Freedom from Oppressions

Please refer to Matt. chapter 26 (KJV).

There
were two people whose lives were changed as a result of their reactions
to Jesus. One for the better and one for the worse. Of course,  there
were many others whose lives were changed by their reactions to Jesus.
Some are shown in this very chapter.

Let us find out about the one who was near to Jesus for about three years---Judas Iscariot.

Judas
Iscariot was an apostle of Jesus. He was the one who looked after the
money. Money in the form of  silver pieces became his undoing. Look at
verses fourteen and fifteen. Judas made an agreement to betray Jesus to
the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver.

Judas'
reactions to Jesus before that time was one of friendship. On that very
day all the other apostles counted Judas as one of them. Judas was
their friend from their point of view. But from Judas' point of view
they were deceivers just like Jesus.

Judas
had three major strikes against him but he was not aware of them. He
was chosen for the office of apostle, but he was not chosen for eternal
life. Strike one. He was swayed by financial gains, even to the point
of selling out his friends. Strike two. He was a child of the devil.
Jesus referred to him as a devil. See the words of Jesus (John 6:70). No
wonder Satan was able to enter Judas after he ate the bread that Jesus
broke on that passover day. Strike three.  

Satan
cannot enter a child of God because the new passover protects the child
of God. Jesus was the passover lamb, and the unleavened bread He gave
to His disciples did not represent the unleavened bread of the passover
that Moses established. The bread, Jesus said, was His body (verse 26).
Judas could not shelter in the passover. Jesus will not protect you from
Satan if you refuse to come under the protection of His passover. He is
the passover. If you are seeking protection under Moses' passover you
are in error. For all those who reject true friendship with Jesus, the
new passover cannot cover them. They are exposed to Satan. Jesus does not lift all other protections from the unlearned and
ignorant unbelievers. Because He is merciful and not willing that any
should perish, He does not allow Satan to always attack people as Satan
would like. This does not mean that those unbelievers will have eternal
life and live forever. Like Judas, they also will be known as enemies
of Jesus, unless they repent and become children of God.

There
were probably more strikes against Judas than these three. These are
the three that came to my mind. They are sufficient to give light
to unbelievers to understand that they are in the same boat as Judas.

Then,
there was Mary. Her reactions to Jesus was one of intense love. She
displayed the right use of money (money in the form of precious
ointment). She preferred Jesus above financial gains and her own
enjoyment of the ointment. Look at verses six to thirteen.

After
Mary poured the ointment on the Lord Jesus, He established a memorial
for her. He linked her to the preaching of the Gospel. Note that Jesus
said, "...this gospel...". What would His disciples consider as "this
gospel"?  Look at verse two. Do you understand from that verse that the
gospel Jesus Himself spoke about included His crucifixion?  That meant
death. He made it clear that betrayal would come before He would be
crucified.

Jesus
gave the next important truth about "this gospel" in verse twelve.
 Jesus would  be buried. Those who believe that Jesus did not die on
the cross are in error. Those who believe that God spared Jesus from
death and took Him bodily to Heaven are not in agreement with Jesus.
 In verse twenty-four Jesus made it clear that He was going away from
this world according to what was written in the scriptures. This means
that the scriptures were to be fulfilled. It means that anyone
(including false messiahs and false prophets) who teach contrary to the
scriptures are in error. The prophets and messiahs that do not teach
that Jesus died on the cross and was buried are false teachers. Do not
fear them.

Jesus
made it clear in verse thirty-two that death and burial was not the end
of Him. He spoke of His resurrection. Jesus Himself is the resurrection
and the life. So "this gospel" was made clear by Jesus Himself.

Jesus
did not give His disciples "this gospel" halfway. No one can
come to Jesus and receive eternal life with a halfway gospel.

As
for Mary, she gave that which was precious to Jesus for the full
gospel. Many people don't like to give to Jesus for the full gospel.
Some of them are angry when others are following Mary's example. Some
are glad when Jesus bless them and heal them but they are not glad to
give for His gospel.

As
for those who are teaching that Mary was Jesus' wife, they are the
mouthpieces of Satan. If Mary were such, she would have received a lot
more fame than that one memorial. According to their teaching Jesus is
like a sinner. How then could Jesus fulfill the gospel according to the
scriptures? Is it written anywhere in the scriptures that Jesus would
have a bride or wife, except in a figurative and spiritual sense? "This
gospel" is not according to the imaginations of wicked people (children
of Satan).  It is according to the written word of God. That word will
judge the wicked.

Be blessed all you who fear the Lord Jesus. Be warned all you who like to see the end of Jesus. He has no end.

Abdool N.