Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part XIV

Verses 43-44: Then He went back to His followers. Again He found them sleeping. They could not stay awake. So He left them and went away one more time and prayed. This third time He prayed, He said the same thing.

This back and forth from prayer to awaken His sleeping disciples must have been even more tiring and disappointing to Jesus. Even though He told them at the supper that Judas Iscariot would betray Him this very night, they still did not seem to comprehend the seriousness and magnitude of the situation. None of the disciples came running to Him saying, “We can’t find Judas! Let’s get out of here before he comes back!” We can only imagine that since Jesus announced His betrayal with such calmness, and told Judas to go do what Satan had put in his heart, the disciples perhaps had taken it for granted that just as He slipped through the crowd in Nazareth when they wanted to throw Him off a cliff, He would find a way to survive this time. In other words, they were in denial that their Lord would really let Himself be beaten and crucified. So why weren’t they on their knees praying for God to protect their Messiah and Master?

Several early church scholars give us their impressions on what was happening at this critical point before the arrest and trial of our Lord. Origen writes this commentary: “But notice that after the first prayer ‘He came to the disciples and found them sleeping.’ Likewise after the second prayer, ‘He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.’ On this, I believe they were the eyes not so much of their bodies as of their souls. Besides, He had not yet removed the heaviness from their eyes, ‘because He was not yet glorified.’ And just as ‘the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified,’ so too the heaviness had not yet been removed from their eyes ‘because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ Therefore He does not rebuke them, but ‘leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.” He also teaches us through those ‘same words,’ that we may not grow faint in prayer but persist in the very words of our prayer until we obtain those things we have begun to pray for.”¹

When looking at the schedule kept by Jesus and His disciples in the previous two days, it is quite easy to see why stopping for a time in a quiet garden would lead to their falling asleep. But Origen does touch on an important topic concerning their lack of spiritual awareness. Did they really understand what was about to happen in a few short hours? Had they not been briefed by their Master on the impending crisis that was about to take place? So why did they not do something to make sure that someone was on guard just in case it happened on their watch? We might say the same thing about the church today and its state of alert on the return of the Son of God. Were He to come tonight, how many of His disciples would He find spiritually asleep?

Then Bishop Hilary shares his thoughts: “After that, He returns to the disciples and finds them sleeping. He asks Peter why he could not watch with Him one hour—Peter, indeed, was one of the three, for he had boasted in front of the others that he would not fall away. And He indicates the cause of His greater fear, saying, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ He wanted then to prevent temptation (so He included in His prayer the words ‘lead us not into temptation’),² lest anything in us cater to the weakness of the flesh. He also makes it clear why he urged them to pray in order to avoid temptation, saying, ‘The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ These words did not apply to Himself but were aimed at them. For that matter, how is it that now His spirit is willing, whereas before His soul was sad even to death?³ At any rate, He orders them to watch and pray lest they give in to temptation and succumb to the weakness of the body. He, therefore, prays that, if possible, the cup may pass from Himself, for when it comes to drinking from it, all flesh is weak.”⁴

We also have the commentary of Jerome: “It is impossible for the human soul to avoid temptation. Hence we say in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Lead us not into temptation,’⁵ which we are unable to withstand. We do not refuse to face temptation entirely but pray for the strength to bear up under it. Therefore he does not say, ‘Watch and pray that you may not be tempted’ but ‘that you may not enter into temptation,’ that is, that temptation may not overwhelm you and hold you in its grip. For example, a martyr who has shed blood by professing faith in the Lord was certainly tempted but was not ensnared in the net of temptation. One who denies the faith, however, has fallen into the snares of temptation. ‘The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ This is aimed at those rash people who think that whatever they believe, they can obtain. Therefore, as much as we trust in the ardor of our spirit, so too should we fear the weakness of the flesh. And yet, according to the apostle, the works of the flesh are mortified by the Spirit.”⁶

Origen, whom we quoted before, has so more to say on this subject: “As long as Jesus was present, His disciples did not sleep. After He had walked a short distance away, they were unable to watch for even one hour in His absence. For this reason, we should pray that Jesus will not leave us for even a short while but will fulfill what He promised when He said to us, ‘And I am with you all days, even to the end of the world.’⁷ In this way will we keep watch as he banishes sleep from our souls, to make it possible for us to fulfill His command: ‘Do not give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids, that you may escape as a doe from the nets and a bird from the snare of the catchers.’⁸ But coming to the disciples and finding them asleep, He arouses them with a word and tells them to listen, so He may, as it were, say to those who are listening: ‘How is it that you were not able to watch with me for even one hour?’ He orders us then to be wakeful so we may keep watch and pray. Now that person watches who does good works, that person watches who diligently attends to the truth of the faith lest he be ensnared by any shady teaching. He who watches and prays in this way will have his prayer heard. This is what the Lord means when he says, ‘Watch and pray.’ We should first watch and while watching, we should pray.”⁹

And Bishop Hilary leaves us with this thought: “The fact that, after returning and finding them asleep, He first reproves them, secondly is silent, and thirdly orders them to rest, can be explained in this way: First, after the resurrection, He scolded them for scattering and for being apprehensive and restless; second, once the Holy Spirit had been sent, He came and found them sleeping, since their eyes were too heavy for them to discern the freedom of the gospel—having been held back by the love of the law for some time, their faith was still sleeping; and third, with the return of his radiance, He restored them to restfulness and peace of mind.”¹⁰

Verses 45-46: Then Jesus went back to the followers and said, “I see you are still sleeping and resting? But the time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the control of sinful men. So stand up! We must go! Here comes the one who will hand me over!”

We do not know how long our Lord prayed each time, but it must have been long enough for the wear and tear of the last 16-18 hours to overcome them. We know that Daniel prayed three times a day, but not within the same time frame.¹¹ Besides that, at their last meal they drank from four glasses of wine, and that may have contributed to it as well.¹² The disciples had the same opportunity to pray as Jesus did, but they chose rather to sleep. Even after Christ awakened them they still persisted on getting a nap. However, when the hour of trial came Jesus was prayed up; He withstood the persecution, but the disciples who slept instead of praying fled in terror. You can’t save up nor buy back your opportunities to pray. All too often we fail in the time of trial because we put off praying, even though we knew the storm was on the way.

When a person is informed by the doctor that they only have hours or days to live, they can be observed reacting in different ways: Some become remorseful, despondent, or resentful that life has treated them so cruelly. Some simply resign to it, act as if it’s their fate, and some withdraw into a catacomb of not wanting to be bothered; while others try to use each precious second of time left to prepare for the unknown hour. They become kind, gentle and self-sacrificing; they want to be a blessing rather than have a blessing said over them. So it was with Jesus. He knew that His time was short. But He challenged the future, marched into the difficulty with head held high, and gave His all for undeserving mankind. If in fact, Christ lives within us, then we are capable of doing the same for Him.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part XIII

Early church leader Leo the Great gives us an interesting insight into what he feels our Lord’s prayer here is trying to communicate, not only to the Father but also to us. He says: “The disciples were admonished, and the Lord bid the Father that they might confront the force of the present temptation with watchful prayer: ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as you will.’ The first petition arises from weakness, the second from strength: He desired the former based on our nature and chose the latter based on his own. Equal to the Father, the Son knew that all things were possible to God; rather, he descended into this world to take up the cross against his will so that he might suffer through this conflict of emotions with a disquieted mind. But in order to show the distinction between the receiving nature and the received nature, what was proper of humanity desired divine intervention and what was proper to God looked upon the human situation. The lower will yielded to the higher will, and this demonstrated what the fearful person may pray for and what the divine healer should not grant. ‘For we do not know how to pray as we ought,’¹ and it is good for us that what we want, for the most part, is not granted. God, who is good and just, shows mercy toward us by denying us those things we ask for which are harmful.”²

Jesus uses the drinking of a cup to describe what awaited Him. One polemic writer questions why Jesus was asking for His heavenly Father to remove the cup if it is His will. He writes: “…then the wills are not the same, and if they have two wills, then Jesus could not be God.”³ Our Rabbi friend forgets that Jesus was letting the Father know that if He was thinking about sparing His only Son the agony of suffering and death He would abide by His Father’s decision. However, He knew what the Father wanted and so He pledged to do what the Father had sent Him to do. In other words, Jesus was sure His Father would not change His mind.

But why a cup? The drinking of a lethal substance by one’s own hand has been a method of suicide for ages. But Christ was not taking His own life nor was He being involuntarily killed. Drinking the cup that contained a fatal substance became a symbol of voluntarily dying for the cause. He was not at the mercy of a superior force. He willingly forfeited his own life knowing at the time He had to make a last minute choice between saving Himself or saving the world. So the question may be asked: when did He drink the potion, thereby passing the point of no return?

When Peter brandished the sword, Christ admonished him and said that He could have called for help from multiple angelic legions had He wanted to. But this would have been a forced deliverance. Much like submitting to a stomach pump after you’ve swallowed the poison. I think that within seconds after Christ said, “Nevertheless, not My will but Your will be done,” He drank the bitter cup, and prepared to go on to His death without ever looking back.

NOTE: In the Jewish Mishnah we find a description of the duties of the high priest leading up to the Day of Atonement. In reading this we can see how Jesus fulfilled this duty as our High Priest just days prior to His death and sacrifice. “Seven days before Yom Kippur they seclude the High Priest from his home to the chamber of the officials [since it is only the High Priest who performs the Yom Kippur service he is secluded within the Temple confines to assure that he does not become defiled and disqualified.” In other words, he does no work. We find that the last miracle Jesus performed was the healing of the two blind men as they were leaving Jericho on their way to Jerusalem (See Matthew 20:29-34). It also says, “If he was a scholar he would lecture [the entire night] but, if not, scholars would lecture before him.” In Matthew Chapters 21 through 25, we find where our Lord spent quite a bit of time teaching about the anticipation of the return of the Messiah. It goes on to say, “Throughout the seven days they did not withhold from him food or drink even those kinds that may cause emissions. But on the eve of Yom Kippur near nightfall, they would not allow him to eat a lot because food induces sleep and he is not allowed to sleep the night of Yom Kippur.” From the time they left the meal with Simon the Leper in Bethany (See Ch. 26:6-7), our Lord did not eat again until He ate with His disciples. And then He did not eat very much. The high priest was also prevented from sleeping. Says the Mishnah, “If he wanted to sleep, young priests would snap their middle finger before him and say: My Master the High Priest, stand up once on the cold floor and drive away the sleep and they would keep him busy until the time of the slaughter of the daily morning offering.” We know that from the time Jesus at the last supper until He was led off to Calvary, he did not sleep. There were times when He was slapped in the face, just like the high priest lest he falls asleep.⁴

Verses 40-41: Then He went back to His followers and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Could you men not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against the temptation to give up. Your spirit wants to do what is right, but your body is weak.”

Some people have criticized these apostles for not being alert and steadfast as they waited for their Master to finish His prayer. But we must remember, they had been up all day, and after their last supper with Jesus had gone over to the Mount of Olives. So this incident took place some time after midnight. It is no cause for wonderment why Jesus spoke directly to Peter here. Just minutes before he had declared loyalty to the death. Now here in the peace and quiet of the garden he falls asleep. How often, in the heat of persecution and impending disaster we pledge our life’s allegiance to the Master, only to either fall asleep during the lull or ultimately deny Him before His persecutors. Peter’s actions should not surprise us.

We should not fault the disciples too severely, because there are other instances of persons in excessive grief and trouble falling asleep, as Elijah,⁵ and Jonah,⁶ so that this did not arise from a secure, lazy, indolent frame of spirit; or from any disregard to Christ, and neglect of him, and lacking in concern for Him; but from their great sorrow of heart; for, the trouble and distress that He was in, added to the causes above mentioned. How many Christians have you heard stand up in the heat and fervor of revival and proclaim their loyalty to God, to the Bible, and to their Lord Jesus Christ, only to be found guilty of diminishing ardor when at their workplace or among friends at a social event?

Verse 42: Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if I must do this and it is not possible for me to escape it, then I pray that what you want will be done.”

The same thing that incapacitated Peter’s fidelity to Christ often renders us helpless in times of trial, and that is we lose faith in ourselves, but do not have enough faith in Christ to overcome it. How different the attitude of the second man Adam. The first Adam wanted to do his own will, here Jesus prays to the Father, “Your will be done.” This self-will was the beginning of sin and still remains its main cause today. But if sin imprisoned mankind through the disobedience of self-will, in the beginning, man can be freed from sin through Christ who sacrificed His own self-will on the altar of God’s will. Whenever we are confronted with sin and the temptation to do things our way instead of God’s way, the altar of God’s will is always ready to give us the same victory won by of our Lord Jesus Christ’s willing sacrifice.

John Keats (1795-1821), an English poet, was focusing on two scenes painted on a Sosibios vase, and penned these lines at the end his ode to that urn: “When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, – that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”¹

Although this renown romantic poet was giving praise to this piece of Greek pottery he made the ethical point, that the beauty of truth rests in the fact that it will outlast all of the discord and cynical thoughts of mankind who dispute reality and have only distrust for those who think differently than they do.

This is so true when it comes to God’s Word. Atheists, agnostics, and unbelievers have rejected the Bible as a source of wisdom and truth for centuries. But what is so disconcerting, is that we live in an era when not only have many believers left their Bibles unopened laying on their nightstands or stuffed in a drawer, but a number of ministers no longer believe it is relevant to modern society and therefore have written their own bibles to preach from.

Jesus foresaw this development because He echoes the words of the wise young Psalmist who said: “Your eternal Word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven forever,”² when gave this promise to His disciples and all who would come to follow Him: “Heaven and earth will become obsolete, but My words will never become obsolete.”³

That’s why we look at the cross instead of an ancient urn and see the wonder of God’s love displayed in the dying Lamb of God, the one who is called the Way, the Truth, and the Life, giving Himself so that we who were destined to die might instead receive the gift of everlasting life and say: How beautiful is the Truth, yes, the Truth is beautiful, and that’s all we have been given to know, and all we will ever need to know. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

WHAT IS AN AMERICAN?

Before the recent presidential election, the leader of ISIS put out the word for their savages to kill Americans all around the world, in any country. This is not new, it has happened before. In fact, some fourteen years ago, Peter Ferrara, an associate professor of law at the George Mason University School of Law in Northern Virginia published an article in the National Review on September 25, 2001, two weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. He wanted the savages to know what an American was so they would know what to look for in order to find one.

Characteristics of an American: An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may, also, be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may, also, be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navajo, Apache, or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian, or he or she could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that, he will answer only to God, not to the government, nor to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each man and woman to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

Americans welcome the best ~ the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes. But they also welcome the least. One national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes “your tired, your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest-tossed.” These, in fact, are the people who built America. Some of them were working in The Twin Towers the morning of September 11, earning a better life for their families.

I’ve been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 other countries and cultures with first languages other than English including those countries of the 9/11 terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler tried. So did General Tojo, Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world. But, doing so would be futile because Americans are not a particular race or ethnicity of people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit and ideology of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. Everyone who holds to that spirit and ideology, everywhere, is an American.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part XII

We also find some interesting information in Jewish literature on the subject of the rooster crowing. In the Jewish Mishnah, we are told that on all other days they removed the ashes from the altar at the first crowing of the rooster, or near to it, but on the Day of Atonement, it started at midnight, and the high priest was responsible for making it happen.¹ And in the Babylonian Talmud, it speaks of roosters crowing twice and sometimes thrice.² So the rooster crowing played a role in the fact that Jesus was ending His mission as a Prophet. He was about to become the High Priest who would sprinkle His own blood on the altar in the Holy of Holies,³ before He ascended to be at the right hand of the Father to await the day when He would return as KING of Kings.

Verse 35: But Peter answered, “I will never say I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.”

Now Peter is on the defensive. It’s almost as though he took Jesus’ statement that he would not live up to his vow as a challenge. So it would be up to him to prove his Master wrong. Not only do we know that he failed, but failed miserably. But we also find out that it led him to repentance and gave him a renewed resolve to be more dedicated and committed to his Lord with unconditional love and loyalty. So if or when you also may find yourself unable to live up to your expectations and must admit failure, don’t take it as a defeat. Let that stumbling block become a stepping-stone to greater things in your life that will honor and bring glory to your Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Verses 36-37a: Then Jesus went with His followers to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I go there and pray.” He told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with Him.

Gethsemane is a garden that lies at the foot of the Mount of Olives alongside the Kidron brook. It is a level plot of ground of some fifty-seven square yards, where several old olive trees still stand today. It has been identified as the spot to which our Lord often retreated for prayer before His impending arrest. In Jewish and European documents we find many stories and things said about Gethsemane.

As a matter of fact, a German traveler and writer named Hiob Ludolph went to Ethiopia, learned the language and compiled a lexicon. In it, he shared that according to Ethiopian tradition, Mary the mother of Jesus was buried in Gethsemane.⁴ The term “Gethsemane” was translated in the Münster Hebrew version of the New Testament as “valley of olives.” St. Jerome, who spent 30 years in a cave under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem translating the Scriptures from Hebrew into Latin, says that while he was there the people referred to Gethsemane as a “very fertile valley.”⁵ Others, however, point out that it is a compound word in Hebrew, made up of “gat” = press, and “shemen” = oil, which combines for “gatshemene,” meaning: “oil press.” It is easy to see how this was eventually rendered in English as “Gethsamane.”

In Jewish writings, where the Temple compound was being described, it says, “…as to the south-western [portion], Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said: I forget what its use was, while Abba Saul said: There they put wine and oil and it used to be called the Cell of the House of Oils.”⁶ This is where they stored their wine and oil for temple service. This would then suggest that at, or near this place, was a very public olive press, where they squeezed the olives to extract the oil in them, which they gathered in great quantity from off the Mount of Olives; at the foot of which this place was; and a very significant place it was for our Lord to go to at this time, when He was about to be squeezed in the winepress of God’s wrath against sin, so the resulting flow would become the substance for cleansing and the balm for healing. Apparently, it was not a place unfamiliar to the disciples. This is verified by the fact that Judas Iscariot knew exactly where to go to find Jesus.

Verse 37b-38: Then He became very heavyhearted and troubled, and Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, “My heart is so burdened with grief, I feel as if I am dying. Wait here and stay awake with me.”

This time our Lord wanted to be alone to pray, so after Peter, James, and John sat down He walked on a little further. I’m sure the three disciples could see that He was struggling with grief, almost to the point of thinking He may pass out. So just in case He became too distraught, He asked them to stay awake until He was finished praying. It doesn’t appear that our Lord went out of sight because the disciples were able to report later that they saw Him fall face down on the ground, and no doubt heard Him cry out to His heavenly Father.

Early church bishop Hilary had this to say about our Lord’s sudden grief: “When we read that the Lord was sad, we must examine everything that was said to find out why He was sad. He previously warned that they would all fall away. Brimming with confidence, Peter responded that even though all the others might be alarmed, he would not be moved—he who the Lord predicted would deny knowing Him three times.‘⁷ In fact, Peter and all the other disciples promised that even in the face of death they would not deny Him.⁸ He then proceeded on and ordered His disciples to sit down while He prayed.⁹ Having brought with Him Peter, James, and John, He began to grieve. Before He brought them along with Him, He did not feel sad. It was only after they had accompanied Him that He grew exceedingly sad. His sadness thus arose not from Himself but from those whom He had taken with Him. It must be realized that the Son of man brought with Him only those whom He showed that He would come into His kingdom at that time when, in the presence of Moses and Elijah on the mountain, He was surrounded by all the splendor of His eternal glory. But the reason for bringing them with Him both then and now was the same.”¹⁰

Verse 39: Then Jesus went on a little farther away from them. He fell face first to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, don’t make me drink from this cup. But do what you want, not what I want.”

In recorded Jewish verbal traditions we find the subject of posturing for prayer discussed. It says: “Kidah [bowing] is upon the face, as it says: Then Bath-Sheba bowed with her face to the ground. Keri’ah [kneeling] is upon the knees, as it says: From kneeling on his knees, prostration is spreading out of hands and feet, as it says: Should I and your mother and your brethren come to prostrate ourselves before you on the ground.¹¹”¹²

Then another Rabbi explains: “Prostration, what is implied? After one lifts his head from the fifth bow, he sits on the ground, falls with his face towards the earth, and utters all the supplications that he desires. ‘Kneeling’ always refers to [falling to] one’s knees; ‘bowing,’ to bending over on one’s face; and ‘prostration,’ to stretching out on one’s hands and feet until he lies flat with his face on the ground.”¹³ And Rabbi Simeon concludes: “Happy is he who attains union with the Divine, for then his prayers rise on high and return with the blessings from the mansion symbolized by prostration of the face upon the ground at the time of prayer, an attitude by which we supplicate that judgment may be tempered with mercy as it is written, ‘He is a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.‘¹⁴”¹⁵

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part XI

Verse 32: “But after I am killed, I will rise from death. Then I will go up into Galilee. I will be there before you get there.”

Now the Master puts a qualifier at the end of His portend of their forsaking Him in His hour of need. He tells them that they will meet again back in the familiar territory of Galilee. Not only that, but He says to them, I’ll get there before you do. This promise was promptly forgotten by the disciples in the midst of Christ’s other announcements. Later, at the tomb, He had to remind them again through Mary Magdalene. If they would have retained it and trusted in it, perhaps their faith would not have waned so fast. Therefore, since Christ has given us a promise that He will return to gather us together to be with Him forever. Let us learn from this incident that He is true to His word.

Chrysostom has this to say about the effect of this promise: “Jesus does not permit them to become sorrowful but immediately says, ‘But after I have risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.’ For He does not immediately appear from heaven on a single occasion and then depart to a distant country. Rather, He promises to come in resurrected form to the same nation in which He had also been crucified, and nearly to the same place. All this was to give complete assurance that He had indeed been crucified and that He indeed rose again, thereby to comfort them more abundantly when in sorrow. Therefore also He specified “to Galilee,” in order that being freed from the fears of the Jews they might believe His saying. This is why He indeed appeared there.”¹

Most of us have had the experience of someone texting or calling us saying: “I’ll be waiting for you at the entrance of the restaurant, or I’ll wait for you to meet me at their office.” So we start our journey fully expecting to see them standing at the entrance or sitting in their when we arrive. This is basically what Jesus was saying to His disciples. He wanted to meet them in Galilee to tell them about His plans of going back to the Father. That He would be gone for awhile, but they should not worry, He will be back. You would think this would have given the disciples all the faith and confidence they needed to endure and cope with His crucifixion and death. But unfortunately, it did not turn out that way.

Verse 33: Peter answered, “All the other followers may lose their faith in you. But my faith will never be shaken.”

But Peter, “The Rock”, as Jesus called him, wanted his Lord to know that he would not allow his Master make this journey alone. This strong fisherman wanted to impress Jesus with his promise that nothing would keep him from being there when He needed him. So Peter blurts out both his oath of loyalty and a simultaneous indictment of the other disciples for not having the courage to do the same. We are not told how they reacted, but we do find out that Jesus was not fooled. Perhaps our Lord had these words of Solomon flash through His mind: “You might call many people your ‘friends,’ but it is hard to find someone who can really be trusted.”²

Early church scholars have a number of opinions on what happened here. For instance, Origen writes: “The other disciples only fell away from Jesus, but Peter, who thought that he could begin with deceit and end up with the truth, both fell away from Jesus and also denied Him because of the audacious promise he made that he would never fall away. It was not only out of carelessness but almost also out of vileness that he said, ‘Even if all fall away because of you, I will not fall away.’ He made a rash promise because he did not know the deceitfulness of human nature. This is why Peter didn’t simply fall away from Jesus or even deny him once but abandoned Him so completely that he denied him three times.”³

I doubt that Jesus felt insulted by Peter’s prattle on unconditional loyalty because He knew this brash and bold fisherman was earnest and really planned to carry out his oath of allegiance. But, no doubt all of us have heard the old saying spawned by the writings of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1150 AD): “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Origen then goes on to say: “It seems to me that Jesus’ other disciples had the foresight and wisdom (when it was first said ‘you will fall away because of me tonight’) not to profess that they would never fall away, for they saw the truth of Jesus’ prediction. But because only to Peter alone was it said, ‘Truly I tell you, before the cock crows you will deny me three times,’ they eventually promised along with Peter, ‘Even if we have to die with you, we will not deny you.’ The difference between Peter and the other disciples is this: Peter did not acquiesce even after Jesus prophesied that he would deny Him three times before the cock crowed. The others, however, who were not included in this prophecy or in things said only to Peter, responded with a promise which did not seek to make a liar out of the Lord, as Peter’s promise did.”⁴

Early church scholar Chrysostom had this view: “Peter then spoke confidently and elevated himself above the rest by saying, ‘Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.’ It may be that in some degree his bravado sprang from jealousy. For at the supper, they were all talking about which one of them was the greater. This passion for recognition was still troubling them. Therefore, Jesus resisted Peter, not compelling him to a future denial—God forbid! But He left him destitute of His help, convicting human nature.”⁵

To put Chrysostom’s statement another way, we might say that if you make a promise or vow to God that even you are not sure you can keep, and later on it is proven that it was not obtainable, then don’t expect God to demand that you keep your oath. Such promises depend on your strength and commitment alone. So don’t blame your heavenly Father when what you pledge out of jealousy, pride, or even anger does not come to fruition. You made it, so you must live with its success or failure. That’s what happened to Peter.

Verse 34: Jesus answered, “The truth is, tonight you will say you don’t know me. You will deny me three times before the rooster crows.”

Was Christ’s prediction of Peter’s pending denial derived from the fact that Christ foresaw this incident or was this a pronouncement on the part of our Lord in order to prove an eternal point? Owing to Peter’s personality, temperament and nature, both what he said here and what happened later were typical of Peter’s tendencies. The spontaneity with which Christ responded to Peter’s statement of commitment leads me to believe that Jesus foresaw what was inevitable, based on His spending the past three years with Peter.

Therefore, Peter would have denied Christ anyway, even if it had not been predicted it beforehand. This gives us a glimpse into the foreknowledge of God. He didn’t have to vacillate on where Jesus was going to be born; He didn’t need to take a chance on whether or not Jesus would die on a cross, God knows every option at play in every set of circumstances to the point that He can look out into the future and see where we will be and what will be at any given point in our lives. Should this frighten us? No, it should encourage us to believe when He said He will never leave us or forsake us.⁶

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part X

Early church scholar Cyril gives us his commentary on this portion of Matthew. He writes: “The disciples were not merely confused; rather the matter greatly disturbed them, and the knowledge of this mystery was hard to grasp. How could one be raised from the dead, or one with countless wonders done on behalf of the people be handed over to death and dishonor? Yet this agrees with what the prophet said: ‘Strike the shepherd.’¹ David also says to the Father, ‘Therefore those whom you struck, they will persecute.’² However, not all this occurred at the will of the Father; He did not desire for Him [the Son] to suffer, if only the Jews would have accepted Him. So one cannot say He willed a murder. The Father consented with the Son’s choice to suffer this. So it is written that the Father struck ‘the shepherd.’ He permitted Him to suffer yet had the power to prevent the suffering. Something like this is at work in the passage that says Pilate was ‘over’ Christ. ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above,’³ that is, ‘if the Father had not permitted me to suffer.”⁴

However, I think bishop Cyril misses an important point. Jesus was sent to die whether the Jews believed in Him or not. In fact, those who did believe had their faith strengthened when He rose from death and ascended to the Father with a promise to return so they could be where He was going. Had the Jews accepted Him and Jesus would have considered His mission finished. Then, even they would have been cheated out of having the possibility of singing that grand old hymn by Alfred Ackley: “I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say.” . . . “He lives, He lives. Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.”

Verse 30: They all sang a song and then went out to the Mount of Olives.

Here is one of the first references to Jesus singing. I’m sure He did that more than once, but on this occasion, it was part of the ceremony. Using my own imagination I can see and hear the disciples singing the hymn by Robert Lowry: “What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Or one of my favorites by Andre Crouch: “The blood that Jesus shed for me way back on Calvary, oh the blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.”

However, Jewish tradition tells us that as part of the Passover liturgy, special hymns were sung from the Hallel Psalms (meaning “Praise Psalms”), consisting of Psalms 113-118. Looking at these Psalms, imagine if you can, Jesus singing the following lines: “Death’s ropes were around me. The grave was closing in on me. I was worried and afraid. Then I called on the Lord’s name. I said, ‘Lord, save me!’ LORD, you saved my soul from death. You stopped my tears. You kept me from falling. I will continue to serve the Lord in the land of the living. What can I give the Lord for all that he has done for me? He saved me, so I will give Him a drink offering, and I will call on the Lord’s name. Lord, I am your servant! Yes, I am your slave, as my mother was. You set me free from the chains of death. I will give you a thank offering. I will call on the Lord’s name.”⁵

Had He done so, it would have been more for the disciples than for Himself. And I am sure it would have become one of the favorite hymns of the apostolic church and beyond. But since we are told in the Jewish guide to the Passover meal⁶ that the Benediction Song is taken from Psalm 118. In reading this Psalm it comes across like the summary of Christ’s life. But as the meal came to a close these may have been the final words of their song: “LORD, you are my God, and I thank you. May God, I praise you! Praise the LORD because He is good. His faithful love will last forever.”⁷

Verse 31: Jesus told the followers, “Tonight you will all lose your faith in me. The Scriptures say, ‘I will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will run away.’”

With the supper over, the singing quieted down. Our Lord now gets to the real issue at hand. In His usual way, He offers the prophecy found in Zechariah 13:7 as a basis for what will happen next. This is not only uncanny but done on purpose. They may try and argue with Him, but they will be less disposed to argue with Scripture.

As on any subject, a perusal of the writings of Jewish scholars finds differing interpretations of just who Zechariah was referring to. Rabbi Solomon Jarchi indicates that “My shepherd” pertains to: “the one whom I appointed over the flock of My exile.”⁸ Meanwhile, Rabbi Isaac ben Abraham points to the king of the Ishmaelites or the Turks.⁹ However, Rabbi David Kimchi has this to say, “Rabbi Abraham Aben Ezra, has interpreted this prophecy of the great wars which will be in all the world in the days of the Messiah, the son of Joseph.¹⁰”¹¹ An earlier Rabbi, Isaac Abravanel, also believes that the shepherd in Zechariah 13:7 is speaking of Messiah, the son of Joseph.¹²

Jesus could have as easily quoted from Job, who said to his supposed friends, “I cannot depend on you, my brothers. You are like a stream that has no water when the weather is dry but is flooded when the rains come. In the winter, it is choked with ice and melting snow. But when the weather is hot and dry, the water stops flowing, and the stream disappears.”¹³

In his sermon on this text, Chrysostom writes: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away because of me.’ After this, He mentions a prophecy: ‘For it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”¹⁴ He was urging them to be attentive to what has been prophetically predicted of His death and resurrection, and at the same time, He wanted to make it plain that He was indeed crucified according to God’s purpose. All of this was to show that He was no alien from the old covenant or from the God who preached it. What was done in the Old Testament was a dispensation. All the prophets proclaimed all things beforehand from the beginning that are included in this salvation event. All this was to increase faith. And He teaches us to know what the disciples were before the crucifixion and what they did after the crucifixion. For indeed they who were not able so much as to stand their ground when He was crucified after His death became mighty and stronger than adamant.”¹⁵

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part IX

Some Jewish scholars see this anguish of the Messiah as, “…the suffering which must precede His coming.”¹ However, others accept it as the trials and suffering the Messiah would endure. After these hymns of praise, the participants lift their cups and say, “Blessed art thou, O Lord, God and King, who are mightily praised, God of thanksgivings, Lord of wonders, who chooses song and psalm, King, God, the life of the world.”² The fourth cup is consumed and then the meal concludes.

In one Jewish article on these four cups I found the following: “First Cup – God chose us to be His holy people. To accomplish this He promised to unburden us from our enemy’s entanglements. Second Cup – God teaches us that we cannot effect our own release and that in our helpless state we must trust in Him and in Him alone for our salvation. Third Cup – God further reveals to us that His sovereign work of salvation necessitates both divine power and payment. Our salvation would cost Him dearly, even the life of the Lamb. Fourth Cup – God lets us know that the redemption which is ours is still not fully complete. We must await the future with hope for Messiah’s coming, for He alone can transform us fully into the holy people He has ordained us to be.”³

I wonder how more meaningful it would be today for Christians to say these same things after each sip from the communion cup. The Eucharist in many churches has become – Let’s get this over with so we can get on with the service inconvenience. In one large church, since it is somewhat time-consuming and expensive to serve the Lord’s supper to the entire congregation, they have established a communion room where people can go and be given the cup and the bread individually at the opportune time. Since Jesus gave this to promote harmony among His followers, it’s hard to see how this can be done on a singular basis.

The apostle Paul adds something in his repeat of what happened here between Jesus and His disciples at the time of this meal. He says: “When supper was over, He did the same with the cup. He said, ‘This cup is the new promise made with my blood. Every time you drink from it, remember me’.”⁴ The KJV reads, “As oft as you do this.” This has given rise to the belief that it is to be done frequently. Jesus only did it once, but He knew that it was connected to the Passover Meal, which was once a year. Nevertheless, I accept that what pleases Him the most is not how often it is done, but that when it is done, it is done to remember what He did for all those who believe.

Verse 29: “I want you to know, I will not drink this wine again until that day when we are together in my Father’s kingdom and the wine is new. Then I will drink it again with you.”

Based on this, we can see that Matthew may be referring to the fourth cup in his recollection of the last supper. We must also note that Jesus then states that the wine inside represented His blood. All of those present were certainly aware of the original use of blood in establishing the old covenant. It is also interesting, that while Jesus equates the wine as a symbol of His blood, according to Jewish traditional teachings the wine at this supper was to be red.

In the Talmud, we read, “Rabbi Judah said: It must possess the taste and appearance of wine. Said Raba, What is Rabbi Judah’s reason? Because it is written, Look not thou upon the wine when it is red.”⁵ Jewish scholars say: “Thus it does not merit the name wine unless it has its appearance too.”⁶ This is because you cannot call it wine unless it is red, and the reason why red wine most fitly represented the blood sprinkled on the door-posts of the Israelites at Passover. So likewise the blood of Christ, shed for the remission of the sins of His people is red.

This leads us now to Moses: “Moses read the scroll with the special covenant written on it. He read the covenant so that all the people could hear him. And the people said, ‘We have heard the laws that the Lord has given us. And we agree to obey them.’ Then Moses held the bowls full of the blood from the sacrifices. He threw that blood on the people. He said, ‘This blood shows that the Lord has made a special covenant with you. The laws God gave you explain the covenant.‘”⁷

That must have gone through their minds as Jesus held up the cup to signify a new covenant with God through His blood. There is an additional factor concerning the blood that is given: “This is because the life of the body is in the blood. I have told you that you must pour the blood on the altar to purify yourselves. It is the blood that makes a person pure.”⁸ No wonder Jesus said that His blood was being poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

Furthermore, God gave the prophet Jeremiah a word about the new covenant that Jesus was introducing here, “This is what the Lord said, “The time is coming when I will make a new agreement with the family of Israel and with the family of Judah. It will not be like the agreement I made with their ancestors.”⁹ Then Jesus announces that this will be the last time He will use the wine of the old covenant to celebrate the new. The next time it will be the new wine of the new covenant.

At this point, the words given in Isaiah may have crossed our Lord’s mind, “But the Lord was pleased with this humble servant who suffered such pain. Even after giving himself as an offering for sin, he will see his descendants and enjoy a long life. He will succeed in doing what the Lord wanted. After his suffering, he will see the light, and he will be satisfied with what he experienced.”¹⁰ This verse gives weight to the theory that Christ was inaugurated and God’s kingdom established after His resurrection.

His statement, then, that some of them would not taste death until they saw this happen, is taken by some scholars as the time between His resurrection and His ascension, not to His second coming. We can see this born out when Jesus joined two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Some scholars also point out that by Jesus leaving the city with His disciples, He was violating the canon. However, in the Jewish verbal tradition, there are no unified agreements on this, as we see in the discussion between Rabbi Judah and others about spending the night in Jerusalem.¹¹

There was more than one reason by our Lord chose to go to the Mount of Olives after the meal. This was the place where the high priest stood and burned the red heifer, and sprinkled its blood. The Jewish Mishnah states, “All the walls there were high, save only the eastern wall because the High priest that burns the Red Heifer and stands on the top of the Mount of Olives should be able to look directly into the entrance of the Sanctuary when the blood is sprinkled.”¹² Could it also be that from Calvary’s brow Jesus was able to look across and see the Temple glowing in the dark? Perhaps this was why He cried out on the cross with such passion, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”¹³

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Part VIII

Verse 26: As they continued eating, Jesus took some flatbread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to His followers and said, “Take this bread and eat it. It is my body.”

This verse suggests that the Lord and His disciples had started eating sometime before this incident took place. As a matter of fact, in verse 21 we find they had already been eating. We can see what the Jews said concerning the meal that only included the flatbread. Rabbi Maimonides says this: “At present, one eats a small piece of matzah and does not taste anything afterwards, so that, after the completion of the meal, the taste of the meat of the Paschal sacrifice or the matzah will [remain] in one’s mouth, for eating them is the mitzvah.”¹

During the regular Seder meal, three flat loaves of matzah bread were laid one on top of each another. The black threads on the matzah represent the stripes the Israelites received as slaves in Egypt. Matthew tells us that Jesus thanked God for the bread, just like He did the five flatbreads and two fish.² According to Jewish custom, after lifting up the bread, the host of the meal then offers this prayer, “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the eating of unleavened bread.”³

Pictures of the three pieces of Matzah used in the Seder meal.

We are not told by Matthew if our Lord prayed this exact prayer verbatim seeing that He was praying to His own Father in asking God’s blessing on this bread for His disciples. But our Lord does follow the custom of not breaking the bread until it is blessed. In the Babylonian Talmud, we read, “The law is as laid down by Raba, that one says the blessing first and afterward breaks the loaf.”⁴ In his instructions on the eating of the bread, Rabbi Maimonides adds: “The host should recite the blessing “hamotzi.” When he completes the blessing, he should break bread.”⁵

Another aspect we should mention is that this bread was called the “Bread of Affliction.” And since Jesus mentioned that it represented His body, we can see how the two are melded together. As a matter of fact, Rabbi Maimonides makes this observation: “…he recites the blessing: ‘Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us regarding the eating of the Paschal sacrifice,’ and eats from the body of the Paschal sacrifice.”⁶ In other words, even though Jesus was holding the bread, He said that it represented His body. And that body is none other than the body of the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the death angel to pass over us because our bondage to sin and slavery has been broken and we are free to live and worship our God and King.

Verses 27-28: Then He took a cup of wine, thanked God for it, and gave it to them. He said, “Each one of you drink from it. This wine is my blood, which will be poured out to forgive the sins of many and begin the new agreement from God to His people.”

When our Lord took the cup and blessed it, the factors involved in which blessing our Lord cited all depends on which cup Matthew is talking about. In the Seder Meal, there are four cups which are raised. A fifth is also raised called the “Cup of Elijah,” but it is not consumed. The four cups are tied to God’s promises: “I am Adonai. I will release you (cup one), from the forced labor of the Egyptians, I will rescue you (cup two) from their oppression, and I will redeem you (cup three) with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will receive you (cup four) as my people, and I will be your God.”⁷

According to the Jewish Haggadah, the first cup is called the “Kiddush,” or “Sanctification.” This signifies the first part of Exodus 6:6, “ I am Adonai. I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians.” After the pouring of this cup the host recites Genesis 1:31-2:3, and then prays a prayer that begins, “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, creator of the fruit of the vine.”⁸ After this first cup is consumed while reclining, then the host takes the middle loaf of the three matzah loaves and breaks it in two. He hides the one-half to be searched for later. Since Matthew has indicated that Jesus already broke the bread, then this cup he is referring to here must be the second cup.

The second cup is called the “Cup of Deliverance.” This reflects the second part of Exodus 6:6, “I will rescue you from their oppression.” As the cup is raised the participants recite a blessing. The part that I like goes as follows, “Then shall we give thanks to You with a new song, for our redemption and the liberation of our soul. Blessed art thou, O Lord, Redeemer of Israel.” Then the prayer, “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, keeper of the fruit of the vine,”⁹ is said before the second cup is consumed in the reclining position. If in fact, this is what Jesus said, I’m sure the disciples were reminded of what Jesus told them before: “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener.”¹⁰

The third cup that is poured is called the “Cup of Redemption.” This relates to the last part of Exodus 6:6, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” The blessing that is said at this time is for the food that was already eaten. Today we call this “Table Grace.” It is important to notice that such grace is said “after” the meal. The Host begins by saying, “Gentlemen, let us say the blessing.” Then the participants’ reply, “May the Name of the Lord be blessed from now unto eternity.” The host then says, “Let us bless Him our God of whose food we have eaten.” The participants follow with, “Blessed be He our God of whose food we have eaten and through whose goodness we live.” The third cup is then consumed while reclining.¹¹

Finally, comes the fourth cup. The fourth cup poured is called the “Cup of Hope.” This cites Exodus 6:7a, “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God.” After the cup is filled the Hallēl¹² from Psalm 115 is then recited. I like the way it begins, “Not to us, Adonai, not to us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your grace and truth.” This is followed by Psalms 116-118. We note that even the Jewish rabbis saw the suffering of the Messiah in these psalms. In the Talmud we read, “Now since there is the great Hallēl, why do we recite this one? Because it includes a mention of the following five things: The exodus from Egypt, the dividing of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah, the resurrection of the dead, and the anguish of Messiah.”¹³

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), British writer and author of “A Dictionary of the English Language” published in 1755 also wrote a tale about Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia in Ethiopia, who was talking to his friend, the astronomer, Imlac, as they looked into the night sky. He told him that he considered their long friendship as one of the greatest blessings of his life. And then the Prince said this: “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.¹ He then informed his friend that he saw in him all the qualities needed for trust, such as kindness, experience, and fortitude. My, what an endorsement!

I read once where someone wrote: “Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It is not just related to honesty but encompasses the entire range of moral values and also includes the strength to stand firmly to protect these values, morals, and principles. However, the moment we are born, the first thing we acquire is knowledge and not integrity.” As we know, survival is based on our knowledge and how we apply it to everyday life. But as Samuel Johnson points out, what good does it do to possess something vital to our lives if it is empty of ethics and virtues?

Someone may claim to be the smartest person in the world, but if they use their knowledge for all the wrong purposes, it can be dangerous and fearful for those around them. Likewise, a Christian may have extensive knowledge of God’s Word, if they place no thought or value on how they apply it to themselves or others, it will lead to confusion and dissension. So, not only should we learn what God’s Word means, but what He meant when He said it. As Publilius Syrus, the ancient Latin writer of proverbs once said: “What is left when honor is lost?” – Dr. Robert R Seyda