Matthew 26

May 10, 2009

T. Farnham

 

The Betrayal an Arrest of Christ (Messiah)

 

26:1-16  Bethany and the Woman with Alabaster Flask

“And when Yeshua (Jesus) was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper…”  As we know from Scripture, lepers were not permitted to live in the city (Lev. 13:46).  Since ancient Hebrew and Aramaic were written without vowels, there was no distinction between the Aramaic words GAR’BA (leper) and GARABA (jar maker or jar merchant).  Since this is story is of a woman that pours oil from a jar, it appears that Simon was a jar merchant or maker and not a leper.  We previous saw a translation issue with the “Ethiopian Eunuch” rather than “Ethiopian Holy-Man” which are the same letters without vowels. 

 

Passover

26:17- 29:  “And on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread…”  This appears to contradict with John 13:1 which says “on the day before.”  However the Hebrew word as first here is “roshown” which can mean before.   We saw when learning about Biblical Holy-Days and Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that it was common to meld Passover with Unleavened Bread in speaking about it since Passover was on the 14th of Abib followed the next day by Unleavened Bread for a week.  Commonly, the feast of Unleavened Bread included Passover as well when speaking of that particular Holy Day.   

 

Yeshua was in fact partaking of the Passover meal as required by the Torah (Ex. 12).  Although the written Torah gives few details, the Oral Torah fills in the gap with an elaborate ritual meal known as the Passover Sader.

 

The Sadar as we studied started with the first of four cups, the first being the “cup of blessing” and a ceremony called Kadaysh (prayer).  There is a ritual washing of the hands (Urchatz) (see John 13:5). 


This is followed by the ceremony know as Karpas, the dipping of parsley into salt water (bitter tears).

 

Then comes Yachatz, a ceremony in which three matzot( plural for Matzah or Unleavened Bread).  The middle-piece is taken away, broken in two, wrapped in a linen and hidden away, usually by a child, until the end of the meal. 

 

This is followed by the Magid, the ritual telling of the Passover story (told in response to four questions from a child).  Mt. 26:42; Lk. 22:42)

 

Then comes the second hand washing, the Rachatz.  This is followed by the Motzee (blessing over the bread) and the Mahar, the dipping of the Matzah into the bitter hers. (see Mt. 26:23; Mark 14:20; Jn. 13:26).

 

Next comes the ceremony of Koraych in which the Sader elements are eaten together as one.

 

Following this the meal is eaten after which the Tzahfun, the ceremony in which the broken half of the middle matzah which had been wrapped in linen is brought out, broken into small pices which as passed around and eaten.  These pieces are called the Afikomen and are eaten in memory of the Passover Lamb. (Mt. 26:26; Luke 22:19; Mk 14:22; 1Cor. 11:24). 

 

At this point the third cup of the Fruit of the Vine is drunk, the cup of redemption.  (Mt. 26:27-29; Luke 22:17-18;, 20; Mk. 14:23-25; 1 Cor. 11:25)

 

Finally comes the Hallel in which the fourth cup, the cup of praise, is consumed and the “Hallel” Psalms are read (Mt. 26:30; Mk. 14:26; Jn. 13:31).

 

26:24 “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” 

May be similar to the Mishna:  “And whoever has no concern for the glory of his Maker, would have been better off had he not been born.”  Hag. 2:1)

 

26:26 “Bread”

Some have argued that the use of “artuo” in the Greek NT proves that this was not a Passover Sader.  Artuo is a Greek word with a broad scope of meaning.  It can mean unleavened or leavened bread.  Aartuo is used for the Hebrew word “lechem” in the LXX Greek Tanak (Is. 65:25 for instance).  The traditional Shabbat meal prayer is: “Baruch ata YHWH, Eloheynu Melech ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min haarets.”  Blessed are you YHWH our Elohim, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.  At the Passover bread is called lechem, meaning unleavened bread rather than the usual leavened bread at the weekly Sabbath.

 

Praying

26:40-41 “And he…found them sleeping, and said…. Awake and pray, that you enter not into temptation…”  The word can mean either “awake” or “watch”.  Clearly the word here means “awake” since the disciples had been sleeping. 

 

Arrest and Blaspheme

26:59-75:  “…the Temple of El…the Power… the Chief Cohen (Priest / Levite) tore his garments, saying “He has blasphemed….”

The “Temple of El” in verse 61 never appears in the Tanak which generally has “Temple of YHWH”.  Also in verse 64 “The Power” is a common euphemism for YHWH which should appear based on the fact that this verse combines Ps. 110:1 with Dan. 7:13 where YHWH does appear in Ps. 110:1.  Could Yeshua habve been being accused of blasphemy for having used the phrase “Temple of YHWH” could he have aggravated and confirmed the charge by citing the Ps. 110:1 / Dan. 7:13 phrase with the name YHWH pronounced? 

 

The Mishnah (San. 7:5) sheds some insight

“He who blasphemes is liable only when he will have fully pronounced the Divine Name (YHWH).  R. Joshua ben Qorha, “on every day of the trial they examine the witnesses with a substitute name…. once the trial is over, they would not put him to death with the euphemism, but they put everyone out and ask the most important of the witnesses, saying to him, “Say what exactly did you hear?”  And he says what he heard.  And the judges stand on their feet and tear their clothings…. (m.San. 7:5)

 

We know that a charge of blasphemy required that the offender had “fully pronounced the Divine Name.”  It appears clear that Yeshua had been pronouncing the name of YHWH.  Normally at the end of the trial the room would have been emptied and the witness asked to repeat the “blasphemy” without the euphemism.  However in this case Yeshua surprised everyone.  He wanted his statement heard by all so he repeated one of his “Blasphemous” statements right there .  We know he used the actually name and not “the Power” euphemism because it was called “blasphemy” and would not have been unless Yeshua had fully pronounced the Divine Name YHWH as part of his “blasphemy” was clear from the phrase “the Chief Cohen (Levite/Priest) tore his garments” which agrees exactly with the halachah of the Mishnah “and the judges stand on their feet and tear their clothing….”

 

There is a good argument to be made that Yeshua (Jesus) was arrested for “blaspheming” and even verified it to the court for which the punishment was death.