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    Matthew 26:1-25
    ​Lesson 54

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    It is the start of Passion Week, things are starting to move quickly.
     
    Plotting against Jesus.
    Jesus is anointed.
    Judas negotiates with the chief priests.
    Preparing for The Last Supper. 
     
    Jesus has one night to live.
    Study Tip:
     
    Reading Bible passages a second time helps us learn.  Not only do we reinforce each lesson, but we also catch important points we may have missed with the first read.
    What is -
        
    Passover -
    Passover is the annual Jewish holiday highlighted by the Passover feast.  It commemorates the night the angel of death passed harmlessly over the enslaved Israelites in Egypt while killing the firstborn of all Egyptians (Exodus 12:13).  This fearsome miracle convinced the Egyptians to let the Israelites go free after four hundred years of slavery.  To begin the holiday, a sacrificial lamb was killed, without breaking any of its bones (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12), and roasted.  The Passover feast was then prepared with bitter herbs (representing the bitterness of slavery) and sweet spices (representing the sweetness of freedom) and was followed immediately by the Feast of the Unleavened bread (Exodus 23:15; Leviticus 23:5-8).  The two eventually became one holiday (Mark 14:1) beginning on the fourteenth day of the seventh month (Abib) and lasting one week as prescribed in Deuteronomy 16:1-3.  Jewish men were required to "appear before the Lord" (Exodus 23:17) on Passover, so thousands of Jews came to Jerusalem each year to celebrate their liberation and to offer up a religious sacrifice.  Passover is sometimes called simply the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 23:15; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1).  To learn more about the Passover and its importance read Exodus 12:1-30; 12:43-50; 13:1-22; and Deuteronomy 16:1-8.  Also, see "Today's Question" below.

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 26:1-25
    Plot to kill Jesus

    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.

    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 Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

    15 And said unto them, What will ye 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 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 I?

    23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray 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 if he had not been born.

    ​    25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.                           ​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "When Jesus had finished all these sayings." (26:1) - Refers to Jesus concluding The Olivet Discourse in reading 53.
     
    "Caiaphas." (26:3) - Joseph Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest appointed by Pontius Pilate's predecessor, the Roman governor of Judaea, Valerius Gratus.  Caiaphas was married to Annas' daughter (John 18:13), the former high priest, and served as the leader of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high council) for eighteen years (AD 18-36).  Caiaphas plotted Jesus' arrest and trial and then pressured Pilate into crucifying Him.  Later, he tried to cover up the resurrection (Matthew 28:11-15) and spent years persecuting Christians, including John and Peter (Acts 4:6-10).  He was eventually removed from office by the Romans.  What happened to Caiaphas after his removal is unknown, although some legends suggest that he converted to Christianity.
     
    "Consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty." (26:4) - Means, "Plotted how they might use trickery to arrest Jesus."
     
    "Bethany." (26:6) - A small village located on the Mount of Olives "about fifteen furlongs" (two miles) east of Jerusalem (John 11:18).  Jesus often stayed in Bethany when visiting nearby Jerusalem (Matthew 21:17) and performed one of His greatest miracles there, raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44; John 12:1).  Bethany is now called el-Azariyeh (place of Lazarus) or simply Lazariyeh.
     
    "A woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment." (26:7) - This is Mary, Lazarus' (and Martha's) sister (John 12:1-8).  Jesus visited them several times in Bethany.
     
     "As he sat at meat." (26:7) - "As he sat at dinner."
     
    "Be told for a memorial of her." (26:13) -  Sure enough, two thousand years later, Mary's story of humility and love for Jesus is still told.  You can read another report of Mary anointing Jesus in Mark 14:3-9.  See Luke 10:38-42 and John 11:17-45 to learn more about Mary.
     
    "Thirty pieces of silver." (26:15) - This was equal to about four months pay.  Five hundred years earlier, Zechariah 11:12 predicted, right down to the exact amount, that Jesus would be betrayed for money.  It is now Wednesday of Passion Week, Jesus has two days to live.  
     
    "He sought opportunity to betray him." (26:16) - "He looked for a chance to betray him."
     
    "Go into the city to such a man." (26:18) - "Go into the city and find a certain man."  The man was carrying a pitcher of water (Mark 14:13; Luke 22:10), which was considered woman's work, so he would have been easy to find. 
     
    "Did as Jesus had appointed them." (26:19) - "Did as Jesus instructed them."
     
    "When the even was come." (26:20) - "When evening had come."
     
    "Thou hast said." (26:25) - "You said it." ​
    ​​Mark's account of the priest's treachery, Jesus being anointed, and Judas making his infamous bargain can be found in Mark 14:1-11.  You can read Luke's account in Luke 22:1-23.

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 26:1-25        
    The Plot to Kill Jesus
     
    1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,

    2 "As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
     
    3 At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest,

    4 plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.

    5 "But not during the Passover celebration," they agreed, "or the people may riot."
     
    Jesus Anointed at Bethany
     
    6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy.

    7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.
     
    8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. "What a waste!" they said.

    9 "It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor."
     
    10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, "Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me?

    11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.

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

    13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed."
     
    Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
     
    14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests

    15 and asked, "How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?" And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.

    16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
     
    The Last Supper
     
    17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?"
     
    18 "As you go into the city," he told them, "you will see a certain man. Tell him, 'The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.'"

    19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
     
    20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the twelve disciples.

    21 While they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."
     
    22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, "Am I the one, Lord?"
     
    23 He replied, "One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me.

    ​24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!"
     
    25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, "Rabbi, am I the one?"
     
      And Jesus told him, "You have said it."     

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1. What did the disciples have to do to get ready for Passover? (26:19)​



    ​Explore your Bible every day to learn more about the Scriptures.   These lessons shouldn't be your only connection with God.                                                                           
    Answer: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. To prepare for Passover, the disciples first had to secure a private room suitable to hold the Passover meal.  Then, according to old Jewish law, a sacrificial lamb had to be purchased, slaughtered at the Temple, roasted and prepared in a specific way (Exodus 12:8-11; Deuteronomy 16:1-8).  Also, wine, bread, and other dinner items had to be bought to prepare the room, food, and the table.      

    ​Additional note: The Passover holiday celebrated the Jews liberation from Egyptian slavery and was a time to offer a thankful sacrifice to God.  Jesus was sacrificed on the cross the same day the sacrificial lambs were killed in the Temple.  Further, just as stipulated for the sacrificial lambs not a bone in Jesus' body was broken    (John 19:36).  God planned for the crucifixion to take place during Passover because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).  Just as Jews were freed from Egyptian bondage, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross  freed mankind from the bondage of sin.



    ​    Application thought for the day:
     
    Mary honored Jesus (26:6-13).  Do you honor Jesus?  Take time each day to worship Christ and make your home a welcoming place that honors our Lord and Savior.​
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lesson together.
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