 1:17)

Both the angels and Jesus tell the women to tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee. This is followed. (28:16) Other gospel accounts tell of His appearing to the disciples in Jerusalem the same day, and one wonders why He didn’t just tell them Himself to go to Galilee. I don’t know.

Matthew 28:11-15 The Guards Report. The priests bribed the guards to lie about what happened. If these were Roman guards, it is hard to see how they could escape punishment or discipline for falling asleep on the job, if that was their story. But it is also hard to see how the Roman authorities would accept the story of what really happened. So we don’t know what became of them, only that the story of the disciples stealing Jesus’ body was evidently spread widely, as the priests wanted.

Matthew 28:16-20 The Great Commission. At the mountain in Galilee, Jesus authorizes and empowers His disciples and us, and is with us, to take the gospel to all nations. His specific instructions are to make disciples, baptize, and teach them to obey His commands. Jesus explicitly calls out the Trinity in His instructions on baptism, YHWH AB, Yeshua HaMaschiach, and Ruach HaKodesh. This commission is substantially different from the one He gave the disciples in Matthew 10:1. In the rest of Matthew 10, Jesus expounds at length on what proclaiming the good news of the kingdom consists of and what to expect. Perhaps He gave similar instructions here that are not recorded. Also, possibly, by His resurrection He had demonstrated His power to the disciples, and since the Holy Spirit would be indwelling them soon, they did not need detailed instructions because the Spirit would guide them. That would seem to be meaning of His promise that He will be with us to the end of the age. The teaching of His commands was evidently completely verbal for a few decades after this, until the gospels were written. At least we now have the Sermon on the Mount, the parables, and the discourse at the Last Supper to learn His commands from. This commission concludes Matthew’s written record.

Matthew 26-27

Matthew 26:1-5 Jesus foretells His death for the fourth time (21:45-46). The priests and elders scheme to do so. Why? Did they sincerely believe that Jesus was misleading the people and that since their arguments for the status quo religion were not prevailing, the greater good was served by killing Jesus? Or was it just a simple power game - politics continued at a deeper level?

Matthew 26:6-13 Jesus is anointed for His burial. The disciples concern for the poor (26:8-9) may have been based on Deuteronomy 15:11, or perhaps Jesus’ own words (25:34-46). Jesus explains that ministering to the poor is important, but total devotion to Him is more important (26:10-13). As a general principle, obedience to God’s commands is important, but the overarching consideration must be devotion to God, and putting all other directives in context to our worship of Him with our lives. That is why this woman’s act of devotion will also be told wherever the gospel is preached - she poured out her life savings to anoint Jesus for His burial. Symbolically, she was the only person ever to honor Jesus death in the flesh appropriately. (Those that buried Him in the tomb could not anoint Him at that time and He rose before anyone could.) 

Matthew 26:14-16 Judas agrees to betray Jesus, as prophesied in Zechariah 11:12. Thirty denarii, about 135 grams of silver, worth about $200 at today’s market prices. If the silver coins were shekels, that raises it to 400 grams of silver, worth about $600.  What a bargain for the priests and elders! How many people sell their soul that cheaply these days?

Matthew 26:17-30 The Last Supper. Jesus follows the commands given to Moses in Exodus 12, but Passover was fulfilled at the Last Supper. The bread and wine were done as commanded, but the Passover lamb without defect was Jesus Himself. The blood, instead of being on the sides and tops of the doorframe, was on the cross, which became the door to eternal life for those who believe. Whether communion involves remembrance and commitment, or a sacramental transformation, we are to partake. God thus brings judgment on those spiritual forces of evil  - the Egypt of sin - that enslave us. In this case (Exodus 12:15), abstaining from leaven symbolizes abstinence from sin, not voluntarily re-opening the connection to those things that God has judged and delivered us from. Sing a hymn instead. (26:30)  In 26:24, Jesus alludes to Job bewailing the day of his birth (Job 3:1), and Judas Iscariot would have been better off not having been born.

Matthew 26:31-35 Jesus predicts Peter’s denial, and quotes Zechariah 13:7. 26:34 was fulfilled in 26:69-74. How often do we make a promise to God when we experience His presence, only to not keep it when we have left church and are in the world?

Matthew 26:36-46 Praying in Gethsemane. In 26:39, 42, and 44 Jesus was seeking to reconcile His earthly will to the Father’s will, not pleading with the Father to change His mind. (John 8:29) Jesus’ holiness wasn’t just abstaining from sin, it was active obedience. It was just hard, even for Him. What He was going to do was very, very hard.

Matthew 26:47-56 Jesus is arrested; He  cites Scriptures and the prophets being fulfilled.(26:54&55) Possibly He was citing Daniel 9:26, although there are many other potential verses as well. Peter’s last act of courage was to draw a sword and cut off a servant’s ear (John 18:10), and Jesus rebuked him. When Jesus willingly surrendered to arrest, the disciples were understandably afraid, and left abruptly, lest they be charged as co-conspirators. In healing the servant’s ear, Jesus protected Peter from being so charged (at least there wasn’t any evidence).

Matthew 26:57-67 Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin; lots of false witnesses - are things any different today? Finally, two unnamed witnesses repeated what Jesus said in John 2:19-21.(26:61) They missed the whole point of that discourse a few years prior. They saw only the literal meaning of the words, and did not, perhaps could not grasp the symbolic, underlying spiritual reality.

Finally the high priest got fed up, and asked Jesus under oath to state whether or not He is the Messiah, the Son of YHWH. Jesus says “You have said so” and quotes Psalm 110:1 & Daniel 7:13.(26:64) Perhaps the best way to understand Jesus’ first response is something like ‘you said it!’ Meaning ‘right on!’. The high priest was clearly angry. The verdict was delivered.

Matthew 26:68-75 Peter denies Jesus three times.  The rooster crowing reminded him of Jesus’ prophecy and his confidence then (26:34), and now completely demoralized, wept bitterly. Do we deeply lament our failures before God?

Matthew 27:1-2 Jesus is bound for trial. Since the Jewish priests and elders couldn’t legally execute someone, they figured out how to have the Romans do their dirty work.

Matthew 27:3-10 Judas commits suicide. It seems odd that Judas would now recognize that he had betrayed innocent blood. Was his focus the previous day solely on getting the money that he ignored this, or did the Holy Spirit now convict Him, or was the devil now leading him to suicide? It is unclear where the prohibition on blood money is found. (27:6) I cannot find this explicitly or implicitly in the Pentateuch, so it must have been inferred from other rules in the law about how blood is to be treated. The quote from Jeremiah that Matthew cites (27:9-10) includes a reference to both Jeremiah 32:6-9 and Zechariah 11:12-13. What is the significance of the potter’s field? It was likely a field where potters got clay to make their wares, leaving it depleted of soil and unsuitable for farming.  

Matthew 27:11-26 Jesus is tried by Pilate. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but was afraid of the crowds (27:18&23) The crowd wanted Jesus dead rather than in spiritual authority. (27:22-23) Pilate seemed to not care about spiritual matters, but did attempt to cleanse his conscience. (27:24) Did washing his hands work for that purpose? 

A curious intersection of three groups (priests, Pilate, crowd), but not mentioned in the trial is the spiritual battlefield. Satan wanted Jesus dead to eliminate his judgment, but God allowed it to happen to enable the removal of judgment on those people who accept Him but still have sinned. Satan was rebellious beyond redemption, but God was creating a spiritual fabric in which humans could ask for and receive it, albeit at a very steep price. Pilate was Satan’s unwitting tool, but God allowed it. Did Satan not realize that God in the flesh might be killed, but God transcends mere fleshly existence. As Aslan explains the deep magic at the stone table  in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, death cannot hold the sinless one who is killed, but all eternity begins to experience a reversal and turns towards life and light.

Matthew 27:27-31 The Roman soldiers mock Jesus. This is love - Jesus knew what was coming and did it anyway. (27:27-50) It was not just physical pain, as bad as that was (27:29-30), but the spiritual pain of knowing that these soldiers were mocking the Truth, by calling Him king of the Jews in jest, when He was truth(John 14:6), to their own eternal judgment.

Matthew 27:32-44 Jesus is crucified. Evidently Jesus’ words in John 2:19-21 were widely known, since the passers-by mocked Him with them. (27:40) The priests, elders, and legal professors all mocked Him just as the Roman soldiers had, not physically but in their words.

Matthew 27:45-56 the death of Jesus. Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 while on the cross. (27:46) Perhaps He quoted the entire Psalm since it describes this event in detail. The reference to Elijah coming to save Him once again refers to what must have been a common belief among the Jews that since Elijah had been carried into heaven while still alive, he would return, and they thought Jesus was calling on that promise, unaware of the events recorded earlier. (17:1-5) 

When Jesus died, the veil in the temple that separated man from God’s presence was torn in two from top to bottom (27:51). Whether this was to allow man to enter God’s presence, or to symbolically release the Holy Spirit into the world is unclear. It definitely signifies the direct contact of God with mankind.  Ultimately (in the truest sense of ultimate), Jesus’ death was the defeat of death, His resurrection led the victory parade. (27:52-53)

Matthew 27:57-61 The burial of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea is an enigmatic figure, appearing here, in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9. What an honor, to be entrusted with Jesus’ body!

Matthew 27:62-65 A Roman guard is posted at the tomb. The Pharisees and the chief priests were afraid enough of Jesus’ widely known prophecy of His resurrection that they asked for the Roman guard at the tomb.  (27:63 —> 16:21) It didn’t help them deny the presence of the living Christ to those that encountered Him.