Passage 📖: Matthew 26:1- 16

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👋 Introduction to Today’s Lesson

Hey Friends,

Have you ever watched two people experience the same moment — but respond in completely different ways?

One pulls back.

The other pours out.

Same tension.

Same uncertainty.

But radically different hearts.

In today’s passage, Jesus speaks words that should shake the room.

He makes a statement so heavy, so full of grief… you’d expect silence.

But instead — we see a split.

Someone gives extravagantly.

Someone else walks away to make a deal.

And it all raises a deeper question:

How do you respond when life feels fragile… and everything inside you wants to self-protect?

When the future feels dark, and resources feel scarce — what flows from your heart?

Let’s dive in.

Last week, Jesus didn’t just warn His disciples about what was coming — He invited them to live differently because of it.

From apocalyptic imagery to intimate parables, He painted a sobering picture of the end times:

A day is coming when the Son of Man will return.

And when that day comes — it will be too late to get ready.

We were reminded:

Jesus was clear:

The Kingdom doesn’t run on panic.

It runs on preparation.

And the most important time to prepare… is now.Missed the teaching? Click here to read or watch the full lesson.

Now when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples,

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them,

“Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to Me.

For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me.

In pouring this ointment on My body, she has done it to prepare Me for burial.

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.”

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Jesus is just days away from the cross — and everything is moving with divine precision.

He’s not in the Temple courts.

Not in the city center.

He’s in Bethany — a small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem.

A place of rest. A place of refuge.

And on this night, He’s at the home of Simon the Leper — likely a man Jesus had healed. Once outcast, now restored, Simon’s home becomes the unlikely setting for one of the most intimate moments in the Gospel.

The timing?

Two days before Passover — the most sacred festival in the Jewish calendar.

Hundreds of thousands have flooded Jerusalem to remember how God once delivered their ancestors from Egypt.

But while the crowds prepare for lambs to be sacrificed…

Jesus prepares to be the Lamb.

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:2)

This isn’t just another meal.

It’s a moment thick with tension.

Religious leaders are plotting.

Judas is calculating.

And in the middle of it all, a woman walks in with nothing but her love and a flask of oil.

What happens next splits the room — and sets the stage for everything that follows.

The woman breaks an alabaster flask of costly ointment — likely nard, a rare perfume imported from the Himalayas. Worth a year’s salary, this wasn’t a casual gesture. It was total surrender. And it wasn’t recoverable — once broken, the flask couldn’t be resealed.

This was her treasure.

And she didn’t hold it back.

She anointed Jesus before His death, fulfilling the burial rites He would never receive.

Jesus receives it. He defends it. He memorializes it.

“Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (v. 13)

But not everyone saw it as beautiful.

Immediately after this moment of extravagant worship, Matthew pivots the scene:

“Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’” (v. 14–15)

He doesn’t speak of love.

He doesn’t speak of justice.

He speaks of price.

While the woman pours out everything she has to honor Jesus, Judas cashes in on Jesus for thirty pieces of silver — the exact amount required to buy a slave (Exodus 21:32). The message is chilling:

Jesus says the woman “She has done a beautiful thing.”

But Judas? He sets betrayal in motion.

In the same chapter — probably in the same day — we see what love looks like, and what religion without love becomes.

The woman in this story isn’t a priest.

She’s not a disciple.

She doesn’t ask for a seat at the table — she simply comes near and pours herself out.

But what’s most surprising… is who misses it.

Not the outsiders.

Not the skeptics.

The disciples.

“Why this waste?” they ask.

They start calculating — what the perfume could’ve cost, how else it could’ve been used.

And in doing so, they miss the worth of the One right in front of them.

Because here’s the thing:

You can be near Jesus —

hear His teachings, watch His miracles, sit at His table —

and still not recognize who He is.

It’s not enough to be near Him.

You have to see His worth.

And when you see His worth — you stop calculating.

Because calculation is the language of uncertainty.

It’s what we do when we’re unsure if what we’re giving is worth what we’ll get.

But love doesn’t tally up the cost.

When you know something is priceless — you give without hesitation.

You break the jar.

You pour it all out.

And you trust that no drop is wasted.

That’s what this woman saw.

And it’s what the disciples missed.

So let us ask:

Have we grown numb to His name?

Do we still recognize the sacred when it shows up unexpectedly?

Are we more concerned with what we’re being asked to give…

If so, then we need to come back to Him and see how great his worth really is. 

Judas didn’t start out as a traitor.

He was chosen. Trusted. Sent.

He cast out demons. He preached the Kingdom. He walked with Jesus for three years.

But somewhere along the way…

Jesus stopped being the treasure.

And thirty silver coins became enough to sell Him out.

It’s haunting.

Because Judas wasn’t some distant enemy —

He was one of the twelve.

He didn’t walk away in anger.

He didn’t storm off in protest.

He sold Jesus quietly… with a kiss of familiarity.

And that’s the warning:

Betrayal doesn’t always come from hatred.

Sometimes it comes from disordered love.

Because what we treasure most will always win.

It will direct our choices.

It will redefine our boundaries.

It will reshape our character — slowly, invisibly — until we no longer recognize ourselves.

That’s why Jesus said:

“No one can serve two masters…

for either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and money.”

— Matthew 6:24

Judas made his choice.

But the real question is: What choice are you making now?

So take inventory:

Jesus doesn’t want a place in your life.

He wants to be the treasure of it.

Jesus had just told them:

“The Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:2)

Everyone in that room had been with Him for years.

Fishermen. Tax collectors. Misfits and former outcasts — now part of something they never imagined.

They had eaten because of Him.

They had purpose because of Him.

They had direction and identity… because of Him.

And now, suddenly — He says He’s going to die.

The air shifts.

The feeling of safety begins to crack.

And each person in the room has to reckon with a new truth:

Life is more fragile than they thought.

And in moments like this — when fear creeps in and the future feels uncertain — there are really only two paths.

One path clings to control.

It pulls back. Counts the cost. Protects what’s left.

That’s the path Judas takes.

The other path lets go.

It breaks open the jar.

It pours out everything — not because it’s safe, because it knows control is an illusion — but trust is a choice.

That’s the path the woman takes.

Same room.

Same announcement.

Totally different responses.

One gives because she trusts.

The other sells because he doesn’t.

And it all reveals a deeper truth:

Fragile moments don’t create our hearts. They expose them.

This story holds a mirror.

Not to our knowledge.

Not to our achievements.

But to our hearts.

Because everyone in the room heard the same words.

Jesus said He was going to die.

It wasn’t vague.

It wasn’t symbolic.

It was real.

And in response, one heart poured out everything it had.

Another walked away for a price.

That’s the tension we still live in today.

When life feels fragile…

When the future is uncertain…

When the cost of following Jesus gets high…

What flows from us?

Worship?

Control?

Surrender?

Or strategy?

This isn’t just a story about a woman and a traitor.

It’s a story about us.

What we treasure.

What we trust.

And what we’re willing to give — or withhold — when Jesus asks for our heart.

So this week, may we stop calculating.

May we stop clinging.

And may we do what she did:

Break the jar.

Pour it all out.

And trust the One who catches every drop.

Because He’s worth it.

Blessings,

Michael

Every month RDZ highlights an artist you need to know—quick hits only: name, city, an album and tracks we recommend, and where to listen! Let’s share music that moves us and glorifies Him!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: LANELL GRANT

Bio: Houston-bred producer & rapper blending faith, storytelling, and sharp production. Former teacher turned award-winning beatmaker and solo artist.

City: Houston, Texas

RDZ Note: I just recently came across Nell when searching for songs to add to the KNGDOM RAP playlist. I saw a reddit post that said Lanell Grant was the driving force behind Tobe Nwigwe’s music before they stopped working together. I’ll leave the drama for the haters, all I know is Nell is one of the most talented artists I’ve come across in the past year! The production, the bars, the visuals, the SUBSTANCE. I hope I can grow up to be like Nell one day.

Recommended Listening:

Album: My Name is Nell

Songs: Big Girl Big God, Don’t Let’em Swamp Ya, Shake Loose, Pillar of Salt

Please go Listen, Like and Follow her on any and all of your preferred platforms!

We’ve added a few of her songs on our KNGDOM RAP playlist Click here to check it out!

BTW, this isn’t an empty recommendation… I’ve been bumping My Name is Nell all month!

Have a music recommendation to share with The KNGDOM community or that you think should be considered to any of our playlists?

Click here to submit please!