Matthew 26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Pattern is prophecy. They did this to Jesus, who was the greater David. King David was betrayed to be crucified prior to him becoming King and that was a type and shadow of what would befall Jesus. Every word is important here, because the Feast days are a dress rehearsal for the real event. Paul tells us in Colossians 2 that the Feast days are prophetic. So not only do we know that Jesus will be betrayed the way king David was, we also know that this will take place on the Passover feast because He is the lamb of God, and we know that like a Passover Lamb He will be crucified so that His blood will be drained and poured out onto the mercy seat. Also, since pattern is prophecy, since that which has been is that which shall be, we also know the same thing will happen when Solomon becomes king.
3 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, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
King Saul assembled in his palace and consulted with his men on how to take David with subtilty. Then prior to Solomon becoming king Adonijah gathered his men into a banquet to consult how to seize the throne by subtilty before Solomon was crowned.
5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
The bottom line is that God is the one calling the shots, not the enemy. Jesus had to be crucified on Passover because He is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Meanwhile His return and the start of the seventieth week must be on the Feast of Trumpets because that feast announces His return and it is also the first day when the new oil can be offered up to God and it is also the starting day for a shemitah, a seven year period known as the seventieth week.
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
Matthew is general, doesn't name Judas by name, but ask yourself, who would be most offended by this? If Judas is the one stealing the money that is given to Jesus' ministry and this was a really big outpouring that he wasn't able to steal, we can conclude he would have been most offended. So why does Matthew tell us "the disciples" had indignation when we know it was Judas? We know that only Judas betrays Jesus, not the rest of the "disciples". But Judas is operating in the shadows, he talks to one disciple and says "too bad, we could have given that money to the poor" and then that disciple acts like a useful idiot saying out loud to Jesus "Why this waste?" The point is the one who is most vocal in being offended is likely just a useful idiot, not the one who is actually the traitor.
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
Do you see what is going on, the phrase "when Jesus understood it" meant they were murmuring among themselves and not speaking directly to Jesus.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Wow, do you understand this? The disciples who were murmuring about this and troubling the woman, blaming her for pouring out that ointment on the Lord, they were useful idiots. They didn't understand what was happening. But the woman did. The woman understood that Jesus was going to be crucified in two days. The gospels tell us that Jesus was telling the disciples this, but it also tells us that many of them were too dense to understand. However, this woman did hear it and did understand. Pouring out the ointment was proof she understood. This ointment was her dowry, it was the one thing she had that she could give to one person, and her hope and prayer was that she could make it count. Every one of us has a life. You want that life to count. You want it to mean something. You can join the army, you can be a teacher, you can try to be a rich businessman. Two thousand years ago there were millions of people, all deciding how they wanted to spend their life. How many of those people have a memorial to them that has stood for two thousand years? Today there is a memorial to Jesus that has stood the test of time, there is a gospel of Jesus that has gone into the entire world, and what this woman has done is also a memorial that has stood the test of time.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
There is a distinction between "the disciples" and "the twelve". Matthew doesn't say the apostles were murmuring against the woman, they say the disciples were. The woman who poured out the ointment is one of the disciples.
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.
A wedding is a covenant relationship. Judas enters into a covenant relationship with these evil chief priests. That is a picture of the apostasy which must come first. Jesus had to be betrayed, David was betrayed, Solomon was betrayed and Jesus had to be betrayed. Paul tells us the apostasy must come first, and there will be this murmuring and complaining about those who are paying a price to announce this beforehand by disciples of the Lord who are "useful idiots". Maybe they are jealous, envious, or simply dim witted. But whatever the reason Judas is able to manipulate them. The same thing will happen prior to the rapture. There must be those telling you beforehand that it will take place because God tells the end from the beginning and that is the proof that He is God. There must be a price to pay because that is called "a sacrifice of love". There must be disciples who are useful idiots of the apostasy. And there must be the apostasy for all of this to take place.
16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
And then live it.
