Gloom here follows glory. A reversal of sorts is at work. Christ has just described His coming majesty. Now He speaks of an ominous darkness. Definitively, He steps into the shadow of His looming cross. He is directing His steps to the fulfilment of His mission. He speaks into motion the events that will soon secure His death. It is all very paradoxical. But paradox marks the person and work of Christ. In being, He is both God and man. In service, He comes offering the kingdom as both Sovereign and Servant. He is both the Lord of lords and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The keynote of the next two chapters is sounded in the opening verses of this passage. Here, obscurity gives way to clarity. Christ’s redemptive purposes are now made plain. He has come to interpose the hell bound course of man, linking Himself to the Passover sacrifice. He is the Son of Man who will come in His glory to judge and rule from His throne (25:31) and yet He is the Son of Man who will first be delivered up to be crucified as a Passover sacrifice (26:2). Jesus is the Sovereign Lord and Sacrificial Lamb.

Scripture References: Matthew 26:1-5

Related Topics: Christ: Life and Ministry, Passover | More Messages from Manny Pereira | Download Audio

From Series: "Let There Be Darkness"