Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
April 10, 2002
Introduction
Jesus is in the last week of His life. He has made His triumphant entry
into Jerusalem. The people were calling Him a king as they shouted “Hosanna”,
or, “Save us now”. When He entered town, the first thing He did was to clear
out the moneychangers from the temple. He said that God’s House was to be a
House of Prayer, but they had made it a “den of thieves”.
Then Jesus began to teach the people every day in the temple. The crowds
were gathering to hear this preacher from Galilee. It’s some time between Palm
Sunday and Thursday night, when Jesus would hold the “Last Supper” and
celebrate Passover.
:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks,
and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
shall be betrayed – paradidomi
– to give into the hands (of another); to give over into (one’s) power or
use; to deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged,
tormented, put to death; to deliver up treacherously; by betrayal to cause one
to be taken
parents – goneus –
fathers, parent, the parents
kinsfolks – suggenes – of
the same kin, akin to, related by blood; in a wider sense, of the same nation,
a fellow countryman
friends – philos – friend,
to be friendly to one, wish him well
cause to be put to death – thanatoo
– to put to death
Jesus said that we might at times be hurt by those who are closest to us.
King David knew what it was like to be betrayed.
One of David’s oldest sons, Absalom, rebelled against David.
Absalom had been offended by his father when Absalom’s sister, Tamar, had
been raped by another son of David’s, Amnon.
David had done nothing about the rape.
Absalom had turned around and treacherously killed his brother Amnon in
revenge. Later, Absalom would
sweet-talk his way into the peoples’ hearts, and eventually lead a rebellion
against David. One of Absalom’s chief
allies was Athithophel.
(2 Sam
15:12 KJV) And Absalom sent for Ahithophel
the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he
offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased
continually with Absalom.
Ahithophel was one of David’s closest and wisest counselors. He was so wise that when you talked with
him, it was like getting counsel from God Himself.
(2 Sam
16:23 KJV) And the counsel of
Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at
the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and
with Absalom.
There’s a little more to Ahithophel than just being a “counselor”.
One of David’s “mighty men” was named Eliam. He was the son of Ahithophel.
(2 Sam
23:34 KJV) Eliphelet the son of
Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
There is only one other place where Eliam is mentioned in
Scripture, regarding the name of his daughter.
(2 Sam
11:3 KJV) And David sent and inquired
after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam,
the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
That would make Bathsheba Ahithophel’s granddaughter. Some have suggested, and I agree, that
Ahithophel might have soured on his friendship with David after David had
committed adultery with Bathsheba, then had her husband killed, and then tried
to cover it all up.
Both Absalom and Ahithophel had a problem with David. They both had legitimate grudges with
David. And they felt that their grudges
required them to rebel.
Solomon would later write,
(Prov
18:19 KJV) A brother offended is harder
to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a
castle.
We think that it is with this background that David wrote,
(Psa 41:5-10 KJV) Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he
die, and his name perish? {6} And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his
heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. {7}
All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my
hurt. {8} An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he
lieth he shall rise up no more. {9} Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I
trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. {10}
But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite
them.
The “familiar friend” is thought to have been Ahithophel.
Lesson
Don’t let your grudges turn you into
a Judas.
Judas? Where did you get the idea
of Judas?
Ahithophel was a prophetic picture of another betrayer to come. Jesus would quote from Psalm 41, saying that
it prophesied of one who would betray Him:
(John 13:18 KJV) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have
chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me
hath lifted up his heel against me.
The word “betrayed” (vs.16, paradidomi) is Judas’ word. It is used in the following verses:
Mt 10:4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who
also betrayed him.
Mt 17:22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said
unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
Mt 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the
Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes,
and they shall condemn him to death,
Mt 26:2 Ye know that after two days is [the feast
of] the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
(Mat 26:14-16 KJV) Then one of the twelve, called Judas
Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, {15} And said unto them, What will ye
give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him
for thirty pieces of silver. {16} And from that time he sought opportunity to
betray him.
(Mat 26:20-25 KJV) Now when the even was come, he sat down with
the twelve. {21} And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one
of you shall betray me. {22} And they were exceeding sorrowful, and
began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? {23} And he answered
and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall
betray me. {24} The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that
man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if
he had not been born. {25} Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and
said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
(Mat 26:45-49 KJV) Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith
unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and
the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. {46} Rise, let us
be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. {47} And while he
yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude
with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. {48}
Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall
kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. {49} And forthwith he came to Jesus, and
said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
If we’re not careful, we can become like Ahithophel or Absalom. We can have a legitimate problem with
someone and even be able to rally people around us who realize that there’s a
problem. But God’s way is to go to the
person you have a problem with and resolve the problem.
You may find that there really isn’t a problem. Maybe you just misunderstood.
It could be that the other person might be able to see their problem and
change.
Lesson
Jesus understands betrayal.
We get the mistaken idea that Judas was the disciple with a red bandana
around his head, wearing the black leather robe, spikes and chains around his neck, riding a Harley. That’s not the correct picture at all.
Jesus loved Judas.
If you study the events in John 13, around the table at the Last Supper,
you discover that John was seated on Jesus’ left, and Judas was seated on
Jesus’ right, the place of honor.
Even though Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, He NEVER let on to the
other disciples about it. In fact at
the Last Supper, when Jesus was AGAIN telling the disciples that He would be
betrayed by one of them, they didn’t all whisper and point to Judas, instead …
(Mat 26:21-22 KJV) And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say
unto you, that one of you shall betray me. {22} And they were exceeding
sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
Jesus understands what it’s like to be betrayed by someone you love.
(Heb 2:18 NLT) Since he himself has gone through suffering
and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.
(Heb 4:15-16 NLT) This High Priest of ours understands our
weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.
{16} So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will
receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.
So come to Him and ask Him to help you.
:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
ye shall be hated – miseo –
to hate, pursue with hatred, detest; to be hated, detested
Not hated because we’re obnoxious, but because we’re Christians.
Lesson
Warning to people-pleasers
Some of us like to live our lives in a way so that we please others.
This can get us into trouble sometimes.
Sometimes we face a choice of being true to Jesus, or pleasing people.
We need to be true to Jesus.
Illustration
Martin Luther wrote,
“If you perhaps look for praise and would sulk or quit
what you are doing if you did not get it--if you are of that stripe, dear
friend--then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way,
you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears. Affliction is
the best book in my library.”
-- Martin Luther, "Martin Luther--The Early
Years," Christian History, no. 34.
If we have the choice between affliction or making people
“pleased”, we need to learn to choose affliction.
Sometimes the very thing we are wanting, people to like us, doesn’t happen
even when we do everything they want.
Illustration
Pastor W. Frank Harrington writes,
“We hear about vox populi, the voice of the people,
but let me tell you that the voice of the people is a fickle voice. If you
don’t believe that, ask the relatives of Marvin Griffin. He ran for governor
against Carl Sanders. His strategy was to have great gatherings around
barbecued dinners all over the state of Georgia.
In the early ‘60s I went to Statesborough. His campaign
manager was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Hinesville. I was
deputized to say the prayer. Twelve thousand people gathered in Statesborough
to eat Marvin’s barbecue. But when the election was over, he had lost
decisively. He held a news conference in which he said, “They ate ol’ Marvin’s
barbecue, but they didn’t vote for me.””
-- W. Frank Harrington, "A Day of Applause,"
Preaching Today, Tape No. 175.
Henry Kissinger wrote about the difference between a “superstar” and a
“hero”
Illustration
Our age finds it difficult to come to grips with figures
like Winston Churchill. The political leaders with whom we are familiar
generally aspire to be superstars rather than heroes. The distinction is
crucial. Superstars strive for approbation; heroes walk alone. Superstars crave
consensus; heroes define themselves by the judgment of a future they see it as
their task to bring about. Superstars seek success in a technique for eliciting
support; heroes pursue success as the outgrowth of inner values.
The modern political leader rarely ventures to comment in
public without having tested his views on focus groups, if indeed he does not
derive them from a focus group. To a man like Churchill, the very concept of
focus groups would have been unimaginable.
Thus in the space of a generation, Churchill, the quintessential hero, has
been transformed from the mythic to the nearly incomprehensible.
-- Henry Kissinger in the New York Times Book Review,
from his review of Churchill, by Norman Rose (July 16, 1995). Christianity
Today, Vol. 39, no. 11.
The religious rulers of Jesus’ day faced the same issues. They didn’t want people to dislike them.
(John 12:42-43 KJV)
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of
the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue: {43} For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
hair – thrix – the hair of
the head
shall … perish – apollumi –
to destroy; to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin; to
kill; metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell; to perish, to
be lost, ruined, destroyed
Jesus has just said that some would be put to death. So He can’t be talking
about physical death here. Jesus is talking about eternal death, damnation in
hell.
Can’t touch a hair.
Illustration
HARE PRODUCTS
A man was blissfully driving along the highway, when he saw a rabbit
hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the bunny,
but unfortunately the rabbit jumped in front of his car and was hit. The
driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the
side of the road, and got out to see what had become of the bunny. Much to his
dismay, the bunny was dead. The driver felt guilty and began to cry. A woman
driving down the same highway saw the man crying on the side of the road and
pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong. “I
feel terrible,” he explained. “I accidentally hit the rabbit and killed him.
What should I do?” The woman told the man not to worry. She know exactly what
to do. She went to her car trunk, and pulled out a spray can. She walked over
to the limp dead bunny, and sprayed the entire contents of the can onto the
little furry animal. Miraculously the rabbit came back to life, jumped up,
waved its paw at the two humans and hopped on down the road. 50 yards away the
rabbit stopped, turned around, waved and hoped on down the road another 50
yards, turned waved, hopped another 50 yards and waved again! The man was
astonished. He said to the woman, “What in heaven’s name is in your spray can?”
The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label. It said:
“Hair Spray. Restores life to dead hair. Adds permanent wave.”
Lesson
Forever is secure
Though they may kill us physically, they can’t touch our eternity.
:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
patience – hupomone –
steadfastness, constancy, endurance; in the NT the characteristic of a man who
is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety
by even the greatest trials and sufferings; patiently, and steadfastly; a
patient, steadfast waiting for; a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance
possess ye – ktaomai – to
acquire, get, or procure a thing for one’s self, to possess; to marry a wife
(Luke 21:19 NLT) By standing
firm, you will win your souls.
Here’s a taste of the two positions in Scripture:
Verse 18 speaks of our security with Jesus. We have eternal security.
Verse 19 speaks of our responsibility to endure. We need to keep hanging on
to Jesus.
Lesson
Hang on
The book of Hebrews is primarily focused on encouraging Hebrew believers
who were going through tremendous persecution. It’s the thread that runs
through the whole book – “hang on”.
The writer talks about how his readers have been persecuted and have continued
to “hang on”.
(Heb
10:31-39 KJV) It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God. {32} But call to remembrance the
former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured (hupomone) a great fight of afflictions; {33} Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock
both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of
them that were so used. {34} For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took
joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in
heaven a better and an enduring (mone) substance. {35} Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath
great recompense of reward. {36} For ye have need of patience (hupomone), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise. {37}
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
{38} Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall
have no pleasure in him. {39} But we are not of them who draw back unto
perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
The righteous person (“the just”) is the one who continues to trust God, to
“have faith”. The writer then goes on
to define “faith” and give many, many examples of people who learned to trust
God, even though they didn’t see what God was doing. We call Hebrews 11 the “Hall of Faith”. And then we read:
(Heb
12:1-4 NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of
witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us
down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run
with endurance (hupomone) the race that God has set before us. {2} We do this by keeping our
eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing
to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his
afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne
in heaven. {3} Think about all he endured (hupomone) when sinful people did such terrible things to
him, so that you don't become weary and give up. {4} After all, you have not
yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. Hold on.
Let the “tough times” be the thing that makes you cling tightest to God.
Illustration
The Best Position To Pray Is..
Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for
prayer. A telephone repairman who was working nearby happened to overhear the
conversation. “Kneeling is definitely best,” claimed the first minister. “No,”
the second pastor contended. “I get the best results standing with my hands
outstretched toward Heaven.” “You’re both wrong,” the third preacher insisted.
“The most effective prayer position is lying prostate, face down on the floor.”
The repairman could contain himself no longer. “Hey, fellas,” he interrupted,
“the best prayin’ I ever did was hangin’ upside down from a
telephone pole after my safety strap broke.”