Afterwords -- week 41
"Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." (Matthew 26:13)
October 1, 2022
Dear friends,
What an amazing statement for Jesus to make! At the time he spoke this, Jesus was an uncredentialed religious teacher in a backwater Roman colony. The Jewish leadership rejected his authority, and the Romans -- at least until the tomb comes up empty --were not interested in a carpenter-turned-rabbi. To speak of this event, about this unknown woman (maybe Mary Magdalene, but does not say) pouring ointment on him, as something that would circle the globe down through history, seems to be sheer megalomania. However, he clearly says, "wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world..." this story would be told.
This is more than merely a prescient insight. He is not simply saying something that he foresees. It is more than that. He says, "Truly, I say to you...", which is not a casual introduction like "by the way," but a statement of certainty which reflects his own authority (cf Matt 9:2-8). Here he is speaking of his death, which also was not merely foreseen history, but a divinely planned event.
God is not only able to communicate his word to us through prophets and apostles -- that which we call holy Scripture -- but he also chooses what will be included. This leads to the notion of canon, that is, that this story and not some other stories, would be remembered, and would be included in the gospel proclamation. Also, implied is that this story would be preserved accurately ("what she has done", including the detail of the alabaster jar), and that, throughout history ("wherever...the whole world"). It's the preservation of a story which is told accurately in words for all time. This is similar to the statement Jesus made earlier about the Old Testament:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18; cf Mark 13:31)
So, what Jesus says in Matthew 26:13 is more than a foresight of things to come, his statement reveals the sovereign authority of Jesus to guide the historical progress and integrity of the gospel and its content. He said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matt 28:18-19) We go, and proclaim the gospel, and make disciples, and teach them, all based upon his authority, including his authority to preserve the gospel which we proclaim. The theologian Benjamin Warfield wrote, "There is nothing more important in the age in which we live than to bear constantly in mind that all the Christianity of Christianity rests precisely on 'external authority.'"
Our God, down through history, has not only communicated his mind and will to us, but he has also faithfully preserved that communication for us. There are many arguments which we might give to defend the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21), but here is a very simple one: we as Christians should have the same view of Scripture that our Lord Jesus had. We take a high view of God's word because our Lord Jesus had a high view of God's word. No matter how great our scholarly advancement today, we can never say that we know better than him whom we follow. The story we have in Matthew 26 is not some garbled legend or myth passed down from church tradition, but it survives intact today precisely because Jesus said it would.
And that's it for week 41!
Sandy
Image credit: Above, detail from the bas-relief of The Meal at Simon's House by Carlo Marochetti (1842-43) at the Church of the Madeleine, Paris. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.