Matthew 26
26
The Plot to Kill Jesus
1When Jesus had finished saying all these things,#Mk 14:1–2; Lk 22:1–2; Jn 11:47–53 he told his disciples, 2“You know#26:2 Or “Know (as a command) that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”#Jn 11:55; 13:1
3Then the chief priests#26:3 Other mss add and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,#Ps 2:2; Mt 26:57; Lk 3:2; Jn 11:47; 18:13,15; Ac 4:6 4and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him.#Mt 21:46; Jn 11:53 5“Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany
6While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon#Mk 14:3–9; Jn 12:1–8 the leper,#26:6 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 7a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8When the disciples#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9“This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.”
10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. 11You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.#Dt 15:11; Jn 12:8 12By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel#Mt 24:14; Mk 1:1; 13:10 is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14Then#Mk 14:10–11; Lk 22:3–6 one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests#Mt 10:4; Jn 6:71; 12:4; 13:30; Ac 1:16 15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him.#Ex 21:32; Zch 11:12–13; Mt 27:3 16And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
Betrayal at the Passover
17On the first day of Unleavened Bread#Mk 14:12–16; Lk 22:7–13 the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 “Go into the city to a certain man,” he said, “and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am celebrating the Passover at your place#26:18 Lit Passover with you with my disciples.’”#Jn 7:6,8; 8:20; 13:1; 17:1 19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20When evening came, he was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”#Mk 14:17–21; Lk 22:21–23; Jn 13:21–26
22Deeply distressed, each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23He replied, “The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl — he will betray me. 24The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him,#Dn 9:26; Mk 9:12; Lk 24:25–27; Ac 17:2–3; 26:22–23; 1Co 15:3; 1Pt 1:10 but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”
25Judas, his betrayer, replied, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” #Lk 22:70; Jn 1:38
“You have said it,” he told him.
The First Lord’s Supper
26As they were eating,#Mk 14:22–25; Lk 22:17–20; 1Co 11:23–25 Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples,#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.”#Mt 14:19; 1Co 10:16 27Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28For this is my blood of the covenant,#26:28 Other mss read new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.#Ex 24:8; Mt 20:28; Mk 1:4; Heb 9:20 29But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”#Mt 4:23; Mk 1:15; Ac 20:25 30After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.#Mt 21:1; Lk 22:39; Jn 18:1
Peter’s Denial Predicted
31Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. # 26:31 Zch 13:7 #
Zch 13:7; Mt 11:6; Jn 16:32
32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” #
Mt 28:7,10,16; Mk 16:7
33Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”#Mt 26:75; Lk 22:34; Jn 13:38
35“Even if I have to die with you,” Peter told him, “I will never deny you,” and all the disciples said the same thing.
The Prayer in the Garden
36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,#Mk 14:32–42; Lk 22:40–46 and he told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.#Mt 4:21; 17:1 38He said to them, “I am deeply grieved#26:38 Lit “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”#Ps 42:5–6; Mt 24:42; Jn 12:27 39Going a little farther,#26:39 Other mss read Drawing nearer he fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”#Mt 20:22; Jn 5:30; 6:38; Php 2:8; Heb 5:7
40Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me one hour? 41Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this#26:42 Other mss add cup cannot pass#26:42 Other mss add from me unless I drink it, your will be done.”#Mt 26:39; Mk 14:36; Lk 22:42; Jn 6:38 43And he came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open.
44After leaving them, he went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? See, the time is near. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.#Jn 12:27; 13:1 46Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”
Judas’s Betrayal of Jesus
47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived.#Mk 14:43–50; Lk 22:47–53; Jn 18:3–11 A large mob with swords and clubs was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48His betrayer had given them a sign: “The one I kiss, he’s the one; arrest him.” 49So immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 “Friend,” #
Mt 20:13; 22:12 Jesus asked him, “why have you come?” #26:50 Or Jesus told him, “do what you have come for.”
Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. 51At that moment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear.#Lk 22:38; Jn 18:10
52Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.#Gn 9:6; Rv 13:10 53Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?#2Kg 6:17; Dn 7:10; Mt 4:11; Lk 8:30 54How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled#Mt 1:22; 26:24 that say it must happen this way?”
55At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal,#26:55 Lit as against a criminal to capture me? Every day I used to sit, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me.#Mk 12:35; Lk 21:37; Jn 7:19; 8:2; 18:20 56But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets#Mt 26:54; Rm 1:2; 2Pt 1:20 would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples#Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 deserted him and ran away.
Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin
57Those#Mk 14:53–65; Jn 18:12–13,19–24 who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas#Mt 26:3; Jn 11:49 the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had convened. 58Peter was following him at a distance right to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and was sitting with the servants to see the outcome.#Jn 7:32; 18:15
59The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death,#Mt 5:22; Ac 6:11 60but they could not find any, even though many false witnesses#Dt 19:15; Ps 27:12; 35:11; Ac 6:13 came forward.#26:60 Other mss add they found none Finally, two#26:60 Other mss add false witnesses who came forward 61stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God#Mt 27:40; Jn 2:19; Ac 6:14 and rebuild it in three days.’”
62The high priest stood up and said to him, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 63But#Lk 22:67–71 Jesus kept silent.#Is 53:7; Mt 27:12,14; Jn 19:9 The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath#Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21; Mt 5:33; 14:7; 23:16 by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”#Lv 5:1; 1Sm 14:24,26; Mt 16:16
64 “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future#26:64 Lit you, from now you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”#26:64Ps 110:1; Dn 7:13#Ps 110:1; Dn 7:13; Mt 16:27; 24:30; Rv 1:7
65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed!#Mk 3:29; Jn 10:33 Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you’ve heard the blasphemy.#Nm 14:6; Mk 14:63; Ac 14:14 66What is your decision?”
They answered, “He deserves death!” #Lv 24:16; Jn 19:7 67Then they spat in his face#Mt 27:30; Mk 10:34; Lk 22:63–65; Jn 18:22 and beat him; others slapped him 68and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who was it that hit you?” #Mk 14:65; Lk 22:64
Peter Denies His Lord
69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.#Mk 14:66–72; Lk 22:55–62; Jn 18:16–18,25–27 A servant girl approached him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.”
70But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
71When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!” #Mk 14:67; Ac 6:14
72And again he denied it with an oath:#Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21; Mt 5:33; 14:7; 23:16 “I don’t know the man!”
73After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You really are one of them, since even your accent#26:73 Or speech gives you away.”
74Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed, 75and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”#Mt 26:34; Jn 13:38; Ac 3:13–14 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
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Matthew 26: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 26
26
1After Jesus had said all this, he told his disciples, 2“You know that it's Passover in two days time, and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of Caiaphas, the high priest. 4There they plotted to arrest Jesus on some deceitful pretext#26:4. Literally, “with guile.” and kill him. 5But they said, “Let's not do this during the festival so that the people don't riot.”
6While Jesus was staying at Simon the leper's house in Bethany, 7a woman came over to him carrying an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus' head while he was sitting eating.
8But when the disciples saw what she did, they were upset.“What a terrible waste!” they objected. 9“This perfume could've been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor!”
10Jesus was aware of what was going on and told them, “Why are you upset with this woman? She's done something wonderful for me! 11You'll always have the poor with you,#26:11. See Deuteronomy 15:11. but you won't always have me. 12By pouring this perfume on my body she's prepared me for burial. 13I tell you the truth: wherever in the world this good news is spread, the story of what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the chief priests 15and asked them, “How much will you pay me for betraying Jesus to you?” They paid him thirty silver coins. 16From then on he looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
17On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you to eat?”
18Jesus told them, “Go into the city and find this particular man, and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is approaching. I'm coming to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19The disciples did as Jesus told them, and prepared the Passover meal there.
20When evening came he sat down to eat with the Twelve. 21While they were eating he told them, “I tell you the truth: one of you is going to betray me.”
22They were extremely upset. One after the other they asked him, “Lord, it's not me, is it?”
23“The one who's dipped his hand into the dish with me will betray me,” Jesus replied. 24“The Son of man will die just as it was prophesied about him, but what a disaster it will be for the man who betrays the Son of man! It would be better for that man if he'd never been born!”
25Judas, the one who would betray Jesus, asked, “It's not me, is it, Rabbi?”
“You said it,” Jesus replied.
26While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave pieces to the disciples. “Take and eat this for it is my body,” said Jesus. 27Then he picked up the cup, blessed it, and gave it to them. “Drink from it, all of you,” he told them. 28“For this is my blood of the agreement,#26:28 Or “covenant.” poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29However, I tell you, I won't drink this fruit of the vine until the day I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.” 30After they'd sung a song, they left for the Mount of Olives.
31“All of you will abandon me tonight,” Jesus told them. “As Scripture says, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the flock of sheep will be completely scattered.’#26:31. Quoting Zechariah 13:7. 32But after I have risen, I'll go ahead of you to Galilee.”
33But Peter objected, “Even if everyone else abandons you, I'll never abandon you.”
34“I'm telling you the truth,” Jesus told him, “This very night, before the cock crows, you'll deny me three times.”
35“Even if I have to die with you, I'll never deny you!” Peter insisted. And all the disciples said the same thing.
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He told them, “Sit down here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and he began to suffer agonizing sorrow and distress. 38Then he said to them, “I am so overwhelmed with sadness that it's killing me. Wait here and keep watch with me.” 39He went a little farther forward, fell facedown, and prayed.
“My Father, please, if it's possible, let this cup of suffering be taken from me,” Jesus asked. “Even so, may it not be what I want but what you want.”
40He went back to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “What, you couldn't stay awake with me for just one hour? 41Stay awake and pray, so that you don't fall into temptation. Yes, the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 42He went away a second time and prayed.
“My Father, if this cup cannot be taken from me without me drinking from it, then your will be done,” he said. 43He went back and found them sleeping, for they just couldn't stay awake.#26:43. Literally, “their eyes were weighed down.” 44So he left them once more, and went off and prayed a third time, repeating the same things. 45Then he returned to the disciples, and told them, “How can you still be sleeping and resting? Look, the time has come. The Son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners! 46Get up, let's go! Look, the one who's betraying me has arrived.”
47As he said this, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived with a large mob armed with swords and clubs sent by the chief priests and elders of the people. 48The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: “The one that I kiss, that's him—arrest him,” he'd told them.
49Judas came up to Jesus immediately, and said, “Hello, Rabbi,” and kissed him.
50“My friend, do what you came to do,”#26:50. Or, “What are you doing here?” Jesus said to Judas. So they came and grabbed hold of Jesus, and arrested him.
51One of those who was with Jesus reached for his sword and pulled it out. He struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear. 52But Jesus told him, “Put your sword away. Everyone who fights with the sword will die by the sword. 53Don't you think I could ask my Father, and he'd immediately send more than twelve legions of angels? 54But then how could the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must be like this?”
55Then Jesus told the mob, “Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I was some kind of dangerous criminal? Every day I sat in the Temple teaching and you didn't arrest me then. 56But all this is happening to fulfill what the prophets wrote.” Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.
57Those who'd arrested Jesus took him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the religious teachers and elders had gathered. 58Peter followed him at a distance, and went into the high priest's courtyard. He sat there with the guards to see how things would end.
59The chief priests and the whole council were trying to find some false evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death. 60But they couldn't find anything, even though many false witnesses came forward. Eventually two came forward 61and reported, “This man said, ‘I can destroy God's Temple, and rebuild it in three days.’”
62The high priest stood up and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What do you have to say in your defense?” 63But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to Jesus, “In the name of the living God I place you under oath. Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64“You said it,” Jesus replied. “And I also tell you that in the future you'll see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”#26:64. See Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:13.
65Then the high priest tore his clothes, and said, “He's speaking blasphemy! Why do we need any witnesses? Look, now you've heard for yourselves his blasphemy! 66What's your verdict?”
“Guilty! He deserves to die!” they answered. 67Then they spat in his face and beat him. Some of them slapped him with their hands, 68and said, “Prophesy to us, you ‘Messiah’! Who just hit you?”
69Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came up to him, and said, “You, you were with Jesus the Galilean!” 70But he denied it in front of everyone. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he said.
71When he went back to the courtyard entrance another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72Once again he denied it, saying with an oath, “I don't know him.” 73A little while later the people standing there came up to Peter and said, “You definitely are one of them. Your accent gives you away.” 74Then he started to swear: “Curses on me if I'm a liar!#26:74. Or “he called down curses on himself.” I don't know the man!” Immediately the cock crowed.
75Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the cock crows, three times you will deny knowing me.” He went outside and wept bitterly.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com