Matthew 26:1-46

There are a lot a failures in this passage:

• The failure of the priests to recognize their Messiah
• The failure of Judas to follow and support his teacher and Lord
• The failure of the disciples to stand up for Jesus (predicted)
• The failure of Peter live up to his commitment (predicted)
• The failure of mankind to live for God

The last one is the reason for the foreshadowing during the Passover meal. Jesus uses the bread and the wine as metaphors for His upcoming death on the cross for our sins. Of course it’s not automatic; we must confess our sins and believe in order to be forgiven!

There are warnings here for disciples too. We will all face difficulties in life. After all, Jesus did! And He faced them with grace when He prayed, “not what I will, but what You will.” Can we face them with that grace? With the understanding that God does allow bad things to happen for a purpose? Can we also stand up for God even though bad things happen, either because of our faith or just because life can be hard? Or will we find ourselves denying our Lord and Savior? We would do well to remember that Jesus was willing to endure the worst thing ever so that we could be saved.