The rulers conspire ST. MATTHEW, XXVI. CHAPTER XXVI. against Christ 1. The rulers conspire against Christ. 6. The woman anointeth his head. 14. Judas selleth him. 17. Christ eateth the passover: 26. instituteth his holy supper: 36. prayeth in the garden: 47. and being betrayed with a kiss, 57. is carried to Caiaphas, 69. and denied of Peter. 1 AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 1 Or, a flask. 1 2 AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of man is 3 delivered up to be crucified. Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the elders of the people, unto the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas; 4 and they took counsel together that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5 But they said, Not during the feast, lest a tumult arise among the people. 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the 7 house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment, and she poured it upon his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is 9 this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the 10 poor. But Jesus perceiving it said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she 11 hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me 12 ye have not always. For in that she 2 poured this ointment upon my body, she 13 did it to prepare me for burial. Verily I 2 Gr. cast. 2. The passover was appointed (Exod. 12) as a memorial of the salvation of Israel when the firstborn of Egypt were destroyed. It was one of the most prominent types of the salvation of the spiritual Israel by the blood of the Lamb of God. This was the fourth Passover in the course of our Lord's ministry. The four are distinguished in John's Gospel (as John especially dwells on the events in Jerusalem) thus: Our Lord now specifies the time for his suffering, of which he had spoken more generally three times to his disciples chap. 16:21, 17:22, 20:18). Perhaps, from the language in chap. 16:21, we may gather that he often thereafter referred to his coming death. 3. The court of the high priest. To which place, the second night after, our Lord was first brought when arrested (see verses 57, 58). Caiaphas. Joseph Caiaphas was high priest from A.D. 26 to A.D. 36. He was a Sadducee, and son-in-law of Annas, a previous, but deposed, high priest. He seems to have associated his father-inlaw with him in the office (see Luke 3:2, John 18: 13, 24, and Acts 4:6). 6. Bethany (now el-Azariyeh) is a village pleasantly situated on the eastern foot of the Mount of Olives, nearly two miles east of Jerusalem (see on chap. 211). Simon the leper. Of course he could not have been a leper when he gave this entertainment. He was probably one of those lepers whom Christ had healed. From the parallel narrative of John (John 12:4), compared with John 13:2, one might conjecture that this Simon was the father of Judas Iscariot. 7. A woman. In John's account (John 12:3), we find this woman to be Mary, sister of Lazarus. Matthew's suppression of the name is caused, perhaps, by the danger of involving the Bethany family in trouble, as surviving when he wrote. This narrative, as given by Matthew, Mark, and John, must not be confounded with that of Luke 7:36-60. An alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment. This same phrase occurs in Herod. 3:20. The alabaster was the crystallized carbonate of lime (says Sir Gardiner Wilkinson), of a yellowish color, generally marked with waving lines, which we call Oriental alabaster and stalagmitic arragonite, very different from the white, soft sulphate of lime so much used in Italy. Although the word alabaster seems to mark the material of which the cruse was made, yet it is probable (from Pliny) that the term became significant only of weight. The alabastron would hold about a pound (compare John 12:3). The ointment is called "nard" by Mark and John. It was an oil. 8. His disciples. Judas made the remark (John 12:4), but doubtless some of the others sympathized with him in the thought. 12. She did it to prepare me for burial. Jesus here testifies to Mary's keen spiritual insight and her lofty faith. She anticipated the suffering that was so soon to come, and our Lord accordingly gives her a promise of special honor. Judas selleth Christ ST. MATTHEW, XXVI. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas 14 Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, for thirty pieces of silver. say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, 15 and said, What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to 16 betray him. 17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it 1? 17 and I will deliver him unto you? And they weighed unto him thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to deliver him unto them. Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where wilt thou that we make ready for 18 thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The 2 Master saith, My time is at hand; I keep the passover at thy house 19 with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus appointed them; and they made 20 ready the passover. Now when even was come, he was sitting at meat with the 21 twelve disciples; and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of 22 you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto 23 him every one, Is it I, Lord? And he answered and said, He that dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same shall 23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall be- 24 betray me. The Son of man goeth, even tray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man 25 had not been born. And Judas, which if he had not been born. as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it 4 for that man if he 5 bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the 27 this is my body. And he took a cup, disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. and gave thanks, and gave to them, say 25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, 26 said. And as they were eating, Jesus took Thou hast said. betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast 1 Or, these good tidings. 2 Or, Teacher. $ Many authorities, some ancient, omit disciples. 4 Gr. for him if that man. 5 Or, a loaf. • Some ancient authorities read the cир. 15. Thirty pieces of silver. Zech. 11:12. Thirty shekels are intended, which are about twenty dollars, the price of a slave (Exod. 21:32). Judas sold the Lord as a slave is sold, and counted him of no more value than a bond-servant (Phil. 2:7). 17. The first day of unleavened bread. See Exod. 12, Lev. 23, Num. 28, and Deut. 16. This feast began with the Passover meal at the sunset of the fourteenth day of Nisan, and ended at the sunset of the twenty-first. The whole of the fourteenth day was thus called "the first day of the feast." 19. They made ready the passover. It has been a mooted question whether Jesus partook of the Passover at this time; several passages in John's Gospel appearing to assert that the Passover of that year was celebrated on the day on which Jesus died, and thus the day after the institution of the Lord's Supper. Many, to reconcile the apparent discrepancy, suppose that the true day for the Passover was that which our Lord observed, but that the people, by an error in calculation, observed the next day. Others say that Jesus anticipated the Passover meal by a whole day. Dr. Robinson (in his notes to his valuable "Harmony") shows that the words used by John are not antagonistic to the clear declaration of the other evangelists, that Jesus did keep the regular Passover, and hence that there is no reason for the conjecture of two Passovers. 23. He that dipped his hand with me in the dish. This is a general statement, not designating Judas (see Mark 14:20). It is as much as to say, "A disciple and apostle shall betray me." In John 13: 26, we have a special indication, given by Jesus to John, which is not to be confounded with this. 25. Judas seems not to have asked the question at first with the others; but afterward, that he might not be con. spicuous by his failure, he asks, and receives the Lord's affirmative answer. Thou hast said. A Hebrew affir. mation. 26. As they were eating, Jesus took bread. Here begins the account of the institution of the Lord's Supper, after the Passover. The order of the Passover meal among the Jews was this: 1. A cup of wine. 2. Bitter herbs. 3. Unleavened bread and sauce (charoseth). 4. Second cup. 5. Unleavened bread and sauce (charoseth). 7. Third cup, "cup of blessing." 1 1 A fourth cup was sometimes added. |