Season 5 Podcast 45 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 A, “The Anointing.”

A New Voice of Freedom

Season 5 Podcast 45 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 A, “The Anointing.”

In the Book of Matthew, Chapter 25 contains the last teachings of Jesus through parables. In only two days he will be betrayed by Judas, and in a cold and calculating way the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders will conspire to crucify The Son of God.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26:1-5)

The Feast of the Passover celebrates the Israelite’s escape from the slavery of the Egyptians. The Children of Israel were commanded to kill a lamb.

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.” (Exodus 12:21)

And to mark above their door with lamb’s blood so that the Angel of Death would pass over them.

“​And ye shall offer that day when ​​ye wave the sheaf an he ​​​lamb​ without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the ​​Lord​​.” (Leviticus 23:12)

23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (Exodus 12:23)

Another unique feature of the slaughtered lamb is that no bone should be broken.

“In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” (Exodus 12:46)

The Passover is to begin on the fourteenth day of the first month.

“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover.” (Leviticus 23:5)

I like to think of it as early April because the dogwood is in full bloom, but that is as scientific and scholarly as I can get. True scholars get very technical. I do favor the argument of the astronomers because of the lunar eclipse.

Of course it is accompanied with the feast of unleavened bread. In Exodus 12:17 we read.

​​“And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.”

From the time of the Exodus the Children of Israel have celebrated the feast of the Passover. No one can accurately pinpoint the date of the Exodus, but they have celebrated the Passover somewhere between one thousand and fifteen hundred years. That has always been among their greatest festivals. And as recorded above in Matthew, Christ said to his apostles, “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” What moment in history can match this? From a perfectly human standpoint one can only be astonished at the Savior of the world’s equanimity hours away from suffering pain so intense that only the Son of God could endure it. He is unruffled. He fills every prophecy to the letter. As always, regardless of the circumstances, He is true to the end to the one principle that sets him apart from the world: “I must be about my Father’s business.”

Matthew 26 follows Christ’s footsteps up to the point of Peter’s denial. First we have the anointing of His burial.