Matthew 26:47–68 - Confident in the Day of Adversity

What does it mean to be confident? Zig Ziglar famously stated that, “Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking tartar sauce with you.” Legendary football coach John McKay gave another funny example of confidence. For those not familiar with McKay, he was a successful coach at both the college and professional levels. In fact, from 1962-1974, his teams won the national title four times. McKay was close friends with Coach Paul Bryant, known as “The Bear,” who also won many championships. And McKay told a story of when he and Coach Bryant were duck hunting together and Bryant shot at a duck but it kept flying. McKay said Bryant then looked at him and said, “John, there flies a dead duck.” “That's confidence,” McKay said. Confidence is firm trust in something. You can be confident in yourself, or in something else. We need some confidence right now, don’t we? These are strange and difficult times, and in times like these the source of our confidence is revealed. Proverbs 24 says, If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. These are days of adversity. And left to ourselves, we naturally have one of two responses to adversity: we either weaken in our confidence, or we place our confidence in the wrong things. But notice today in Matthew 26 the confidence of Jesus in adversity, but also where his confidence lies. The events reveal the source of his confidence. We see in the previous verses of Matthew 26 that Jesus was faithful in crisis. He was faithful to God the Father, he was faithful for His unfaithful people whom he would save. But not only was he faithful in adversity. He demonstrated boldness. He had an assuredness. MP: And because he demonstrated this assuredness - this confidence - in adversity, we should too, and we can. However, we must be confident in the same things Jesus was. So where should we place our confidence? Well, two things we see here: 1. in the trustworthiness of His Word and 2. in the inevitably of His return. I could probably simplify it for you even more than that. Jesus was confident in His truth and His glory, and we must be as well, if we would stand strong in hard times.

Now, we look first at the arrest of Jesus, which is also his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Look at all of the enemies of Jesus who are present: there’s Judas, along with this crowd carrying swords and clubs. They came from the chief priests and elders of Israel, who plotted to kill him. But Jesus’ allies are also in the picture. His disciples are present are there, ready to fight for him. We see that one even pulls a sword in Jesus’ defense, striking a member of the angry mob, slicing his ear. When you swing a sword close enough to someone’s head to get an ear, I think you mean business. The disciples had earlier told Jesus they would die with him. But they weren’t going down without a fight. And this mob has weapons also. This would’ve been a rumble if Jesus would have allowed it. These two groups were ready to go head-to-head. But a third group was standing by. Notice verse 52, Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. [53] Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? God the Father and the angels are present as well. Legions of angels are available. How many? A Roman legion of soldiers was 6000. Jesus is not trusting in his sword-wielding friends. But neither is he trusting in angels. He won’t be calling for their help. His confidence is not in those things. Why not call the angels? Because if he calls on his Father for help, in verse 54 Jesus says, “how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled?” According to the word of the prophets, the Savior must live righteously and die brutally, suffering and dying for sins. Jesus understands these events to be the necessary will of God. Difficult, yes, but necessary. We saw last week that Jesus wrestled with the Father’s will for his life, and he surrendered. Notice that Jesus does not come out of that struggle with bitterness or apathy. He comes out with boldness. He’s confident in the will of God for his life. He’s confident in the goodness and love of His Father toward him, even in adversity. Adverse circumstances do not mean that God is absent or uncaring. The written Word of God had foretold of these events, of their meaning, and of what they would accomplish, and Jesus sees the Scriptures as entirely trustworthy. He’s not confident because the Father is about to deliver him from his enemies. The Father is delivering him to his enemies. And yet Jesus is so bold. This is the same Jesus who earlier was so sorrowful that he felt he would die of grief. Now look how assured he is, verse 55, he tells his captors, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?” What has Jesus ever done to suggest that they would need to come after him with weapons? He says, “Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” It had to play out this way for the salvation of his people. The perfect Lamb of God had to go silently to the slaughter, his innocent blood shed to atone for the sins of His people. That’s what the Scriptures say about Jesus’ life. What do the Scriptures say about our lives? Did Jesus assure his people that we would never have trouble? No. The apostle Peter, one of the disciples present that day, later wrote to the followers of Jesus in the NT churches, and to us today. He tells us that we must endure various trials for a reason: for the testing of our faith, he says that the genuineness of our faith must be tested so that it “may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Word of God tells us that our faith must be tried. The Word of God assures us that pressure will be applied to God’s people. The Word of God is clear that things will not always be easy or comfortable. The day of adversity will come, and if you faint in that day, your strength is small. Jesus’ strength was great in the day of adversity. Why? Because angels were on their way? No. Because His Word was trustworthy. We can be strong in these days of adversity. Why? Because a vaccine is on the way? No. Because there are enough ventilators in the hospitals? No. Because we don’t live in a severely infected area? No. Because the economy eventually comes back? No. Because God’s Word can be trusted when it tells us that He reigns and his plans are good.

Jesus was confident in the trustworthiness of His Word, and we must be as well. But also, we see something else in which Jesus was very confident. It comes to the surface during his trial. He was tried before the religious leaders of Israel in an unjust court. Look at verse 59. It says they “were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, [60] but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. This backwards from how a trial should work, isn’t it? Normally, the verdict and sentencing come last. But they already know the outcome they want. They’re trying to put together a case to produce that verdict. They need to justify a death sentence. And so people are testifying against Jesus, but these lawyers need some strong, something that will stick. Verse 61, At last two came forward and said “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” Jesus did say something like this previously, although not in the way they are taking it. He was referring to his own body being destroyed and then raised up from death. They construed his words as a threat to their temple of worship. Notice that at first, Jesus does not reply to the high priest. He’s not bent on explaining himself at this point. He’s not trying to get out of their custody. His silence infuriates the high priest, who says, verse 63, “I adjure you by the living God,” in other words, “I call you to answer here before God,” “tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Now, if Jesus affirms that he is the Messiah, he’s condemned and he knows it. They will demand his death. But it’s true. He is the Christ. Why should he not confess it boldly? It’s fascinating - how this high priest, who is supposed to have a special connection to God, speaks down to Jesus in this way. Jesus would have every right to say, “Who am I? I’m the eternal Son of God, who are you? I made the world. What have you done?” But he doesn’t do that. Look at verse 64, Jesus said to him, “You have said so. Interestingly, if you cover up “tell us if” then the high priest does say, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” That was the confession that Peter made back in Matthew 16, when Jesus said, “Who do people say that I am?” Look at the rest of verse 64, Jesus says, But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest said those words in the form of a question on that day, but there will come a day when he will confess those words with fear and awe. “You have said so,” Jesus tells him, but you will see me coming on the clouds of heaven, then you’ll know. Jesus is bold because he knows he will overcome death. He knows he will rise, he will ascend to heaven, and he will return to make the world new, to gather his people, and to judge the wicked. Jesus was not just confident in words or ideas. He was confident in his literal resurrection. And as things played out, and he saw the plans of God the Father coming to fruition - as he saw the Word of God fulfilled - it made him stronger. Jesus confesses what is true. And they condemn him, and mock him. They begin to mistreat him. But Jesus remains steadfast because He knows how it will all end. As we face the reality of this virus and the fallout each day, we must, like Jesus, be able to see beyond it. Not just to May, or the summer, or the fall. Not just to the end of the pandemic, but to the end of time as we know it, to the second coming of the Lord Jesus. And we must draw confidence from it. The inevitable return of our Lord is no small thing. It is a glorious thing, and for us to be strong in these times, we must, like Jesus, have a vision of His glory. We must move beyond questioning God to worshipping God. We must move past critique of God and experience awe of God. I’m sure you all have goals during this weird time of life. But make these your two primary goals: truth and glory. Make this your prayer: “Show me Your truth, God, and show me Your glory.” You know, it is fitting that Jesus went on trial because our salvation - for the salvation he would secure for his people - because our salvation is legal in its nature. We naturally stand guilty before God our judge because of sin. Did you notice that Jesus had no defense lawyer? He was his own lawyer, but he didn’t build a case in his defense. Why? Because he had no defense? No. Because you and I have no defense. We have no defense before a holy God. Jesus did not make his case, not because he had no valid case for his innocence before this unjust and unholy court, but because we have no case for our innocence before the one true just and holy God. Jesus’ confidence was in his own truth and glory. Is he the source of your confidence? Will you trust in him, today, and each day ahead? Can you say with confidence, “Jesus is mine?” He is my savior. He is my defense. His truth and his glory are everything to me. What can this world do to me? Cry out to him. Let’s bow in prayer.