Matthew 26
26
The Plot to Kill Jesus
Mk 14:1–2; Lk 22:1–2; Jn 11:45–53
1When Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples, 2#Mk 14:1–2; Lk 22:1–2“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to be crucified.”
3#Jn 18:24; Mt 26:57–58Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4and took counsel that they might take Jesus covertly and kill Him. 5#Mt 27:24But they said, “Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany
Mk 14:3–9; Jn 12:1–8
6#Mt 21:17When Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came to Him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment and poured it on His head as He sat at supper.
8When His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “For what purpose is this waste? 9This ointment might have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10When Jesus perceived it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for Me. 11#Dt 15:11; Mk 14:7For you have the poor always with you, but you do not always have Me. 12In pouring this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. 13#Mt 24:14; Mk 14:9Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her.”
Judas’ Agreement to Betray Jesus
Mk 14:10–11; Lk 22:3–6
14#Mt 10:4; Lk 22:3–6Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15#Ex 21:32and said to them, “What will you give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16From that moment he searched for an opportunity to betray Him.
The Passover With the Disciples
Mk 14:12–21; Lk 22:7–14, 21–23; Jn 13:21–30
17#Ex 12:18–20; 12:6On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will You have us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18#Jn 7:6; 7:30He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’ ” 19The disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
20#Mk 14:17–21; Jn 13:21When evening came, He sat down with the twelve. 21#Jn 13:21; 6:70–71And as they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
22They were very sorrowful, and each of them began saying to Him, “Lord, is it I?”
23#Jn 13:18; Ps 41:9He answered and said, “He who has dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24#Mk 9:12; Lk 24:46The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
25#Mt 26:64; 27:11Then Judas, who betrayed Him, answered, “Master, is it I?”
He said to him, “You have said it.”
The Lord’s Supper
Mk 14:22–26; Lk 22:15–20; 1Co 11:23–25
26#Mt 14:19As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat. This is My body.”
27Then He took the cup, and after He gave thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you. 28#Mt 20:28; Ex 24:7–8For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29#Mt 13:43; Mk 14:25I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30#Mt 21:1; Lk 22:39And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Peter’s Denial Foretold
Mk 14:27–31; Lk 22:31–34; Jn 13:36–38
31#Zec 13:7; Jn 16:32Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away on account of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’#Zec 13:7.
32#Mt 28:10; 28:16But after I have risen, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33#Lk 22:33Peter answered, “Though all men will fall away on account of You, yet I will never fall away.”
34#Jn 13:38; Mt 26:75Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35#Jn 13:37Peter said to Him, “Though I should die with You, yet I will not deny You.” And all the disciples spoke in this manner.
The Prayer in Gethsemane
Mk 14:32–42; Lk 22:39–46
36#Mt 26:39; 26:42Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray close by.” 37#Mt 4:21; 17:1He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38#Jn 12:27Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Wait here, and keep watch with Me.”
39#Mt 20:22; 26:42He went a little farther, and falling on His face, He prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, could you not keep watch with Me one hour? 41#Mt 6:13; Mk 14:38Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42#Mt 26:39He went away a second time and prayed, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
43#Lk 9:32Again, He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44#2Co 12:8So leaving them again, He went away and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45#Jn 13:1; Lk 22:53Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us be going. Look, he who betrays Me is at hand.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Mk 14:43–50; Lk 22:47–53; Jn 18:3–12
47#Mt 26:55; Ac 1:16While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came. And with him was a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48Now he who betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I shall kiss is the Man. Seize Him.” 49#Mt 26:25He immediately came to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50#Mt 20:13; 22:12And Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51#Mk 14:47Immediately, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52#Ge 9:6; Rev 13:10Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place. For all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53#Mt 4:11; 2Ki 6:17; Da 7:10Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will at once give Me more than twelve legions of angels? 54#Mt 26:24But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
55#Mk 12:35; Jn 8:2At that same moment Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a thief to take Me with swords and clubs? Daily I sat with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. 56#Mt 26:31; 26:54But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
Mk 14:53–65; Lk 22:54–55, 63–71; Jn 18:13–14, 19–24
57#Mt 26:3Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled. 58#Jn 7:32But Peter followed Him from afar to the high priest’s courtyard and went in, and sat with the servants to see the end.
59The chief priests and the elders and the entire Sanhedrin searched for false witness against Jesus to put Him to death, 60#Dt 19:15; Ps 27:12but they found none. Yes, though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.
At last two false witnesses came forward 61#Mt 27:40; Isa 49:7and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”
62Then the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63#Lev 5:1; Mt 16:16But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64#Ps 110:1; Da 7:13Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65#Mt 9:3; Jn 10:36Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further need do we have for witnesses? See, now you have heard His blasphemy. 66#Jn 19:7What do you think?”
They answered, “He is guilty unto death.”
67#Isa 50:6; Mt 27:30Then they spat in His face and struck Him. And others slapped Him with the palms of their hands, 68#Mk 14:65; Lk 22:63–65saying, “Prophesy to us, You Christ! Who is it that struck You?”
Peter’s Denial of Jesus
Mk 14:66–72; Lk 22:56–62; Jn 18:15–18, 25–27
69#Mt 26:71Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”
70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
71Then when he went out onto the porch, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72Again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man.”
73#Jdg 12:6After a while those who stood by came to Peter and said, “Surely you also are one of them, for your accent betrays you.”
74Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and he swore, “I do not know the Man.”
Then immediately a rooster crowed. 75#Mt 26:34; Jn 13:38Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Then he went out and wept bitterly.
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Matthew 26: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Matthew 26
26
Anointed for Burial
1-2When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, “You know that Passover comes in two days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.”
3-5At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas, conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want a riot on our hands,” they said.
6-9When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. “That’s criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor.”
10-13When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. “Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. When she poured this perfume on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial. You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired.”
14-16That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests and said, “What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” They settled on thirty silver pieces. He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.
The Traitor
17On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare your Passover meal?”
18-19He said, “Enter the city. Go up to a certain man and say, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near. I and my disciples plan to celebrate the Passover meal at your house.’” The disciples followed Jesus’ instructions to the letter, and prepared the Passover meal.
20-21After sunset, he and the Twelve were sitting around the table. During the meal, he said, “I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators.”
22They were stunned, and then began to ask, one after another, “It isn’t me, is it, Master?”
23-24Jesus answered, “The one who hands me over is someone I eat with daily, one who passes me food at the table. In one sense the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense that man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!”
25Then Judas, already turned traitor, said, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?”
Jesus said, “Don’t play games with me, Judas.”
The Bread and the Cup
26-29During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples:
Take, eat.
This is my body.
Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:
Drink this, all of you.
This is my blood,
God’s new covenant poured out for many people
for the forgiveness of sins.
“I’ll not be drinking wine from this cup again until that new day when I’ll drink with you in the kingdom of my Father.”
30They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives.
Gethsemane
31-32Then Jesus told them, “Before the night’s over, you’re going to fall to pieces because of what happens to me. There is a Scripture that says,
I’ll strike the shepherd;
dazed and confused, the sheep will be scattered.
But after I am raised up, I, your Shepherd, will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee.”
33Peter broke in, “Even if everyone else falls to pieces on account of you, I won’t.”
34“Don’t be so sure,” Jesus said. “This very night, before the rooster crows up the dawn, you will deny me three times.”
35Peter protested, “Even if I had to die with you, I would never deny you.” All the others said the same thing.
36-38Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”
39Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”
40-41When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
42He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.”
43-44When he came back, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open. This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time.
45-46When he came back the next time, he said, “Are you going to sleep on and make a night of it? My time is up, the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the hands of sinners. Get up! Let’s get going! My betrayer is here.”
With Swords and Clubs
47-49The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him.” He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, “How are you, Rabbi?” and kissed him.
50-51Jesus said, “Friend, why this charade?”
Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant, cut off his ear.
52-54Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don’t you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?”
55-56Then Jesus addressed the mob: “What is this—coming out after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I have been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. You’ve done it this way to confirm and fulfill the prophetic writings.”
Then all the disciples cut and ran.
False Charges
57-58The gang that had seized Jesus led him before Caiaphas the Chief Priest, where the religion scholars and leaders had assembled. Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Then he slipped in and mingled with the servants, watching to see how things would turn out.
59-60a The high priests, conspiring with the Jewish Council, tried to cook up charges against Jesus in order to sentence him to death. But even though many stepped up, making up one false accusation after another, nothing was believable.
60b-61 Finally two men came forward with this: “He said, ‘I can tear down this Temple of God and after three days rebuild it.’”
62The Chief Priest stood up and said, “What do you have to say to the accusation?”
63Jesus kept silent.
Then the Chief Priest said, “I command you by the authority of the living God to say if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64Jesus was curt: “You yourself said it. And that’s not all. Soon you’ll see it for yourself:
The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One,
Arriving on the clouds of heaven.”
65-66At that, the Chief Priest lost his temper, ripping his robes, yelling, “He blasphemed! Why do we need witnesses to accuse him? You all heard him blaspheme! Are you going to stand for such blasphemy?”
They all said, “Death! That seals his death sentence.”
67-68Then they were spitting in his face and knocking him around. They jeered as they slapped him: “Prophesy, Messiah: Who hit you that time?”
Denial in the Courtyard
69All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70In front of everybody there, he denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
71As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”
72Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: “I swear, I never laid eyes on the man.”
73Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. “You’ve got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away.”
74-75Then he got really nervous and swore. “I don’t know the man!”
Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.