Matthew26

Jesus foretells his crucifixion, and a woman anoints him for burial, an act Jesus commends. Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. During the Passover, Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper and identifies Judas as his betrayer. In Gethsemane, Jesus prays in agony while his disciples sleep, before being arrested following Judas's kiss. He is then condemned by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy, while Peter denies him three times, fulfilling prophecy.

The Passover and the Betrayal Announced

When Yeshua had finished speaking, he said to his talmidim,

"As you know, Pesach is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be nailed to the execution-stake."

The Plot to Kill Jesus

Then the head cohanim and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of Kayafa the cohen hagadol.

They made plans to arrest Yeshua surreptitiously and have him put to death;

but they said, "Not during the festival, or the people will riot."

The Anointing at Bethany

Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah, at the home of Shim`on, the man who had had tzara'at.

A woman who had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume approached Yeshua while he was eating and began pouring it on his head.

When the talmidim saw it, they became very angry. "Why this waste?" they asked.

"This could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor."

But Yeshua, aware of what was going on, said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me.

The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

She poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial.

Yes! I tell you that throughout the whole world, wherever this Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told in her memory."

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Then one of the Twelve, the one called Y'hudah from K'riot, went to the head cohanim

and said, "What are you willing to give me if I turn Yeshua over to you?" They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to Y'hudah.n

From then on he looked for a good opportunity to betray him.

Preparation for the Passover

On the first day for matzah, the talmidim came to Yeshua and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare your Seder?"

"Go into the city, to so-and-so," he replied, "and tell him that the Rabbi says, `My time is near, my talmidim and I are celebrating Pesach at your house.'"

The talmidim did as Yeshua directed and prepared the Seder.

When evening came, Yeshua reclined with the twelve talmidim;

and as they were eating, he said, "Yes, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me."

They became terribly upset and began asking him, one after the other, "Lord, you don't mean me, do you?"

He answered, "The one who dips his matzah in the dish with me is the one who will betray me.

The Son of Man will die just as the Tanakh says he will; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him had he never been born!"

Y'hudah, the one who was betraying him, then asked, "Surely, Rabbi, you don't mean me?" He answered, "The words are yours."

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

While they were eating, Yeshua took a piece of matzah, made the b'rakhah, broke it, gave it to the talmidim and said, "Take! Eat! This is my body!"

Also he took a cup of wine, made the b'rakhah, and gave it to them, saying, "All of you, drink from it!

For this is my blood, which ratifies the New Covenant, my blood shed on behalf of many, so that they may have their sins forgiven.

I tell you, I will not drink this `fruit of the vine' again until the day I drink new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."

After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Prediction of Peter’s Denial

Yeshua then said to them, "Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh says, `I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil."

"I will never lose faith in you," Kefa answered, "even if everyone else does."

Yeshua said to him, "Yes! I tell you that tonight before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!"

"Even if I must die with you," Kefa replied, "I will never disown you!" And all the talmidim said the same thing.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

Then Yeshua went with his talmidim to a place called Gat-Sh'manim and said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

He took with him Kefa and Zavdai's two sons. Grief and anguish came over him,

and he said to them, "My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake with me."

Going on a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet -- not what I want, but what you want!"

He returned to the talmidim and found them sleeping. He said to Kefa, "Were you so weak that you couldn't stay awake with me for even an hour?

Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test -- the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak."

A second time he went off and prayed. "My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done."

Again he returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.

Leaving them again, he went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words.

Then he came to the talmidim and said, "For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . . Look! The time has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Get up! Let's go! Here comes my betrayer!"

The Arrest of Jesus

While Yeshua was still speaking, Y'hudah (one of the Twelve!) came, and with him a large crowd carrying swords and clubs, from the head cohanim and elders of the people.

The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: "The man I kiss is the one you want -- grab him!"

He went straight up to Yeshua, said, "Shalom, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Yeshua said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they moved forward, laid hold of Yeshua and arrested him.

At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear.

Yeshua said to him, "Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword.

Don't you know that I can ask my Father, and he will instantly provide more than a dozen armies of angels to help me?

But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?"

Then Yeshua addressed the crowd: "So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? Every day I sat in the Temple court, teaching; and you didn't seize me then.

But all this has happened so that what the prophets wrote may be fulfilled." Then the talmidim all deserted him and ran away.

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

Those who had seized Yeshua led him off to Kayafa the cohen hagadol, where the Torah-teachers and elders were assembled.

Kefa followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; then he went inside and sat down with the guards to see what the outcome would be.

The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put him to death.

But they didn't find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony. At last, however, two people came forward and said,

"This man said, `I can tear down God's Temple and build it again in three days.'"

The cohen hagadol stood up and said, "Have you nothing to say to the accusation these men are making?"

Yeshua remained silent. The cohen hagadol said to him, "I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if you are the Mashiach, the Son of God!"

Yeshua said to him, "The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG'vurah and coming on the clouds of heaven."

At this, the cohen hagadol tore his robes. "Blasphemy!" he said. "Why do we still need witnesses? You heard him blaspheme!

What is your verdict?" "Guilty," they answered. "He deserves death!"

Then they spit in his face and pounded him with their fists; and those who were beating him

said, "Now, you `Messiah,' `prophesy' to us: who hit you that time?"

Peter Denies Jesus

Kefa was sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him. "You too were with Yeshua from the Galil," she said.

But he denied it in front of everyone -- "I don't know what you're talking about!"

He went out onto the porch, and another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This man was with Yeshua of Natzeret."

Again he denied it, swearing, "I don't know the man!"

After a little while, the bystanders approached Kefa and said, "You must be one of them -- your accent gives you away."

This time he began to invoke a curse on himself as he swore, "I do not know the man!" -- and immediately a rooster crowed.

Kefa remembered what Yeshua had said, "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times"; and he went outside and cried bitterly.

Study Notes for Matthew 26

Verse 2

Jesus’ final prediction frames the entire Passion narrative as a divine necessity. He emphasizes that the Son of Man is betrayed specifically 'to be crucified,' underscoring the manner of his sacrificial death.

Verse 3

Caiaphas was the High Priest appointed by the Romans (A.D. 18–36). The assembly of chief priests, scribes, and elders constituted the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court.

Verse 5

The leaders feared the large crowds of Passover pilgrims, many of whom viewed Jesus as a popular prophet. They wanted to avoid a riot that might provoke Roman intervention.

Verse 6

Simon the Leper was likely a man Jesus had previously healed. Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, was also the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

Verse 7

Alabaster boxes were precious containers used for expensive perfumed oils. The quantity of ointment used here indicates a great expense, perhaps a year's wages.

Verse 12

Jesus interprets the act of anointing as preparation for his imminent burial. This act, done out of devotion, was more significant than the disciples’ practical concern for charity.

Verse 13

This verse is a profound promise of universal recognition for the woman’s deed, emphasizing that true devotion, even if seemingly wasteful, will be eternally remembered within the Gospel message.

Verse 14

Judas Iscariot (likely meaning 'man of Kerioth') initiated this meeting, suggesting his betrayal was driven by greed or disillusionment, rather than simple coercion.

Verse 15

Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave injured by an ox (Ex. 21:32), emphasizing the low value placed on Jesus' life and fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 11:12.

Verse 17

The Feast of Unleavened Bread began concurrently with the Passover meal. This preparation indicates the disciples were following the requirements for the annual celebration.

Verse 18

Jesus’ knowledge of the specific man shows his divine foresight. 'My time is at hand' underscores his sovereign control over the timing and setting of his final hours.

Verse 21

The announcement of betrayal, made during the sacred Passover meal, heightens the tragedy and treachery of Judas’s act.

Verse 24

This verse balances divine sovereignty (Jesus goes 'as it is written') with human responsibility. Judas’s betrayal fulfills prophecy, but he remains morally accountable for his choice.

Verse 26

Jesus reinterprets the elements of the Passover meal, establishing the Eucharist (Communion) as the central ritual of the New Covenant, replacing the need for animal sacrifice.

Verse 28

This is a pivotal theological statement. The 'new testament' (new covenant) points to Jeremiah 31:31. Jesus’ blood is shed once and for all to achieve the 'remission of sins' for humanity.

Verse 29

Jesus looks forward to the eschatological banquet (the Marriage Supper of the Lamb), signaling that the Lord's Supper is a temporary anticipation of the fullness of the Kingdom.

Verse 31

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7, indicating that the disciples’ flight and scattering is a necessary fulfillment of Scripture regarding the suffering Shepherd.

Verse 34

Peter’s overconfidence is checked by Jesus’ precise prophecy. This highlights the contrast between Peter’s bold, yet fragile, human commitment and the certainty of Jesus’ divine knowledge.

Verse 36

Gethsemane means 'oil press.' Jesus takes the three closest disciples (Peter, James, and John) deeper into the garden, indicating the intensity of the struggle about to occur.

Verse 39

The prayer reveals Jesus’ true humanity (desiring to avoid the 'cup' of suffering and God's wrath) and his perfect submission to the Father’s will. This obedience is central to the atonement.

Verse 41

This famous instruction warns against spiritual complacency and temptation. The 'spirit is willing' acknowledges the disciples' intentions, but the 'flesh is weak' emphasizes their human inability to endure without God’s strength.

Verse 45

Jesus’ instruction to 'Sleep on now' is likely ironic or sarcastic, immediately followed by the command to 'Rise, let us be going,' signaling the moment of betrayal has arrived.

Verse 47

The presence of a great multitude with swords and clubs suggests that the Sanhedrin feared resistance or a popular uprising, treating Jesus as a dangerous criminal.

Verse 50

Jesus addresses Judas as 'Friend' (Gk. *hetairos*), a term of ironic courtesy used for companions, emphasizing the depth of the betrayal by one who was considered an intimate.

Verse 52

Jesus rejects the use of violence to advance the Kingdom, establishing a principle of non-retaliation and affirming that His mission must be accomplished through self-sacrifice, not force.

Verse 53

Jesus emphasizes that His submission is voluntary, not coerced. He possesses the power to call twelve legions (over 72,000) of angels, but chooses the path of suffering to fulfill prophecy.

Verse 56

The fulfillment of prophecy is the ultimate justification for these events. The disciples’ flight confirms Jesus' earlier prediction (v. 31), demonstrating the necessary scattering of the flock.

Verse 57

Caiaphas’s palace served as the immediate location for the illegal, rushed night trial before the full Sanhedrin could convene officially the next morning.

Verse 59

The council sought 'false witness' because they needed a capital charge under Jewish law, which required two agreeing witnesses, but Jesus had committed no legitimate crime worthy of death.

Verse 61

This charge is a distorted reference to Jesus’ earlier statement, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' (John 2:19), referring to his body, not the physical building.

Verse 63

The High Priest uses a solemn oath formula required by Jewish law, forcing Jesus to state his identity under divine obligation, thereby creating the basis for the charge of blasphemy.

Verse 64

Jesus affirms his messianic identity ('Thou hast said') and immediately asserts his divine authority by referencing Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1, claiming power and future judgment.

Verse 65

Tearing the clothes was a traditional sign of distress or horror, used here to demonstrate outrage over perceived blasphemy—the only capital crime Jesus could be convicted of under their law.

Verse 69

Peter’s denial is narrated immediately after Jesus' bold confession, providing a stark contrast between Jesus’ courageous submission and the disciple’s fear and failure.

Verse 73

Peter’s Galilean accent was distinguishable from the dialect spoken in Jerusalem, providing a third and undeniable piece of evidence linking him to Jesus.

Verse 74

Peter descends into cursing and swearing (oaths) to reinforce his denial, confirming the depth of his failure exactly as Jesus had predicted, and marking the final step in his downfall.

Verse 75

The bitter weeping indicates profound repentance (Gk. *epiginosko*). This contrasts sharply with Judas’s regret (Matt. 27:3-5), whose reaction led to despair rather than restoration.

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